Handmade in Portland

While waiting for my next appointment (on my trip to Portland, OR), I came across a super cute shop called Little Things. Little Things is on Lovejoy St. in the Pearl District of Portland. I was greeted by the cheerful owner, Andrea Angell, who took me on a quick tour of her tiny shop. The store carries handmade goods made by local artisans. While the store was filled with a variety of jewelry pieces, there were also Kokka linen change purses, "Portland" prints and artsy picture frames. I had to get myself a piece of Portland, so I bought a pair of earrings from Moss Handmade.

Moss Handmade 

The earrings shown in the picture to the right are not the earrings I bought, but the picture gives you a really good example of the delicate crocheted pieces. The crochet work is so tiny! The earrings have a modern, vintage feel with beads adorning the bottom of the circle. The prices are also reasonable and would make a great gift!

Crocheted jewelry must be a popular trend in Portland, because I found another crochet jewelry artist, Amira Mednick. Her work is a little more expensive than Moss, but for good reasons. She pairs beads and thread by crocheting them on hammered brass. She also makes earrings using heavier thread knots and beads for more of a color pendant. 

Amira Mednick (Above and Below)

Portland's artisan and design community is surely thriving. There are a number of neighborhoods with boutiques, consignment shops, home decor shops and more. Portland is definitely the place to go if you like to support handmade, local made and independent designers. NE Alberta Street and Pearl District are all great places to find local art and design. Check back later for more!

Dress in a Night

Tonight I made myself a knit dress. The fabric is from Fabric Mart (what a surprise...haha). It is an ITY Knit (95% Polyester, 5% Lycra) I used this piece of fabric as one of our drapes at a trade show, so once we were done with it in wholesale, I got the drape! The dress is made from Simplicity 2369, which is a newer design from the pattern company. It is a fake wrap top with a plastic buckle on the left side.

I had no problems making the dress, it was really easy. I was able to sew it all in an evening (2-hours really). I cut it out the day before, but I just can't believe how quick I whipped it up! 

I would not really do anything different to the process. It was straightforward and was very quick. It is a great dress for traveling and perfect for spring into summer. PLUS the coral color in the print is similar to PANTONE Color of the Year 2012.