At our house, we’ve been exclusively using cloth napkins for a while now.  I typically use quilting cotton for our “regular” napkins, so when I received the cotton and linen yardage from Britex, I almost felt guilty for using such incredible, beautiful fabric essentially for wiping dirty hands and mouths.  But as I worked with the linen in particular, I came to the realization that I wasn’t making a throw-away, disposable item; well-made table linens, from high-quality fabrics are the type of item one might inherit.  That thought made me especially happy since I chose the linen fabric to coordinate with a set of German breakfast dishes handed down to me from my grandmother.  How fitting!

Napkins come in all shapes and sizes, for all occasions.  For more “casual” napkins, I sew a narrow hem and little miter corners.  For formal, special occasion linen napkins, I use a wider hem and the traditional sewn miter corner.  This tutorial shows you how to make both! Click here to read more »

Join us this Thursday at 7 For All Mankind in downtown San Francisco for a special do-it-yourself denim distressing event.

Experience the untold art of distressing denim and take home the tools to create your won vintage story. Enjoy the distressing bar—demonstration by Britex Fabrics team member—cocktails and gift with purchase!

Thursday, April 11
5 – 8 PM

7 For All Mankind, San Francisco
224 Grant Avenue

RSVP “San Francisco” to 7fam_marketing@vfc.com

Hi everyone, Jen from Grainline Studio here again! Today we’re going to talk tips & tricks for making one of those amazing silk button up shirts you see popping up everywhere. From the French brand Equipment to J.Crew and Madewell and everywhere in between these shirts scream spring, and while the silk may seem intimidating it’s really not bad if you’ve got the right tricks up your sleeve. For this tutorial we’ll be using my recently released Archer Button Up pattern paired with this super dreamy Britex knotted rope print habotai, but these tricks will hold true for any shirt pattern. Click here to read more »

It’s not everyday that Britex has teachers, and even more rare, that a Britex teacher gets a pro bono Tinype portrait taken at Photobooth in the Mission. This rare moment is due to the fact that Photobooth will be hosting POP-UP Britex taught by Jamie Lau on May 16.

It was an awesome experience. We arrived, were made comfortable and had great conversation about art, photography and our current projects. Within about 15 minutes the plates were set and our photographer was ready to shoot.

Click here to read more »

Hello, again. Here is the shoulder pad tutorial I mentioned in my Sunglasses and Sunshine post. These days, shoulder pads have a bad reputation.  They really are not the enemy, but rather an excellent way to balance out a silhouette!

SUPPLIES:

Paper (to draft your preferred shoulder pad shape)
Scissors (one pair for the paper, one for the fabric)
Cotton Quilting Batting
Thread
Chalk or Fabric Pen
Lining Material (to cover batting)

Most shoulder pads are shaped as half of an ellipse.  I have seen a few triangular shaped pads in vintage patterns, but the pointed edges can create problems with lighter-weight fabrics.  And, of course, raglan armholes require a different shape entirely. Click here to read more »

One of the perks of being located in Union Square is the fabulous inspiration one gains from window gazing. Prada’s impressive fall collection inspired us to check our shelves and tables for boldly colored geometric prints, and of course, we found some. Both the Green Geometric Silk Twill and the Magenta Geometric Silk Twill are now available online and currently ON SALE!

View more pictures >

As fabric lovers, we cannot help but wonder how very different fabrics can be artfully combined to make the perfect ensemble. Here are a few tips for getting creative without the risk of going overboard:

1. Research. Pick five favorite designers/artists and check their work on a regular basis. Study their use of different fabrics and colors in order to understand your own taste. Remember–after all–fashion is subjective. I found NAHM , New York based designer, to be a huge inspiration on the topic of mixing and matching without being outlandish.

2. Choose a palette. It is easier to start with a print. You can pull colors to match from the print or find a complimentary color that is not in the print at all. Alternatively, try using a painting or photograph with coloring and textures you love.

Click here to read more »