Blog - Cotton & Flax

linen

Fabric Designers – Names to Know

Carolyn Friedlander - Carkai fabric swatchesThe fabric industry can feel a little opaque sometimes. I get lots of emails from textile design students who are looking for advice, and I totally relate to that thirst for knowledge. There’s tons of info out there about talented fabric designers, but if you don’t know any famous textile designers’ names, it can be tough to know where to start.

I put together a list of my favorite contemporary textile designers, so that an artist interested in becoming a textile designer, or looking to learn how to become a fabric designer will find some inspiration. While some of these fabric designers’ names might not be the most recognizable in the textile industry, they’re certainly up-and-coming designers to watch out for. The textile designers’ websites are linked, so you can check out more of their work, and get inspired to sew!…

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Best Online Fabric Stores

Arroyo Fabric from Erin DollarAfter sharing my favorite fabric retailers last year, I thought it would be helpful to highlight the best online fabric stores, including a few that will be carrying my new collection, Arroyo! Knowing where to buy fabric online opens the doors to so many DIY projects – everything from reupholstering a chair, to sewing your own throw pillows. You may even be thinking about sewing some holiday gifts!

I love to browse through an independent fabric shop – nothing beats the feeling of running your hands over bolts of fabric. If you can shop for fabric in person, it’s a great way to check the color, weight, and drape, and to discover new fabric designers you’ve never seen before.

Unfortunately, many indie fabric stores have closed over the past few years, so many of us don’t have a local fabric shop in our area anymore. If this is the case for you, I’m happy to share my tips and sources to buy fabric online, so you can find beautiful fabrics from anywhere. If you’re not sure where to buy fabric online, I’ve got a list of 17 of my favorite online fabric stores below….

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Fabrics printed in the USA

Arroyo fabrics - printed in the USAI loved partnering with LA-based Robert Kaufman to create Arroyo, my first fabric collection. They have a fantastic network of US-based printing partners that they were able to coordinate with to print the entire collection domestically. The result is a beautiful collection of overprinted fabric, which looks just as bold and vibrant as my hand-printed fabrics.

One of the advantages of partnering with a US-based printer is a smaller carbon footprint, which works towards to my goal to strive for a greener studio environment. While international printers also create beautiful quality fabrics under ethical conditions, I feel confident that pushing for local manufacturing and production could create a big impact in terms of the textile industry’s effect on global warming, and I hope that I’ll get to partner with more USA production partners for future collaborations.

Project Roundup: Made with Arroyo

Stack of Arroyo fabricsIt’s so exciting to see your Arroyo sewing projects start to appear on social media — thank you so much for sharing your projects with the #ArroyoFabric hashtag. I wanted to share some of my recent favorite projects that have been shared to the feed! If you’re sewing anything with Arroyo, I hope you’ll tag me in the photo on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

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The Beauty of Natural Fabrics

fabric rollsI often mention how Cotton & Flax textiles are made with linen/cotton blend fabrics, but you may be wondering, “What’s so great about natural fabrics?”

There is a long, rich tradition of using natural fibers in fabrics, and I find that connection to our roots meaningful. Linen in particular has been used since ancient times, often for clothing, and was even used as a currency. In Ancient Egypt, linen was seen as a symbol of purity, and was worn as a display of wealth. I love creating linen throw pillows with that rich history in mind.

Flax FieldNatural fibers have the potential to be grown in a sustainable way, which contributes positively towards my goals of running a green studio. I’ve read studies that show that flax (the plant used to make linen fabric) requires much less water, and considerably fewer pesticides and fertilizers than other crops, which means less environmental impact overall. Only the best flax fibers are used for making linen textiles, but no part of the plant is wasted in the production process, and the leftover seeds, oil, straw and fiber are used to make many secondary products, like soap or paper. Few products are so efficiently used as Flax.

Natural fabrics, and linen in particular, have all sorts of great properties. Linen doesn’t pill or produce lint, which means your textiles will look newer, longer. Linen tea towels are easy to launder, and become softer and more absorbent with each use. Since linen is made from plant fibers, it is recyclable and biodegradable, but since linen textiles look and feel timeless, they won’t be hitting the recycling or compost bin anytime soon. Plus, linen has a uniquely luxurious look, which is why I love using it in so many of my designs!