autumn eats

15 October 2020.  And just like that, fall has arrived. By summer's end, we really do welcome cooler days and earlier evenings. We are getting back to cooking more meals that require an oven or a big pot and there are so many fresh and wonderful ingredients to be found this time of year.  

Lately, we've been inspired by the recipes in a new cookbook we've spotted at our sister store, PodBryant Terry's Vegetable Kingdom is a beautiful celebration of all things vegetable and vegan and his recipes look healthy and delicious. Here are a few that are tempting us.  

Creamy sweet potato leek soup

Panko-crusted cauliflower and coconut curry

Barbeque carrots with slow-cooked white beans

Oven-roasted zucchini with collard-peanut pesto and roasted peanuts

Bryant Terry is a "James Beard Award-Winning chef, educator, and author renowned for his activism to create a healthy, just, and sustainable food system. Since 2015 he has been the Chef-in-Residence at the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco where he creates public programming at the intersection of food, farming, health, activism, art, culture, and the African Diaspora". Visit his website to learn more about him and his contributions to food and culture.

Vegetable Kingdom is his fifth book. It's available for purchase at Pod on-line here or in person here. We're really looking forward to cooking his recipes this fall.

For help in the kitchen, we always recommend our aprons and kitchen cloths to lend a hand.  


pandemic patience

1 October 2020. Hello friends. We wanted to take a minute and let you know how much we have appreciated your orders over the past six months. We really didn't know what to expect when we entered into this global pandemic, and as we continue to soldier on wearing our masks, social distancing, washing hands and taking every precaution to keep our customers and our staff safe, we continue to be thankful for each and every order you place with our small company.  

We not only appreciate your orders, but we also appreciate your patience. We realize it's frustrating not knowing when items will be back in stock or seeing things become sold out in a matter of minutes. Because our products are coming from Japan, Lithuania and India we are seeing global shipping slowdowns due to the pandemic. Our hearts are with our colleagues in these places as they, like us, experience varying degrees of the virus.  

With so much going on in the world, we'd like to share a few ways that we hope will make ordering and shipping flow a bit more smoothly as we move into the holiday season.

First, we get a lot of calls and emails from our customers asking when items will be back in stock, and while we really do encourage you to call and write with questions, we've added an "email me when available" button for each item on our website that will notify you instantly when the item you're looking for comes back in stock. We highly recommend using this feature as items have been selling out very quickly.

Second, we ship with FedEx and as the delivery crunch season approaches we are recommending that customers sign up for the new free FedEx Delivery Manager. This tool helps you take more control over your residential deliveries. You can request to redirect packages, get tracking notifications and more. You can sign up here

Lastly, we hope you all are staying safe and sound!  Please don't hesitate to call or write with product questions about sizing, care, etc.  We are here to help.

All best, the Shop Fog Linen Team.


2021 Calendar Cloths

*UPDATE: Whoa! We love that you love this round of calendar cloths. We have temporarily sold out of a few styles and will do our best to get more.

17 September 2020.  Every year, a box arrives at the shop that looks perfectly normal, cardboard and scuffed from travel. But this box is different from all other boxes. It's full of calendar cloths, the once-yearly, limited edition cloths that arrive to a waiting list and our collective bated breath. Though the kitchen cloth is the workhorse of the kitchen, the calendar cloth can live as a casual wall hanging, clipped to a piece of twine or pinned to the wall throughout the year. Each cloth features an artist's unique design that conjures a mood or sentiment to usher in the new year. This year, we welcome the work of two artists: Isabelle Boinot and Mayumi Kuchihiro.  With illustrations ranging from classic French pastry and flowers and fruits, to a watercolor place setting and café still life, they offer us a snapshot into the simplicity of day to day life, reminding us to live well and mind the passing of each day. At the end of the year, the calendar cloth can continue to hang on the wall or it can have a Cinderella moment, changing back to a workaday cloth.

Image: by Isabelle Boinot.  


fall 2020 clothing

1 September 2020. We can feel the beginning of fall's approach in cooler mornings and earlier evenings. But for us, the biggest signifier of the changing season is the arrival of Fog Linen's fall clothing collection. It's always so fun to have boxes arrive packed full of linen in new shapes and colors.

We've gotten our first drop of clothing, with more on the way any moment. Here are some of our favorite new flavors:

The Eija Dress: We love a new dress to start a new season and the simplicity of this one is perfect.  An a-line with a simple round neck and hidden front pockets, Eija is elegant and floats nicely on the body. Elasticized cuffs add a gathered detail to the sleeves. In Ambre and Lucas.

