Recently I have become obsessed with Japanese sashiko – those long mending stitches often seen on boro and other vintage cloths. In my search for everything sashiko, I came across a new favorite Etsy shop, Sasaki Yohinten, which sells vintage Japanese goods and European clothing, many of which have been revived with sashiko.

Sashiko is a mending technique born in the 18 and 19th century working class Japan. Too poor to buy new clothes these rural communities would lovingly patch and darn worn textiles with sashiko-style stitching. (Boro refers to textiles themselves that have been mended and patched many times. Sashiko is the actual embroidered stitch.) Today, along with boro, sashiko is back in vogue as a rustic art.

To me Sasaki Yohinten’s application of sashiko is particularly effecting. Small and spare, these understated adornments lend a quiet dignity to these repurposed clothes, not only paying homage to their working class origins, but also raising them to a level of art. To wear them, I think, is to recognize the creative force behind the work we do every day.

I also like the fact that here sashiko is applied to western-style work clothes. It’s as if Sasaki Yohinten seeks to bring sashiko out of feudal Japan and into the modern, multicultural age.

Recently received my copy of Mr. Finch’s new book, Living in a Fairy Tale World, with preface by ME! Beautifully photographed by Finch himself, this retrospective of the artist’s work in stitch is simply breathtaking. Very honored to have played a small part in this stunning publication.

There’s my name in print.

For years Marnie’s knits have been the best kept secret in Orleans, MA. So happy to share them with the rest of the world on Remodelista today. Here are some more “behind the scenes” shots from our day of gathering weathered marine twine for Marnie’s “salty knits”. For more see Pot Holders Knit from Ocean-Tossed Twine.

“Cable Doe” and “Gray Stage”

The other day, while searching for what I thought would be the piece de resistance for Oliver’s Boreal Forest Room: a stag bust or antler hooks, I came across the work of artist Rachel Denny.

Cosy woolen sweaters stretched over foam animals busts, Rachel’s work explores “the seductive beauty of our natural world and the imprint that human intervention has made on its flora and fauna.” I see it also as a commentary on our tendency to anthropomorphize animals. Dressing these elegant creatures in our own image, we view them according to our anthropocentric lens, either as cute, cuddly pets, or conversely, as trophies of our own dominance over nature.

But then again, in Denny’s sculptures there is a softer side. By putting her animals in sweaters – knit from the very fibers of their coats, in a slow process that mimics the organic rhythms of the natural world – Rachel is also attempting to bridge the gap. Reminding us that we are guardians as well as hunters. Or even that though our civilized advancements may separate us from our natural state, we and these beasts are indeed cut from the same cloth.

“Matriarch”

“Bear Cub”

Sometimes it’s good to be walking around with a cloud over you. If it’s one of these enchanting, little nebulas from Kickcan and Conkers, that is. Handmade by Marlen Kärema using black Belarusian linen, these one-of-a-kind rain clouds are perfect for Halloween or any time.

And here’s one in Deborah’s own home.

An Ode to Miss Havisham (clockwise from the left): “Path to a Little Black Church” by Eye Poetry; vintage tea cup with dead mouse from Merel; black tulle collar by Karolin Felix Dream

As Halloween approaches, it’s once again time for a roundup of my Etsy favorites. Here are this year’s ghoulish discoveries.

Batmen (clockwise from the left):  felt bat mask by Kitty Dune Cuts; vintage skim board from Now Vintage; paper bats by Heidi’s Hubbub

Black Widows: wire pumpkins by Simply Chi, Spider watercolor by Geometric Ink

You can check out other year’s picks, here and here.

handmade animal mobile by Oh Albatross

Saw these from one of my Etsy favorites today. Made me wish I had babies again! Thought it might just make your day too.

Find more irresistible Oh Albatross originals here.

Yesterday, while browsing the inspiring pages of Remodelista’s week in Paris, I became charmed by a tea towel from Petit Atelier de Paris, that featured an illustration by Joanna Concejo. A quick browse of this French artist’s blog, and I was hooked by her whimsy and imaginative spirit. More on Joanna next week, but for now I thought that this little knitting project was the perfect thing to carry us into the weekend.

Ever wonder if the things you covet in blogs are really as good in person? I know I’ve sometimes been disappointed by either the quality or execution of something I ordered, that was not as I hoped or expected.

Not so with Mr. Finch. Believe it or not, his work is even better in person!

Pictured here is a sleeping fox that Finch made as a birthday present for my aunt Jessie, whose characterful menagerie you may remember here. I can’t say enough about this work. It is stunning and evocative on so many levels. It is expressive from every angle, from his rounded haunches to his tucked-up paws. He is sweet and vulnerable in his fetal position, like a baby cradled in the blanket of his protective parents. And yet, his clever eyes and ever-alert ears reveal that he is still a wild animal, full of natural impulses, innocent, but still untamed by the temperance of adulthood. Though small he is an archetype for something much larger. The painted stars on his legs speak of a future as limitless as the universe, yet also as intangible, not for us to control. He is a totem of potential. A weaver of dreams.

Genius is a word that is thrown around all too often these days. But in this case it’s truly apropos.

I’ve featured Mr. Finch before, most recently his mushrooms for fall. But every time I go back over his site I find myself astonished anew by his most recent inspirations. Masked foxes perhaps in doubt of their own stealth, high-born snails with a regal air, and snuggly moths more pet than pest, Finch’s critters are full of personality and pluck. Exquisitely stitched from the most textured of fabrics, we related to them all the more because they are metaphors for the human characters in our own lives.