Sometimes you gotta hide behind a skirt, even if the skirt is on a mannequin Biscotti, the shop dog, is having a rough day. She came to work today expecting the usual—hang around, beg for biscuits, maybe mount charm offensives on ladies who shop. Instead, she's had to endure a... Continue reading

Some Days, You Just Need an Accessory We're thrilled to be partnering with Island Creations, a jewelry and clothing manufacturer from Antigua, West Indes, with an Aiken-and-horses connection. Their clothes are perfect for this climate--Aiken for much of the year bears a resemblance to the Caribbean, you may have noticed.The... Continue reading

Learning to sew (again)! Laura Fults is running a 6-week sewing bootcamp at Fabrication, and it's a trip down memory lane. We're all remembering—a grandmother's sewing box, that long-suffering junior high (sic, some of us pre-date the middle school era) home ec teacher, and the infamous red polka-dot dress with... Continue reading

Let's hear it for Red, White, and Blue I was alarmed, befuddled, and fiberglasted earlier in the week when one of my grammar-nerd familiars said that Oxford University had abandoned the Oxford comma. Say it ain't so, oh ye font of adherence to the Mother Tongue! Turns out, it isn't... Continue reading

Fabrication Kurta Spotted in Milan! If every vacationing American dressed as stylishly, and behaved as graciously, as our fab customer, Marsi, that Ugly American myth would bite the dust. Here she is in the fashion district in Milan, exuding chic. Marsi reports, by the way, that the kurta washed beautifully... Continue reading

Who Knew the Plural is "Kurti"? A so-sophisticated customer told us about the new style guide, "Parisian Chic," by Ines de la Fressange. Read the Effortless Style chapter, she said. The chapter that starts off, "Effortless style often takes, as it says, very little effort." On page 21, there's this... Continue reading

Whatcha Gonna Wear When You Get Out? Hey good-lookin', you there, floating around the deep end on a noodle! What are you wearing poolside? May we suggest a cool cotton top? They look great as coverups and can also be dressed up if you get an impromptu invitation for dinner.... Continue reading

Happy Memorial Day! Come see us next week--we have a lot of new, cool, cotton tops in stock. We're open Tuesday Wednesday, and Friday from noon to 5:00; Thursday from noon to 7:00; and Saturday from noon to 3:00. At Thursday's sewing circle, we'll have a tutorial on I-cord. Bring... Continue reading

The Aiken Garden Show We teamed up with Marti Healy (http://www.martihealybooks.com/) at the Aiken Garden Show (http://www.aikengardenshow.org/) this weekend. It was a great show at Banksia, so superbly organized that we vendors felt like honored guests. Thanks to all of you who dropped by our booth to say hello! Continue reading

Ladders are not Just for Orchards We have this fabulous piece of functionality, a cherry picker, in the shop. Its rough-hewn wood is stained by cherry juice, and the rungs are worn smooth from countless bare feet. No mannequin ever looked better. Continue reading

Don't You Love the Summer Colors? Suddenly, we're seeing bright hues all around us. The Fabricators tend to wear neutrals—palettes that run from taupe to oatmeal, from coal dust to graphite. But in the first days of summer, we're jazzing it up with shots of lemon, orange, pomegranate, lime. (Must... Continue reading

The Kurta Tunics are Perfect for Hot and Humid Weather. And hot and humid weather is in our future, I'm here to tell you that scary fact. However, when you go inside and the AC is overly ambitious, it helps to have a little wrap to keep the chill off... Continue reading

New shipment just arrived—tunics and much more! We've had the best time this week, unpacking boxes and rearranging the windows and displays. We have new Kutra tunics in a wide range of sizes and patterns, several types of scarves and shawls, and beautiful summery jewelry. And of course, our specialty:... Continue reading

Fabrication is Open Today, Even Though it's a State Holiday Y'all, it's Confederate Memorial Day in South Carolina, and State offices are closed. (Recently transplanted, Northerners, please close your mouths. I know it's a ridiculous holiday, but your standing there with your jaw slack is not attractive.) Today is the... Continue reading

It's Frederica von Stade Day in Aiken! According to the proclamation Mayor Cavanaugh presented at last night's delightful "Ah Spring!" concert, April 29, 2011, is Frederica von Stade Day in Aiken, SC. Therefore, the least we can do is go forth with songs in our hearts. Continue reading

Sorry, Clyde, but Research Shows I'm Smarter, Or at least keener of eye. Read it and weep, big boy. http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/04/female-dogs-arent-easily-fooled.html?etoc&sms_ss=email&at_xt=4db8816cf3fa5524%2C0 It has a movie, too, so you don't have to strain your baby browns reading the fine print. Here endeth your science lesson for today. Class dismissed. Best, Biscotti Continue reading

White chocolate Biscotti, Anyone? One of our favorite blogs is Angry Chicken, an arty, crafty, cooky sort of place. Amy is neither angry nor chicken, so what's up with the name? Today she's featuring a delish-sounding biscotti recipe. Biscotti, our tough-cookie in a Cocker suit, claims she can eat white... Continue reading

More on Story Architecture Our friend Chris Koelker describes herself as a Story Architect, in that she researches, writes, edits, and produces movies. We got to thinking about story architecture, and googling around the Interwebs, and came across this delightful video clip. It shows architects of important NYC buildings (the... Continue reading

Announcing---Fab Thursday begins April 28 You asked for it, we think it’s a great idea! For the summer, and maybe beyond, we’re instituting Fab Thursdays. Bring your handwork project (embroidery, knitting, crochet, sewing, weaving, tatting, even your mending) and we’ll get together to stitch for a couple of hours. No... Continue reading

She's Gonna Sell her Soul? It's not as ominous as it sounds, really. Our favorite Story Architect, Chris Koelker, is applying to attend a business-building immersion experience in May, so that she can take the next step and produce her second movie. Her first movie, Edgewood, informed us about some... Continue reading

Tiger Woods Sighted! Not this week, not in Aiken, but back in 1997 at Bay Hill. Marsy’s mom, a very stylish lady who knitted golf-club covers, met him then. She reported that he was a very nice young man who held the door for her, and she was star-struck enough... Continue reading

Just in--Shipment of Kurta tunics in Spring prints It will be Spring, any day now, and then comes the fortitude-building Aiken Summer. Just in time, we received an order of Kurta tunics from India. These are in gauzy 100% cotton, just right over a tank in the sultry months. Come... Continue reading

Shelly's the guest artist at Aiken Quilt Shoppe this Saturday! Fabrication's own Shelly Marshall Schmidt (http://www.ohschmidt.com) will be at AQS (http://www.aikenquiltshoppe.com) Saturday, March 26, from 11:00 to 1:00. She'll be showing some of her beautiful printed fabric, and talking about how the photo goes from a digital image to a... Continue reading