Holiday shopping

Come out and support local designers. My Cashmere collection is eco friendly and a great way to enjoy the finest fiber on the planet.

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Cashmere, Fall/Winter 2017

The Cashmere sweaters are starting to arrive. I could not be happier with my new supplier. I have received over 100 sweaters, so the Cashmere hat and scarf production is moving full speed ahead. Check out some of the steps of how I go through the process.

I love not knowing what colors will arrive. It’s like Christmas every time a box of sweaters is delivered.

It’s always fun at the laundromat. People stare at the piles of sweaters I put through the washer and drier. I often get asked “Do you wear all of these sweaters?” . I also get a lot of concerned folks asking “are you sure you want to put those in the drier? They will shrink!”

The chopping begins. I cut the sweaters apart, remove the ribbing, buttons, zippers. Every little piece of cashmere is saved and reused. I tend to work in color blocks, so one day it will be chopping red sweaters, another day it will be the green ones, and so on. My biggest stack tends to be the 50 shades of Gray!

At times, a sweater will look like Swiss cheese from the hungry moths. It’s OK, there is still so much usable material to work with, it just takes more time cutting it all apart. It is also much easier to see the holes once the sweater goes through the washer and drier and felts. Each piece then gets inspected. If there are this many holes in any particular sweater, i turn it into scrap pieces…

That damaged and useless sweater is turned into beautiful felted Cashmere strips which I sew into hats and scarves.

My tiny showroom is quickly filling up with the Cashmere collection! It is so gratifying to recycle this luxurious fiber. There are days where I chop the sweaters for 12 hours. There are days when I sew for 14 hours. Doing this is a labor of love, and I love every minute of it.

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Workshop at Britex fabrics.

I will be teaching a workshop at Britex Fabrics on Saturday, August 5th.
Scraps to Embellishments , how to create decorative elements from leftover material. Headbands, flowers, leaves, couching method. This class is great for both beginners and intermediate sewers.

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Five and Diamond Holiday Loft sale

I will be selling my Cashmere hats and scarves at the Five and Diamond Holiday Loft sale at the Chapel.

The Chapel, 777 Valencia Street, San Francisco.
Sunday, December 18th, 11-6

Free to attend, cocktails and food available at the venue.

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In the studio

  The move out of 418 Valencia went smoothly. I’m so grateful for the help of a few wonderful friends. It means a lot to have support through such a major transition. My customers have been so kind and encouraging, it means the world to me.

My work studio on 16th St is not new. I’ve had it for about a year and a half, but never really had the time to enjoy it or use it. Since the move, I have been sorting fabric, decorating, and “moving in” into the space. It is small, cozy, peaceful, and has the most incredible natural light. I’m not used to having an enormous window with sunlight streaming in, so I’m kind of feeling like a vampire. It is an amazing place and I’m finding myself blissed out as I’m starting to make the Fall/Winter collection for Fine Arts Optical at 888 Valencia St.

In the studio

Fine Arts Optical is a gorgeous, 4000 sq foot store/gallery space on Valencia St. specializing in hand made eye wear and vintage frames from the 1930’s through the ’70s. With over 4,000,000 (that’s right, FOUR MILLION) vintage frames in their collection.

I’m proud to announce that I am the Milliner and Hat Curator for Fine Arts Optical. I’m creating an extensive hat collection both for the Valencia St. store, and for the Store on Polk Street, Optical Works 2217 Polk Street. I am also curating a Hat Show called “Art of Felt” featuring some of the best Milliners in the country.
The show will take place at Fine Arts Optical, 888 Valencia St. on Saturday, November 3rd, 6-8pm.

Read about the amazing stores, by The Bold Italic

News of the store opening on Yahoo News

Take a look at their website, see the gorgeous frames, and read about their History.

Art of Felt on Facebook

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