Burda Style For people who sew

Fashion at Felt Club
written by Susan Beal

I had the chance to teach a jewelry class at Felt Club XL Holiday in Los Angeles this year, and after my demo was over I walked around and saw all the handmade work for sale. In the sea of great indie crafts—clever T-shirts, adorable baby gear, and accessories galore—I thought the designs from Bossa Nova Baby, Twospace and Queen Puff Puff were especially gorgeous. Each owner-designer sews her entire line single-handedly, and the attention to detail is remarkable.

Portland designer Cathy Pitters of Bossa Nova Baby had a lovely collection of her handmade skirts and reworked vintage sweaters for sale. She reclaims thrift-store and estate-sale cardigans and pullovers and hand-embellishes each one with Gocco printing and stitching, using classic motifs like sparrows, anchors, and deer. Her skirts include details like piping or rick-rack edged pockets, Gocco printing, and decorative stitching along hems.
The skirts and sweaters in her line are typically one-of-a-kind since she uses vintage materials and frequently updates her designs.

Christine Haynes of Twospace had her current collection of dresses and separates at the sale, all hand-sewn in her Venice, California studio. The fabrics she chooses are fantastic—graphic patterns and solids with lovely drape. And the original patterns she designs (like this Café Dress in gingham) are always figure-flattering, reflecting a vintage-meets-modern sensibility. Christine also created a charming paper doll page to showcase her current collection!

Meanwhile, Petaluma, California accessories designer Nicole Vasbinder had a striking collection of her Queen Puff Puff handbags, clutches, and headbands for sale. She rotates her fabric choices seasonally, always sticking to bold prints and lush colors for her coordinating pieces. She said that these oversized tote styles have been recent favorites…
…but she’s also been busy whipping up these new zippered pouch wristlets.

Since the holiday craft fair season is well underway, you can find each of these three designers at events over the next month, or see their work through each of their websites.

Cathy of Bossa Nova Baby will be at Urban Craft Uprising in Seattle (Dec. 1-2), the BUST Craftacular in New York (Dec. 8), and her own sale, Crafty Wonderland, in Portland (Dec. 16).

And Nicole will be at a flurry of shows with her Queen Puff Puff bags: Indie Sacramento (Dec. 1), Netivot Shalom Arts and Crafts Festival (Dec. 2), Appel and Frank in San Francisco (Dec. 6), Feria Urbana in San Francisco (Dec. 8), and Thread in San Francisco (Dec. 16). Her work will also show at Craftland in Providence (Dec. 1-22).