Blog - Cotton & Flax

DIY

Guide to LA Fabric Stores

The Fabric Store LA

If you love a good fabric store, today I have a treat for you: a guide to my favorite fabric shops in LA!

After moving to Los Angeles in 2010, I spent a lot of time driving around the city, visiting all the fabric stores I could find. I was experimenting heavily with printing on locally sourced fabric, experiments that would eventually lead to founding Cotton & Flax. At the time, I was just beginning to get to know LA (let’s be honest, I’m still getting to know LA), and all the awesome creative resources it had to offer.

I take pride in the fact that I still source the majority of my materials for Cotton & Flax from local shops and fabric distributors. I’d love to share some of my favorite LA fabric stores, so that locals and visitors alike can enjoy these fantastic shops!

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DIY Personalized Sketchbook

Create your own patterned notebooks!

I often experiment with hand-carved stamps to try out new patterns that I’m thinking of adding to the Cotton & Flax collection. It’s a quick and easy process that lets me see results right away, rather than taking time to burn a new silkscreen. I decided to try out a new technique: printing my original patterns on blank notebooks!

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10 DIY Holiday Gift Ideas

DIY Jams and pickles

It might seem early to be talking about holiday gifts, but if you’re like me, you take the partial DIY approach to holiday gift giving (aka: buy a few, make a few!) Making gifts by hand can take a while, so I’m getting a jump on my DIY holiday gift projects now.

In case you need some DIY inspiration, check out this roundup of 10 projects that would make perfect holiday gifts!

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Upcoming Workshop: Print Your Own Fabric in LA

printing on fabric with Cotton & Flax

Want to learn to print your own patterned fabric to use in your craft and DIY projects? I’ll be teaching a workshop on how to print your own patterned fabric at Common Thread Studio in South Pasadena in just a few weeks!

diycarved.jpg

In this two hour class, you will learn how to carve simple printing blocks and transfer your designs onto fabric. We will provide all the materials: linoleum blocks, carving tools, printing ink, and 2 panels of 20″x20″ fabric, plus paper for those interested in stationery design. You’ll leave with your own, custom-printed fabric, ready to be transformed into pillows, scarves, tote bags, or whatever you can dream up!

You are welcome to bring additional fabric to print on, as well. I’d recommend light and medium-weight fabrics that aren’t too roughly textured, made from cotton or other natural fibers. Can’t go wrong with a quilting cotton or a lightweight linen.

Click here to sign up for the class! Feel free to send me an email if you have any questions before the workshop, you’ll find my contact info on the About page.

Favorite Purl Bee DIY projects – Holiday Edition!

DIY supplies

Are you making any of your holiday gifts by hand? I tend to make at least a few gifts each year, although I never seem to have enough time, and end up buying the rest of my gifts on Etsy or at local craft fairs and holiday markets (like Renegade!) When I do have some free time to work on DIY projects, I love to turn to The Purl Bee, one of my favorite DIY project resources, for inspiration.

If you’re like me, and are starting the holiday season with the best intentions to make your gifts by hand, maybe these DIY projects from The Purl Bee will get you started!

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