London Calling

I've been a fan of Liberty fabrics for a long time and finally visited the department store during our recent trip to London. Not once, but twice! I picked up a few fun items and would have gone nuts had the rate of the pound not kept my wallet in check.

Field Trip: Pins & Needles

Kari had noticed Pins & Needles from the bus one day and wondered why she had never noticed it before--turns out that's because they're new to the neighborhood. This charming shop on the Upper East Side offers sewing classes, a unique assortment of fabrics, embroidery threads, ribbons, notions... you name it. Purl is still my favorite go-to spot for materials, but this little shop is a great alternative when I find myself uptown.

Les Toiles du Soleil

I have been working on 19th Street for almost 3 years now and can't believe it took me almost that much time to discover Les Toiles du Soliel. The shop's saturated provençal colors lured me in and the over-sized bolts of striped cotton canvas held me captive. Feeling overwhelmed with potential projects, I scrawled some ideas in my notebook intending to return when I had an concrete project in mind.

As the holidays started to approach this year, I was searching for a gift idea for my mom and a reason to return to Les Toiles. Knowing that she needed a tote for her knitting projects, I decided this would make the perfect gift-- both practical and a reminder of our family vacations in the south of France.