Fashion Show TONIGHT at 5!! Cisco Brewery Nantucket

As If I Ever Needed ANOTHER Excuse to Knit...

I love knitting and yarn, thank god right, because that's my job. But seriously, Cara and I went into Flock, the only true yarn shop on Nantucket Island, and I totally had to rescue this defenseless ball of angora because of Cara's overwhelming desire to assault it. As you can see, Cara ended up buying it anyway.

Well, in addition to cute little balls of yarn that you want to take home and feed because they look like wee animals, my other love is wooden knitting needles. Sure I got really annoyed that I somehow managed to lose one needle of a pair size 19 massive needles. It reminded me of the time I was flying home from school and I got stuck in Detroit on a layover because Southwest Airlines had "lost our plane." Everyone was like how do you "lose" a plane? This was clearly well before September 11th. So yes I lost one of biggest needles, but upside was that I got to go buy a new set of WOODEN size 19 needles! Very exciting. Not the spending $$ part, but the new needle part.

Now I was on Twitter this morning, and what do you know that I found? COLORED WOODEN KNITTING NEEDLES. I didn't even realize that wooode needlses coudl ... get EVEN better!?!?! See I was so excited, I missplet all those words. I left them there intact so you could see the affect that colored wooden needles have on me. I have scoured the internet (a cursory glance really, as I am SO BUSY) to bring you my top 3 favorite kinds of novelty woodel neesdles.

NUMBER THREE:

So these aren't technically colored, they are just different types of natural woods, but the added rosebud at the ends made me love them all the more. You can find them at Winter Rose Needles.

NUMBER TWO:

Harmony Wooden Needles come in straight, double pointed and circular and look like gelato heaven on a stick!

NUMBER ONE:

This etsy seller, Tikimau, makes vintage needles into jewelry, but sometimes she sells the uncut variety. I bet if you asked her nicely she'd make a pair for you. She just seems like that kind of lady.

Honorable Mention:

These are actually mini shawl pins I found on Etsy, but if they were standard sized needles, they'd be AWESOME!!!

Happy Knitting!

x,

charlotte

N Magazine Photo Shoot Sneak Preview!!

I've been packing up what feels like the entire Union Textiles studio for our first ever photo shoot held on location in the "Serengeti"* of Nantucket Island for N Magazine. While the shoot is mostly going to use pieces from my Fall 2011 isobel and cleo collection, there will also be a couple Seaweaver pieces and one collaborative Union Textiles garment in the shoot. I personally would have liked to get some more Seaweaver and Union Textiles pieces in the line up but unfortunately a good chunk of our collection is stuck in Charleston awaiting the announcement of the new date for the Music Loves Fashion event. I hope that it comes soon and that all our friends down South weren't badly affected by the hurricane. Here on Nantucket, it was just very windy with slight drizzles here and there that lasted all of 5 minutes. Everyone abandoned the island in fear and those who stayed boarded up their property. In the end it was way safer here than the rest of the East Coast. Several of my friends even went to the beach, where the waves to be fair, were massive and awe-mazing. Forgive me, I'm babbling! I have a cold in AUGUST and I'm a bit verbally discombobulated right now.

Anyway, I've totally gone off topic. N Magazine. Right. Check out some of the styling and looks that are inspiring the editor and photographer Nathan Coe:

Hot right?! It's going to be a sizzling photo shoot tomorrow morning, but I better get some sleep as our call time is 7am and I have to pick up Cara and the make up artist! Make sure to follow all the action tomorrow on Facebook and Twitter!

x

charlotte

*will explain that later

Concrete Jungle Where Dreams are Made...

Yes, that's right, New York. Everyone sings about it, from Jay Z to Frank Sinatra. So with such illustrious figures paying homage to the city that apparently never sleeps, who are we NOT to go there and see what it has to offer?

We arrived in New York on 28th and 7th Ave, right smack in the Fashion District, on the steps of FIT. Has there ever been another sign so telling and appropriate? Immediately upon our arrival we set off to work. A wee bit of shopping in Soho. Now this isn't fun, regular shopping, no it was work shopping, an entirely different breed of monster. Our task was to gather ideas and get inspired by what we saw in the stores. We hit Free People, Top Shop, and All Saints (one of my favorite British stores that has now crossed over to the US). Needless to say Cara loved my favorite store, All Saints (not sure if you knew this but we've come to realize in the past couple of months that we are indeed, the same person), and we got some great ideas to build on for our own collection.

The next day we hit the Met to see the Alexander McQueen exhibit, Savage Beauty. The lines were hellish and after waiting outside of the museum before it opened and waiting again inside in the admissions line, the entry into the exhibit itself was still another 2 and 1/2 hour line. We ended buying a Met membership to skip the queue! Mr. McQueen never one to disappoint, was amazing. It sounds like such an understatement to say that, but I've been sitting here for l5 minutes trying to think of a word to describe it other than, awesome, amazing, fantastic, etc. The rest of the day consisted of Cara and I running around the city to our various yarn appointments. But let me stop yapping and let the pictures below do the talking!

