Shameless Self-Promotion: Sourdough!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 04:48PM 
I've made mention here and there of my new Etsy shop, but the time has come to give it an official mention. I am very proud to announce Sourdough - my new collection of products made from vintage American barkcloth fabric. I've been working on Sourdough for almost a full year now, working on the website, creating the graphics, sourcing fabrics, and developing products since last July. As you can imagine, it's been a labor of love!
The final push for Sourdough came this spring when I was accepted into the Renegade Craft Fair. This second-annual fair will be at the Fort Mason Center Festival Pavillion on the weekend of July 18th-19th and I hope you will all pop by and say hello! I'll be selling my single-letter monogram towels and Sleepytime Eye Masks, as well as a select group of jackets. After the fair, the jackets will be up in the Etsy shop, so if you can't make it you can still get a one-of-a-kind piece of Sourdough to wear...
The name Sourdough came to me because, as a fourth-generation San Franciscan, I wanted to convey my love of the city and give my line a name that was synonymous with San Francisco. Also, sourdough bread is made in a unique way - the "mother" yeast is preserved from batch to batch by the baker, who uses a tiny portion of the previous dough to begin the next batch. In this way, it's like using something old to create something new - like using restored and recycled vintage fabric to create new fashion.
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American barkcloth was made by companies like Saison, Cofabco, Spectrum, and many others during the middle of the 20th Century, but went out of production by the 1970s. The hearty cotton fabric was woven with an uneven, nubby texture meant to mimic the bark of a tree, hence the name "barkcloth". The prints were vat printed with synthetic dyes to ensure colorfastness and durability, so much of the fabric is as pristeen today as it was when it was first made. The patterns are perfectly Mid-Century Modern, full of vibrant colors and playful forms. For me, it's all about the fabric!
Thank you to all of my friends in the blogosphere for their wonderful mentions of Sourdough - you have all given me some much-needed momentum and I thank all of you! Please visit these blogs to see what they've had to say about Sourdough...
The Little Gray Pixel, Daddy Likey, Cuffington, Wendy Brandes Jewelry, SFGirlbyBay, Leaves of Glass, and Chic & Charming.
Sourdough hosts its own blog called The Toaster, where I will be updating new fabrics, new products, and anything retro or inspiring.
Please visit Sourdough and let me know what you think!
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