At my local funky used bookstore this weekend, I picked up this awesome $2 find: a "modern" sewing manual from 1932. "Sewing Secrets" introduces all the basics of professional sewing for the modern woman. Sigh ... it makes me nostalgic for a time when creative ability was an expected part of life.  Read more ...

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Consider for a moment … when you begin a new craft project, what "mind" do you bring to the making of it? Do you strive for perfection (every stitch in place, every seam straight)? Do you follow the pattern as if you’re trying to get an A?  Read more ...

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Often when I mention to someone that I know how to sew, they look at me with awe and amazement, as if I've mastered the art of hovering in mid-air. Or they'll sigh wistfully and say "I wish I'd learned", as though they'd missed a train that comes by only once in a lifetime.  Read more ...

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If you're a crafty person living in the Bay Area, my friend Khadija over at Barakah Life is conducting her annual Sew Giving baby blanket drive. Blankets will be given to Project Night Night to distribute to children in homeless shelters.  Read more ...

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Eco-conscious readers already know that the garment industry has a lot of issues when it comes to environmental and social concerns. Aside from the question of which fibers are used and how they are dyed, another BIG problem in the industry is waste.  Read more ...

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At long last, I finished this sweater - and I must admit I am in love with hemp! Whatever reputation hemp yarn has had in the past, it's all grown up now and ready to go out on the town.  Read more ...

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For years I've wanted to have my own dress form, but the $250 price tag always put me off. I'd heard that you can make your own with duct tape and an old T-shirt. I'm always up for a challenge, especially one that saves me moolah, so I went ahead and did it. And it was a lot easier than I expected! Here's the result. Read more ...

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If you love to shop in Japanese design stores as much as I do, you'll know that zafus (meditation cushions) are on the expensive side ($55-75). Recently I decided that if I had my own zafu at home, I would sit more (certainly there are flaws in this logic), so I decided to save the $$ and make mine.  Read more ...

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These days you can't enter a store without seeing something labeled "green", "organic", "sustainable", or "eco". For many consumers, these terms are likely to sound more or less equivalent.  Read more ...

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It's an auspicious time to launch a new business devoted to organic fibers. Recently I learned that the United Nations committee on agriculture has declared 2009 the International Year of Natural Fibres. If a huge multinational organization is promoting natural above synthetic, you know the movement has real momentum!  Read more ...

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