In Shopping on
November 23, 2018

Wool (and cashmere) weather!

It was such a challenging growth experience this year to launch a Summer line of garments, bags, and pillows with more warm-weather appropriate materials, but I’ll be honest – I’m delighted to feel the chill in the air and to be outfitting folks with cozy handmade pieces to keep them warm!

I’ll be at several holiday markets around the Boston area in the next few weeks, and would love to see you there…I have so many one-of-a-kind (at least in the sense of the specific upcycled material I use) items that I never have all of them posted, so you’ll always get the best selection in person. Tiny businesses like mine make most of our yearly income at this time of year, so we appreciate every single bit of interest in our work!

Here are a few of the lovely pieces (perfect gifts!) I’ll have with me at these shows:

Here are my upcoming shows (you can always see the latest on the events page of this site or my Facebook events page):

…and you can also shop online on this site (click the “**shop**” link in the navigation) or on my Etsy shop.

…and you can also find some of my work at a few local shops!

Thanks for your support, and let me know if there’s anything I can make just for you!

Siobhan

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In Recycling, Shopping on
March 27, 2018

Spring/Summer line now available!

My Spring/Summer line is now available on my website! I’ve extended my use of upcycled materials beyond classics like wool and cashmere to warm-weather friendly cotton! My garments, accessories, and home textiles have a fresh and stylish vibe, and are made as always using sustainable materials such as t-shirts, jeans, and belts, transformed into innovative new designs.

Pieces are made to order at the moment, so allow a little time for me to make your favorite piece, but you’ll have it in plenty of time for the warm weather! My line is also available for wholesale – please contact me for a linesheet and access to wholesale pricing at info@bostonwoolworks.com.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this line, and hope to see you out in the world as Boston thaws!

Siobhan

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In Shopping on
December 6, 2017

Boston Wool Works holiday shopping guide

It’s that time of year – finally chilly and wintry here in Boston, otherwise known as WOOL WEATHER! I get a little too excited at this time of year, because I get to wear all sorts of warm garments and accessories, and do my best impression of an Icelandic woman and layer woolens on top of beautiful woolens.

That said, wool itself is not the only material I wear or use in making my pieces – I use lots of super soft cashmere, silk, and sturdy linen, sometimes combined with warm and cozy wool, and sometimes combined with each other for those with low wool tolerance. Luckily there are a lot of you out there who share my love for these materials, and you can enjoy this season, too!

As most of you reading this know, Boston Wool Works is a one-woman show (me!), and I’ve been working hard to expand my offerings and my reach this year as this becomes my full time occupation. If you would like to support me in this venture (which I really appreciate!) and adorn yourselves and your loved ones in beautiful materials, there are a few ways you can do so. Read more

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In Recycling, Sewing on
August 9, 2017

Birth of a product…and a wholesale line!

Developing new products is always both fun and terrifying at the same time. Sometimes I have an inspiration for a piece and need to struggle through figuring out how to make it and all the details about the design (because for me, they need to be both aesthetically pleasing and practical). Other times I get so excited about working with a particular material that I try to figure out what I can do with it that will make sense.

As any maker will tell you, often you come up with ideas that don’t work, but if you stick at it long enough you usually will have a few winners. It’s such an amazing feeling when you’ve been struggling through trying to figure out how it will all work, and suddenly it just falls into place! And then, of course, you need to figure out all the manufacturing details to make sure you can make it consistently and profitably over and over… but I actually really enjoy that part. Throw in a little left brain, a little right brain, sprinkle with a heavy dose of wool… Read more

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In Recycling, Weaving on
April 19, 2017

Recycled yarn and weaving… the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat

I recycle a lot of sweaters. A LOT. Just in the past few days I took five of them from being wearable men’s cotton garments to washed skeins of cotton yarn, which I will use to weave towels for sale. I also recycle sweaters made from wool, cashmere, silk, and other materials to sell as yarn, remanufacture into pieces for sale, and use in personal projects. It is wicked fun to transform these often boring and certainly unloved sweaters into freshly-freed, beautiful yarn, and the fun aspect keeps me going despite sometimes significant obstacles and surprises. Using recycled materials is a mission of mine, but even the most fervent can have their faith tested on a regular basis.

Read more

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In Recycling on
February 11, 2017

Power-winding yarn!

recycled yarn cones

I’m always looking for ways to make my work more efficient – especially the non-creative tasks – so I have more time to do the creative and deep-thinking work. There’s definitely some happiness that comes out of brainless tasks like winding yarn, but when you’re doing them on a large scale, it can get physically and mentally tiring. I probably should have been a mechanical engineer (if I had known what that was when I was applying to music school!) – I love tools and I love to figure out how to rig up the tools I need. Oh, I’m also wicked cheap, a bit of a packrat (hoarder?), and a pathological reuser, so I like to either use stuff I already have in my basement or get someone else’s old stuff from a thrift store to make these tools. The more I can reuse, the less I can buy or bring new stuff into my house, the happier I am.

So the latest tool I decided I needed is a motorized yarn winder. Read more

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In Weaving on
January 29, 2017

Clasped weft in action

Tight detail of back of Peruvian tapestry using clasped weft technique

In my Intro to Traditional Weaving class last week, some of my students were experimenting with the “clasped weft” technique, and it occurred to me that I had some great examples of this technique in a traditional context hanging in my house. Unfortunately I realized this too late to show them to my students in person, but it prompted me to write this post and show this technique in action in a beautiful traditional piece. Read more

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