the salty oat newsletter + a new logo

In the coming weeks, I'll be launching the Salty Oat newsletter, the source for shop news, exclusive discounts, and announcements about upcoming events, including classes and craft fairs. Each monthly issue will also include link round-ups, designer interviews, and behind-the-scenes shots of the studio. I've been brainstorming features and gathering up lots of fun links, which I can't wait to share with all of you!

Interested in joining in on the fun? Sign up right here:

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(If you can't see the sign-up above, click on over to the site.)

Also, as you may have noticed above, or if you've clicked over to this site or the shop lately, you probably spotted the new Salty Oat logo. I worked with the lovely and kind Katie Michels of Off Switch to design it, after spotting her beautiful hand lettering online. I'm excited for the new look and will be incorporating it into packaging materials and rubber stamps in the coming months. Many thanks, Katie!

my first magazine mention

Over the Christmas holidays, I was contacted by the lovely folks at Love Patchwork & Quilting, who had stumbled upon my shop and wanted to include a blurb about me in their news section. I was very flattered, to say the least, and so excited to see a short write-up about Salty Oat in the pages of Issue 18.

Here's what the kind blurb said:

The ever-so lovely Caitlin Topham is a quilter with a passion for printed fabrics, and when she struggled to find the fabrics she loved locally or all in one place, she went ahead and launched Salty Oat. Fully stocked with beautiful screen-printed and organic fabrics sourced from a handful of creative female entrepreneurs (including an exclusive collection of prints by Maze and Vale) the store is one to watch. Salty Oat can be found online at saltyoat.com and on Instagram and Twitter at @saltyoat.

Many, many thanks to Love Patchwork & Quilting (and to Alice, in particular!) for including me in their pages, and to Caroline Okun for photographing my shop's fabric. To pick up a copy, please visit the magazine's stockist list.

de-cluttering + quilt tops

If you read a significant number of blogs or magazines, you've probably heard about the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. The book is by the Japanese organizational consultant Marie Kondo, and has a magical effect of inspiring you to clean out your closets and drawers. I started reading the book in December, and ever since, I've been employing its tips for simplification and de-cluttering, which includes taking the time to clean and organize my sewing room.

While sorting through drawers, I came across a number of cut fabric squares from past projects. Rather than letting them languish any longer, I decided to turn them into quilt tops for my local chapter of Project Linus, and get them out the door.

Each top is crib size, and features polka dots, solids, calico prints, and white borders. Each was a quick and satisfying finish, and it's so nice to know that these fabrics will now be put to better use!

Have you read Ms. Kondo's book? Has it left you feeling similarly inspired to organize and de-clutter your space?