Excitedly getting ready for Friday’s shop stocking — This is the new Beauty & Use Collection (Five). There are 8 pieces in total this time around and this is my biggest collection yet. Eep! I’m so grateful to my seamstress who hand-cuts and sews each and every piece. I said, let’s go bigger this time, and she said, yes! She rocks.

Above: The new design I call Sleeveless. I’ve been dreaming about this top for some time and finally found the right two fabrics (both of which I could only get in very small quantities). This top is generous in its sizing so that the fabric and the volume become a part of the style. I swear this cut looks good on all types of bodies. Both of my sweet friends who “modeled” for me said they loved how it was breezy and light but at the same time not too exposing. Yes! That is just what I was going for.

Above: The beloved Smock. I can’t seem to keep the Smocks in stock so I just keep finding wonderful fabrics to bring them out to you again and again. I know I always say this, but I really do love these two fabrics. Both are natural cotton, both change dramatically through wash and wear, both are faded/muted colors that I love for spring/summer. I cut the sleeves and the length longer this time thinking that ladies might like to wear them as a beach cover-up or over tank tops. These are my summer essentials to be sure.

Above: The second in my Handkerchief series. Black and white polka dotted vintage silk with a hand-sewn hem! That is all I am going to say.

Above: My Tank design (thank you for loving it last time and encouraging me to bring it out again). This time around, I am bringing this to you in three fabrics that are perfect for wearing on hot days with skirts or shorts or layering as basics. Two in the white/cream family, each having their own very special textures that are easier to see here and here, and one in a pink pinstripe, also seen nicely here.

I hope you enjoy looking at the whole collection, alongside SCB’s amazing new linen line, more closely on Friday. Remember, as we say time and time again, the mailing list gets an email the moment our shop is stocked. Sign up here! And, thank you.

It is now late in the day, but I want to take a moment to wish all the moms and caregivers out there a happy Mother’s Day. I am deeply grateful to my own mom who instilled in me a creative spirit and can-do attitude that I hope I can pass on to my own kids.

My latest endeavor to share is a new collection of kitchen and dining textiles that will be added to the shop this coming Friday, May 17th along with MAV’s collection and our newest issue of 3191Q. (You can sign up on our mailing list to be notified once everything has been added.)

Kitchen towels are a mainstay of my kitchen. I avoid disposal goods whenever I can, and a linen towel is always by my side at the counter or tucked into my waistband as I work. I designed these towels to be both beautiful and useful (where have I heard that before?). They are slightly larger than a typical tea towel—their generous size covers a bowl of rising bread amply and can handle drying all the dinner dishes. Each one has a leather loop for hanging to dry.

I searched for linen fabrics with a good, absorbent hand and a heft and texture that can withstand daily use and frequent laundering. There are seven fabrics choices—from basic neutrals to brights. I saw these towels as ones that would mix nicely with the silk-screened and graphic ones you might already have in your kitchen collection.

All of the tea towels were sewn with extreme care here in Portland, Oregon by my friend Melissa. I am so grateful for her help and expertise in making textiles that are both durable and handsome.

Along with the tea towels, I will be offering 100% linen frayed napkin sets in bold ginghams. These textiles are meant for everyday use, but would fit comfortably at a more formal table as well. The napkins are a generous size—large enough to wrap up a picnic lunch to unfold on your lap. The linen is pre-washed and absorbent, but drapes nicely and is not too heavy or bulky, an elegant touch to any place setting.

I am quite excited by this new collection and hope you will be as well!