Our amazing quilting and applique teacher, Marisa, has been nudging me to stock Oakshott cottons for a year. Marisa has such great taste, just her comment alone should have pushed me immediately to call though things have been a little hectic, right? So, lately, in Twittersphere, I've been seeing Oakshott mentioned and, ahem, acquired, by some of my favorite quilters. This, and the fact that I am vending at my first fabric show, Voices on Cloth (this upcoming weekend) gave me the final nudge to call Mr. Michael Oakshott and to place our first order. He was delightful to work with, made great recommendations, and was extremely efficient in processing our order.
Mr. Oakshott works with weavers in Kerala, India to produce these glorious fabrics. Oakshott cottons are thicker than the usual shott cottons found on the market, they also shimmer. Literally. (Please excuse the slightly dark photos, in person this fabric is luminescent.) Seeing these cottons reminds me of the amazing hand-loomed textiles I was surrounded by in India. I am so happy I get to bring a piece of this memory into the shop.
Oh yeah, one more amazing thing that happened today. Mr. Oakshott included this gift for the shop: The ColourBox, 100 Fat 8ths. With the box comes a handy measuring device to help you keep track of each individual sample (seen on the left side of the box). This is a fabulous tool to help customers find colors, and to place special orders.
Otherwise, we have been busy cutting many fat quarters for the show this weekend. Do you think you can stop by? There will be other very enticing, talented vendors and the outstanding quilts made by the East Bay Heritage Quilters.
Here's the info:
Voices in Cloth
Craneway Pavillion, Richmond
Sat, March 17, 10-5pm
Sun, March 18, 10-4pm
Hope to see you this weekend!
-- Kristine