50% off Flat Calendars in the Shop

The flat calendars are now 50% off in the store, get them while they are still in stock! And behind the scenes, we are busily working away on the 2016 calendars which will launch in May!

New Calendars are Here!

The new calendars are up in the shop right here! I may have already mentioned how excited I am about these. I decided to design them when I couldn't find a write-in calendar to hang in my studio that wasn't either free from the bank or featuring cute kitten photos (not that I don't love those.) So I decided to take on the project myself and came up with this 12-month wall calendar.

Each month features a different block printed design that was then scanned and added to the grid so there is plenty of space to write events and appointments. Then, the whole thing was offset printed, bound and hole punched so it is ready to hang. 

I think I'll be hanging mine up now even though it doesn't start for another six months.

Valentine's

Somehow it's February already, and Valentine's Day is right around the corner. Where is the year going?! If you are looking for a Valentine's card, take a look in the shop right here. There are lots of block printed hearts ready to send out!

2014 Calendars are Here

It's back to school time again, and that means new office supplies (even if you aren't in school anymore). So with that in mind, the 2014 letterpress calendar is here! This border is done with a hand-carved linoleum block, and the text is added using a printing plate. It's done on a thick cream card stock, and is one of my favorite new products this year! You can find them in the shop right here.

New Lined Envelope Sets

The red stationery sets were one of last year's bestsellers, so for this year I wanted to introduce the cards in more colors and designs. I launched four new patterns at the National Stationery Show, perfect for important thank you notes or party invitations.

Each set contains six A7 flat cards and six kraft envelopes with matching liners. Both the cards and the liners are printed with a hand-carved linoleum block. You can find them in the shop right here.

Block Printed Quilts!

  
The quilts are here, and I couldn't be happier with how they turned out! These are lightweight quilts designed to be used alone in the summer, or over a heavier comforter in the winter. Are you sweltering at night during this heatwave? This quilt is for you (I've been using it for the last few weeks of 90 degree weather).

The quilts are resist-printed on 100% cotton, and dyed with natural indigo dyes. They are queen-sized, and reversible, with a block printed floral pattern on the front, and plain stitched indigo on the back.

The entire process is done by hand, from me carving the prototype in the US, to block carvers in India carving the hardwood block, to block printers printing the cotton, to the hand stitching holding the two layers together.

 

 

I knew I wanted to use indigo dye: I love the way it contrasts with the white print, and the way the color will fade and change with time. Just like a pair of blue jeans, these quilts are designed for heavy use and will get softer and broken in over time. I also wanted something reversible, so you could use the floral pattern, or turn it over for solid blue for a bolder look.

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

To begin the process, I carved a linoleum block with the pattern I wanted, and printed a prototype on paper. I then scanned the design and sent it to my printer friend in India, where the blocks were re-carved into wood, and used to print the cotton.

The quilts are resist-printed, which means that the design is printed with a resist and then dip dyed, so that the printed area will not hold the dye. This creates a white design on a blue background.

They are all printed by hand, then laid out in the sun to dry before rinsing. The plain and printed cotton pieces are then stitched together by hand, using a thick white thread.

You can see the quilts in the shop right here. (You'll be glad you got one when the thermometer hits 95 degrees!)