Handmade/#6 Dressmaker's Shears
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Hemp Giving
Get behind the push for American industrial hemp agriculture. Support economic opportunity and a sustainable environment. Countries exporting hemp textiles today reap the benefits of a cash crop that was once grown in the United States--where it flourished for centuries as a chief industrial resource.
Now available at Common Thread:
55% Hemp/45% Certified Organic Cotton Muslin. A sturdy, plain weave fabric. $9.95/yd.
5.7oz 56" wide |
Natural |
Smooth, Even Drape |
Cannabis sativa stem & fibers. The word Canvas is thought to be derived from Cannabis. |
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Sing the Season
As night deepens, we may find our feelings turned inward to love and quiet joy. Moved to share, we resonate and, Sing the Season..
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Blue Origin
Chambray derives from cambric, a lightweight plain-weave linen fabric originally produced near the City of Cambrai in France. Beyond it's original meaning, the term chambray has come to refer to a cotton plain-weave fabric with a colored warp and a white or unbleached weft. Typically the warp color is deep blue (traditionally indigo) and the weft color is white. A similar fabric thought to be invented in France, was originally known as serge de Nimes. Eventually shortened to denim, Serge is a double warped twill weave with a blue warp-white weft bi-coloration, similar to chambray.
Common Thread commissioned master weavers of the Maya to produce a sturdy fabric we like to think of as variety of chambray; referring to it's weave and coloration. Comparable in weight to denim, this medium-heavyweight (10 oz) cotton fabric is suitable for many uses.
Stunning handloomed beauty...from selvage to selvage...
Click to Zoom |
100% Cotton / 48" Wide |
A Durable Fabric With Many Uses |
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Wearable Winter Textiles
Spark up your fall & winter in one of these! Roomy and pliable no-stretch caps crafted in handwoven brushed wool twill. Juicy natural colors..
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Paisley Fever
We've added colorful lightweight merino wool shawls, just in time for autumn in the New Mexico high country. Sheer and abundant, these double duty textiles take the edge off indoor coolness--and perform beautifully as a scarf--on the outside
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Lightweight Felted Silk Scarves from Kathmandu
These just in: Wispy-light hand-felted scarves from vintage saris. The wool felting merges elegantly with printed sari patterns to produce jewel-like colorations. Each is a one-of-a-kind creation. Find many colors and patterns to choose from.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Very Soft & Lightweight
Brushed NZ wool shawls & blankets, handwoven
in Nepal. Available in a range of rich iridescent
colors. Hats coming soon!
in Nepal. Available in a range of rich iridescent
colors. Hats coming soon!
Monday, August 6, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Prehispanic Women's Basic Dress
huipil
(from the Nahuatl: [h]uipilli "blouse"), a loose sleeveless tunic made of two or three joined webs of cloth sewn together lengthwise and then completed with a cut-out neck opening and sewn-up sides to create either very tiny arm openings or very large ones, depending on the geographical area. From: The Worldwide History of Dress, by Patricia Rieff Anawalt.Common Thread is finding some beautiful vintage huipils. The symmetrical front-and-back design, embroidery work, and construction of these garments is extraordinary. Each is an original work of art!
Colotenango / Girl's Huipil
Santiago Atitlan
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Novelty is Increasing
Novelty Prints are an ongoing form of period art. Such screen-printed fabrics often stand at the forefront of graphic arts and textile surface design. They present popular imagery as a narrative for a given time. Their uses are many and varied. They are collected. They come and go.
On occasion, a printed fabric may be considered a timeless classic. Whether a design's continuing popularity has to do with it's illustration technique, the subject, or both--is in the eye of the beholder.
This contemporary printed fabric (La Vergencita / 2011) presents a motif of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the legendary Vision of a Girl. In this depiction, the Girl's spangled blue-robed body is emblazoned in a gold aura (embossed), and surrounded by orange, red, blue, and gold flowers. Cherubs, birds, crowns, and cactii complete this ceremonial composition, vibrantly rendered on a fuschia ground, or colorway.
This lightweight 100% cotton muslin measures 44 inches wide. The design is scaled to an 8 inch horizontal and 12 inch vertical repeat.
Discover La Vergencita in this and more colorways, at Common Thread!
Black Colorway |
Embellished Memorabilia Book Covers by Debra Villalobos |
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Vintage Apronville
A rite of passage from a distant time, there is said to be an apron for every personality archetype. We believe it. Just check out this latest stash of vintage aprons. To demonstrate their uniqueness and individuality, we photographed each apron. Each is an exercise in functional design, materials, economy, and manufacture. Please revisit our previous story from February 2011, Vintage Aprons at Common Thread
Which apron closest fits your personality?
Would you consider designing and making an apron for yourself?
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
Monday, June 4, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Alberti's Window
Sol y Sombra window at common thread
Indian cotton voile
Thai silk openweave
Yellow !
Orange !
Luz n luscious
Indian cotton voile
Thai silk openweave
Yellow !
Orange !
Luz n luscious
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Soft Companion
Sun
Showers
New leaves green rustling
Cloud like cotton
Woven voile
Colors of spring
Moments of quiet joy
Showers
New leaves green rustling
Cloud like cotton
Woven voile
Colors of spring
Moments of quiet joy