The Cottage Revolution

Category: Sewing, Knitting & Crafting

  • Baby Booties

    So, do you know what kinds of projects highlight imperfections? Small projects. And do you know what requires primarily small projects? Babies. They are freakishly small. Babies, it seems, are everywhere these days. They are sweet and floppy and all that good stuff so it’s fun to make tiny gifts for them, but as I…

  • Damask Pattern Maxi Skirt

    Lately I’ve pretty much reached project capacity as I juggle things for multiple clients. While in the midst of wrapping up the details of the t h e n t i c a u spring 2013 NY show, I’ve also been writing up a cool 1.2 million in grant proposals. And I’m not complaining at…

  • Ghost Tank

    My little sister is a summer camp counselor. I admire anyone who can do that sort of work, but in this record-breaking heat I admire it even more. Sadly, though, I’ve been a delinquent older sister and haven’t even sent her a letter this summer. So this week I tried to make up for my…

  • Aztec Print Raglan

    Last month I headed to Chicago to visit one of my best friends. The focus of our weekend was a bread making class, but we managed  to fit in lots of other adventures, including a trip to Vogue Fabrics in Evanston. We perused bolt after bolt of apparel fabrics and knits, and by the end…

  • Metalsmithing: Part 2

    These past few weeks have been busy so I’ve been quiet. But behind the scenes I’ve been breaking finger nails, slicing open fingertips and experiencing all those little wounds that make me feel as though I’ve truly worked. There have been lots of little commissioned sewing and knitting projects. Lots of clothing production in the…

  • Metalsmithing

    The summer of 2000 I had my first office job. Just out of my freshman year of college I thought I needed to join the real workforce. And upon enlisting I immediately regretted it. All I took away from that summer were hours in the copy room, data entry and the fear of making blind…

  • Rowlf, the Hat

    About a month ago a friend asked if I would make a hat for his fiance. A Muppet hat. He sent me this link to the Wattlebird blog for inspiration. I’m wildly glad that I have friends in their thirties who give gifts like this on Valentines Day. Clearly I’ve chosen my pals well. This…

  • Camilla Babe by Quince & Co.

    Upon first glance at this baby sweater I was sold. Upon knitting it I finally know what pattern love truly is. Now I’m contemplating an adult-sized sweater in the same style for me. I love everything about this pattern. I really do. This is knit from Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed, a yarn mix made…

  • Leather Wallet

    When Christmas rolled around I decided Regan needed something as manly as he is. So naturally I made him a cowboy wallet. This tooled leather is really terrific and I know it’s been in my employer’s stash for years, just waiting to come out again for the perfect project. She’s made her fair share of…

  • Leather Laptop Portfolio

    Let me just tell you how lovely it is to have access to a sewing machine that is not made entirely of plastic. Very lovely. For Christmas I usually stick to making gifts for the girls — knitting and sewing flimsy fabrics that don’t cause my machine to throw a tantrum (or cause me to…