Plaids

Just got a couple new plaids that I can't wait to work with.

This is my favorite -- it's a pure cotton flannel.  I think it's going to look great on a necktie.  New ties are coming soon at the Tarboo store in Seattle and our online shop --- we'll keep you posted.

New Ties

We've been working away at a collection of new ties for Tarboo.

We re-drafted our bow tie pattern for an extra sharp diamond point.  The pattern is pairing nicely with cool-colored plaids and stripes.

There's also lots of new neckties in fabrics that'll carry nicely from winter into spring... which seems like an eternity away!

Thank You!

We had so much fun at this year's Urban Craft Uprising.  Thank you to everybody who came by our booth to say hi.  

Our booth featured new hankies, many in coordinating fabrics.

We managed to take home a few goodies for ourselves as well, including caramel corn from Pinkleton's.

By the end of Sunday, we were pretty much out of ties, but here's a shot of our lovely booth before the crowds started coming:

We can't wait for this Summer's UCU!

Urban Craft

Have we mentioned we'll be participating at this year's Urban Craft Uprising?

We are super excited about the event, which will be held on December 6 and 7 at Seattle's Exhibition Hall.    There will be a ton of awesome vendors there, including our friends at Alchemy Goods.    Urban Craft Uprising will be the perfect place to pick up a ton of holiday gifts, not to mention a couple goodies for yourself as well.

Can't wait to see you there!

Linen

We love linen.  In fact, it may just be our favorite fabric at the moment.  Linen has great texture, holds its shape, and is often the perfect weight for neckties and bow ties.    So we got to thinking about where linen came from….

Linen is made from the flax plant and is named after the latin name of the plant – “linum.”    

Yup, that's really what Flax looks like!

The word "line" comes from linen after its stiff, straight threads.  The word "lining" also comes from linen because garment linings were traditionally made from the fabric.

Linen has been around for a very long time… and may just be the oldest textile in the world.  Linen has been used for all sorts of things, including wrapping mummies and decorating mummies’ tombs.   When the tomb of Tutankhamen was opened, the linen curtains were found to be intact.

The features that make linen so great for ties – its texture and inelasticity – arise from the fact it is made from flax.  Flax thread is not stretchy, and also often has “slubs,” or small knots which occur randomly along the length of the thread.

Linen is also used for many, more surprising uses.  Linen is a favorite textile for oil paint canvases.  It’s also used by bakers, who use the cloth to hold dough in place during rising.  In the middle ages, it was used for shields and body armor because of its strength.   And for this same reason, it is still used for printing money – American paper currency is printed on paper that is 25 percent linen.

(Good for that kinda dough, too!)

Here’s how we’re using linen these days!

Intstagram Love

We've been extra busy these last couple weeks gearing up for the fall at the Fremont Sunday Market, and this winter's Urban Craft Uprising, and we're having fun capturing some of the business in Instagram.  Here are a couple of our favorite recent pictures.


For fall, we are incorporating lots of texture and deeper colors.  Here are a couple neckties that are available now on our Etsy shop.

We are also bringing some of the darker colors into pocket squares.   Here's a close-up:

(The top one is definitely my favorite!)

A couple weekends ago, we sold for the first time at the Fremont Sunday Market.  Despite some harrowing rain and winds, we had a blast!   Here's jamie modeling a red flannel bow at the Market (and mixing prints and patterns like a pro).

Winslow will be at the Fremont Sunday Market again on Sunday, October 13th.   Pop by and say hi!

Etches and Sketches

This weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting John Saling, a wonderful artist and family friend, at his studio in Portland, Oregon.

John makes truly breathtaking prints, my favorite of which may be his portraits.   John's work has been displayed all over the world and is included in the permanent collections of many museums, including the Portland Art Museum.  


While wandering around John's studio, this sketch immediately caught my eye.

Here's a closer look...

What's that?  A bow tie?!  

Turns out, the sketch is from a photograph in John's father's 1928 Flathead High School yearbook.  (Flathead is a county in northwest Montana near Glacier National Park.)  John showed me the yearbook, which was full of pictures of dapper young men in bow ties (and lovely young ladies with the most amazing bob hairdos and drop-waist dresses.)

Here's the subject himself, who apparently was a star member of the Flathead Debate Team and 1928 reigning district champion for oration.  Not bad!

I returned home after my visit to John's studio even more excited about our new bow ties, especially those in wool plaids like the ones sported by the Flathead High School class of 1928.