Creating the world around us, one stitch at a time

After looking for years, we've finally found a company that agreed to make cording from organic cotton for us. This company's been in business in the US for over sixty years -- they know what they're doing, and we're thrilled that they're making this gorgeous cording for us.

Available in two sizes, Thicker and Thinner, by the yard and on the spool (in both sizes), there are so very many ways to use cording that I really don't know where to start talking about it. It's great for drawstrings, of course (but if you're making items for kids, you need to make sure that they are safe and conform to all government regulations), and also for so very many craft and home dec projects.

I've put the cording on sale for the next few weeks, just to encourage you to try it. There aren't any swatches, since it's so affordable to begin with -- when an item costs $.43/yard to begin with, it makes no sense to charge $.50 for a swatch that's a fraction of a yard long. Though I was tempted to offer swatches just to see if anybody would order them, just because I'm mean like that. Winnie talked me out of it, because she's a much nicer person.

It's really, really cold where we are, and I'm feeling really uninspired craft-wise; that's when I reach for a kit, because it does all the thinking for me. I've thus put many of our kits on sale, in case you are also needing inspiration and a bit of incentive to get back into the swing of things. I've also put our children's alpaca goodies and socks at a dramatic discount, because I've been seeing so many cold babies out there lately and I'd much rather imagine the clothes on real live babies instead of seeing them sitting on our shelves not warming anything at all. Clarity and Colleen picked some fabrics that they'd like to be working with right now to discount also, including two of our merino interlocks that almost never go on sale (and are limited in quantity, I believe, so do order soon), as well as Graceland Sateen, which unfortunately isn't scheduled to be reprinted. So we're doing what we can to inspire you -- let us know what you make; we'd love to see it, and may even feature you on our blog!

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We're thrilled to offer an amazing napped organic wool flannel that will just knock your socks off -- it certainly did ours! Simply stunning, and glorious to work with, we're thrilled that it arrived in the middle of winter because we can't stop snuggling with the fabric and it'll be wearable at least through springtime. It's just gorgeous -- don't miss it!

Two new Harmony Art prints will certainly help enliven your day -- Space Cowboy is one of the brightest prints we've ever seen on an organic base, and I've fallen hard for the Brown/Aqua Let It Grow Wide Twill. It's the same print as our Let It Grow twill, but in a different colorway, and it just grabs me for some reason -- I really love this fabric. We've added two new deep, dark, sophisticated fabrics, too: Ebony Interlock and Shadow Black Crinkle-Cut (another favorite of mine -- falling for fabulous textiles is an occupational hazard, I fear!).

If you're tired of winter's chill and are getting ready for spring's glory, you'll love our Lime/Periwinkle Stripe Jersey -- doesn't it look like it could start the flowers blooming all by itself? The Dusty Cayenne Rib Knit is another exuberant color, and our Timberwolf Rib Knit acts as a wonderful accent (or is splendid all by itself).

And a quick, optimistic update on the CPSIA: they voted on the 5th about not requiring certain natural materials to be tested for lead. (You can visit the links in my earlier post for much more in-depth updates than I post here, but I definitely want to keep everyone informed.) According to Bloomberg, "The CPSC exempted wool, cotton, silk, gemstones and pearls;" a member posting at a discussion at fashion-incubator says such fabrics "have to be untreated and unadulterated by the addition of dyes, pigments, etc. The only way these fabrics will be exempt is if they are in their natural state." Either way, this is very promising and definitely worth keeping an eye on as more news develops.

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