To see all our pictures check out charlotte's label's page at facebook.com/isobelandcleo.

Shopping List:
Free People
All Saints
Top Shop
The Met: Savage Beauty Exhibit
The Yarn Company
Tender Buttons
Silk City Fibers
Karabella
Habu Textiles
Lion Brand Studio
Shareen Vintage

Downtown Yarns
String
Beads of Paradise

x
charlotte

a piece from the McQueen exhibit

a piece from the McQueen exhibit

the Yarn Co, on the upper west side. this was a favorite new yarn store discovery

Tender Buttons. Amazing store, there is also one in Chicago across from Barneys

silk city fibers, a yarn company that we use alot

Cara pontificating over yarns in Habu

yarn at habu. I love how they package it!

Charlotte became so overwhelmed she just had to lay over all the yarns

at lion brand yarns

Knitwear Designers and the Pursuit of Happiness

There was a really awesome blog post from a few days ago by Design Catwalk. It was entitled, Are Knitwear Designers Happier than Others? Now, I love that question especially because it's one that I've joked about in the past. I guess it really depends on the person, but in my case I LOVE TO KNIT, even though I am consistently stressed out because it takes so much longer than you think to make anything! Or maybe that's just me. Anyway, I love yarn, I love buying yarn, I love putting tons of yarn into my cart at Yarn.com, and then taking it all out again, I love texture, I love sculpting texture with yarn, I love knitting with my hands, I love knitting with my machines. I love traveling to see knits in muesems, in stores, in NYC, in Paris, in New Zealand, in Scotland. I love that you're still here reading this love fest. And now you shall be rewarded with pictures. For more pics and to read the article yourselves visit Design Catwalk.

x
charlotte

Happy Accidents Make Sweet New Designs!

There I was last week, knitting away on my Brother knitting machine, and I was livid. I mean I was in a really foul mood. My crush was doing my head in as per usual, I mean, does he like me or not, what gives? I thought all that vacillation ended in high school. Then I came into the studio only to find that somehow overnight my knitting machine had stopped working. Which, unfortunately is still the case, but luckily I have 6, so I just popped a new one on the table and kept working. I was DETERMINED not to let ANYTHING get in my way. I had come to knit all day and nothing was going to stop me. Except for running out of yarn. Oh yes. Even seasoned knitters like myself, inevitably have a project where the yarn we ordered just isn't enough. It happened to me so much in the past that I had gotten to the point where I was overestimating too much. At one point I returned over $500 bucks of yarn back to Webs. I preceded this return with a apologetic "heads up" email to their customer service department. Well, unfortunately the yarn I was using for this particular project that I was doing was a from a remnant order and I had no chance in hell of getting more of it. What was a girl to do? I decided to bind off and this was what I was left with:

a happy accident

This accident was so happy I decided to make another one in a tape yarn that I got at Silk City Fibers warehouse sale (see blog post below for more info on that). And now we've got a new style over here at Union Textiles: The Float Capelet. Both style are available to buy on Etsy, just click the pictures for the links.

x
charlotte

"Not to be like Me Me Me Me Me, but really, Me."

One day, in my junior year of college, a group of us were talking in our dorm when all of a sudden a girl who had been dominating our conversation said the above.


I will repeat for emphasis:
"Not to be like me me me me me, but really ME."


For some reason this has stuck in my head ever since. In an effort to NOT be like this nameless girl, we here at Union Textiles don't just want to talk about ourselves on this blog! We want to share with you things that we find out in the world, on the internet, things that people say, anything at all that you might think is cool or interesting!

First up is an awesome online retail shop that I discovered last week called Fabricly. The people behind the site scour the internet looking for hottie (stylistically speaking, not phenotypically) unknown fashion designers. Once found they give them the support they need to get a wee collection off the ground which they then feature on their site. It'd probably be better if I let them do the talking:


" Fabricly is here to hand-pick talented emerging designers and incredible existing lines, provide them with everything they need to execute a collection from start to finish (sample-making, sourcing, production, etc.), and then feature them in a tightly-curated collection of entirely exclusive goods for you to pick and shop from. "

Pretty awesome correct? Yes, you say. My favorite piece which is unfortunately sold out, is this hot little number:

nate and carly skirt

$142!! $142!! A steal for something so awesome. 

So anyway. Not to be all like me me me me me, but really me: we've emailed Fabricly in the hopes that they'll like how we do what we do and invite us to hang out with them. But in the meantime drop by the site for some great and reasonably priced finds.

x

charlotte

The Opening Party Pics!

As promised, pics from the opening party:

to see more, click here.

Tonight, Toooooniiiight, won't be just any night.....

"...The day, the minutes seem like hours, the hours go so slowly, and still the sky is bright.
Oh moon grow briiight and make this endless day, endless night!!"

TONIGHT!!!!

UNION TEXTILES STUDIO PARTY!

2 Union Street

Nantucket

6-9 pm

Door Prizes!

Workshops and Classes!

Refreshments Served!

See you here!

Is Weaving Aerobically Effective? Charlotte Reports.

SO we've been remiss in the blog posting this week. After the celebration of the birth of of nation we've been getting revved up for this weekend's open studio extravaganza! Natalie, our event planner and personal assistant extraordinaire, has flown in especially from Charleston, South Carolina to lend her expertise and non ADD frazzled mind. Natalie actually has ADD, but somehow manages to lead a normal life, full of deadlines, checklists, goals, etc, unlike Cara and myself. We NEED someone of Natalie's caliber. You would be AMAZED what the three of us have accomplished today with her help! But we'll save those treats for Saturday night.

In the meantime, check out this action video of Cara in the process of making some fantastic wares to sell at the Sustainable Nantucket Farmers Market. If you're on island, it's really a great place to go every Saturday morning to meet and support local craft artists and also gardeners. AND!!! GIVEAWAY ALERT!!!

If you can guess approximately how many times Cara throws her shuttle (that wooden object she tosses back and forth), while making one alpaca scarf, you'll win one!

Cara's alpaca scarf on Etsy!

The person with the closest guess wins.

GOOD LUCK!

YES. Weaving IS aerobically effective.

x

charlotte

Charlotte's Sweaters out at Free People!

As some of you may know, I used to work on the sweater design team at Free People. Well, I'm super excited because the sweaters I worked on are FINALLY coming out in stores. Many of you may not know that when you design at big fashion companies, you're usually designing a range of clothing to be sold in stores up to a year later. Some of these sweaters were designed in October of last year! Crazy huh?!

All these are available on at Free People website. But if you're on the island, come to the Union Textiles Studio and see what Cara and I have in store for you there! Don't forget the opening next Saturday from 6-9 upstairs at 2 Union Street, Nantucket, Massachusetts.
x,

Charlotte

It's WHAT time? Are you serious?!

This is a phrase that Cara and I utter almost everyday. We get up here and work work work work, knit knit knit knit, and weave weave weave. Before we know it, it's almost the end of the afternoon! But we're so excited about all the awesome (if I do say so myself) stuff we've been making today alone. I just had to gush about it. Take a look!

Cara's placemats.

Charlotte's necklace paired with Cara's wrap.

Charlotte's shrug.

Can't wait to finish these pieces and show you the end results! Also, I heard a rumour that there was going to be a giveaway or something on here? Did you here that? Keep checking back guys!!

x

charlotte!

Want to know how you can get FREE stuff from Union Textiles? Read on.

Hey guys,

The Union Textiles blog isn't the only way you can keep up with our comings and goings! Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and never miss an event, sale, or better still a GIVEAWAY (see what the last giveaway winner won below)! For Charlotte's knitwear label, isobel and cleo's facebook page click here. For the isobel and cleo Twitter account click here. For Cara's weaving label Seaweaver, click here. '

If computer illiteracy is how you roll (like myself, this blog post will probably take me a whole 3 hours) and socializing over drinks is more your speed, then come along to our first event of the summer/ever! Next Saturday, July 9 from 6-9 we will be hosting a wee gathering for friends and textiles enthusiasts at the Union Textiles workroom. Come shop, drink, and be merry while learning about our work and practice. You can even talk to us about our textile classes! I'm thinking about giving an academia inspired textile related talk, I do so miss my college days.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

x
Charlotte

The winner of our last giveaway won this awesome $150 isobel and cleo breastplate!

Weave of the week.

Another busy day in the studio produces a magnificent sampling in the most luxurious fiber of all time... have a look at this weeks weave, a cashmere body wrapper available in two colors;

Rusty Red Bronco, macrame fringe (pictured) and Terracotta, raw fringe.

~Cara

This Week's Hours!!

We're working on our set hours, in the meantime, check the blog to get the hours for the current week.

Tuesday June 28th to Tuesday July 5th:

tues: 10-6

wed: 10-6

thurs: 10-6

fri: 10-4

sat: 3-6

sun: 3-6

mon: 3-6

tues: 10-6

Knit of the Week:
Mesh Bamboo Wrap-round Scarf
Available in Purple, Royal, and Tangerine

Mesh Bamboo Wrap-round Scarf

a new collaboration on nantucket island...

an introduction to union textiles:

cara at her loom

charlotte fixes her knitting on the machine

welcome to union textiles! We are a new textile collaboration that combines the talents of weaver cara deheart and knitwear designer charlotte hess. Both are alumna of Nantucket Looms, a local weaving institution started in the 1960s. We're based on nantucket island off cape cod, ma. if you find yourself on the island, stop by our open studio at 2 union st. we welcome curious passer-bys and visitor commissions! we will have set hours starting in July, but until then feel free to knock on the doors and see if we're in. in the meantime, check out my and cara's websites for more glimpses of our work!

Special thanks to the excessively talented Robert Krivicich and his wonderful partner in crime Shelly for taking lovely pics of our work and studio!

x

charlotte