The Alma Top: With a gentle a-line shape that hits below the hip, this v-neck top can be worn tucked in for a blousy silhouette or worn loose as an easy piece for fall. The full sleeves and gathering at the back of the collar add pretty details. In Brick Red.

The Hanne Top: This a sweet one! With a round collar and a delicate gathered neckline, Hanne is full through the body with a roomy sleeve that gathers to an elasticized bracelet length cuff. There's a shell button closure at back of the neckline. The Hanne top hits around the hip. It's a simple and pretty go-to for fall. In Wisteria and Albatre.

The Verna Coat: A long and lovely duster coat for fall, Verna features an a-line shape and a mandarin collar with front patch pockets at the hip. Fabric covered buttons go to the waist of the coat and the bottom remains free for easy movement. A back pleat adds a nice detail. Verna works as an extra layer over your outfit or could be worn as a dress or tunic over pants or leggings. In Chocolate Herringbone.

The Piia Jacket: The Piia jacket is the little sister to the Verna coat. A short and sweet jacket for fall, Piia features an a-line shape and a mandarin collar with front patch pockets at the waist. Fabric covered buttons and a back pleat add nice detail. Piia hits a little below the hip. Great to wear as a light weight jacket, but also works as a shirt. We love that kind of versatility! In Black Herringbone and Glen.

You can see what else we have in stock right here. We promise to let you know as new items come in.  


summer treats on trays

14 July 2020.  Our summer plans this year are going to involve as many simple outdoor evenings as possible. Any night we can eat a meal outside, on our porch, on our stoop, in a nearby park, we're gonna do it.  When it's really hot and we don't feel like cooking, dinner can be cheese, bread, fruit, crackers, hard boiled eggs, sardines from a can, olives...you get the idea.  

So if we don't have to cook dinner, maybe we'll have a little energy to make dessert?  Especially if it's ice cream.

Here are a few ice cream recipes from the archives of Food and Wine Magazine that look so summery and delicious:

Ricotta Ice Cream with Honey and Almonds

Peach Buttermilk Ice Cream

Condensed-Milk Ice Cream with Black Sesame Polvoron

We love our linen coated trays for helping us carry food and drink to our outdoor meal spot.  We've just re-stocked some of our best selling patterns too.

Here's to taking it outside!


summer linen clothing and care

23 June 2020.  As soon as the temps start going up, we rely on our linen clothing more than ever to keep us cool.  Because linen is so great at regulating body temperature, we find it's the perfect thing to wear all summer.  While your favorite pieces are getting lots of wear, we'd like to remind you how to best care for linen clothing.  Treated right, it will last for years.  Here's what to do:

Linen can be hand-washed or machine washed.  If using a machine, it’s best to wash with like colors at temperatures no higher than 30 degrees C / 86 degrees F.  Drying on a line is always the best approach, but if you must use a drying machine, tumble dry on a low setting.  Never wash or dry linen with high heat. 

While we like our linen casually rumpled, here are some pro tips on getting a smoother look.

Remove your linen promptly from the washing machine.  Give it a gentle shake and smooth with your hand on a flat surface, re-shaping clothing as needed.  Then hang on a clothes line or on a hanger to air dry.  Drying flat on a towel on your bed or a table works too. 

Smoothing linen straight from the line or dryer with your hand will render its textures socially acceptable.  It’s really just a matter of what you are comfortable with.  If using an iron, a medium to medium-high setting will have you smooth in a jiffy. 

We hopes this helps you keep your linen clothing in tip-top shape all summer long.  

If you're looking for a few easy summer pieces, we're really loving the Pia and Mirela tops, the Macaria pants in navy and black, and the super easy Lucia jumpsuits in black and nuit.

You can see all of our summer clothing here.  


carry-all totes for safe summer trips

17 June 2020. We're not planning any big trips for this summer, but we are looking for local-ish places to explore safely.  A day trip within our home state to a socially  distanced destination or even just an afternoon drive is our speed right now.  We'll be packing up our favorite totes with essentials for the journey.  These days our packing list reads kind of like this:

face mask. choose from a variety of colors and patterns.

hand sanitizer. our favorite from our sister store, Pod.

snacks. more treats from Pod, perfect on your favorite cracker. 

picnic cloth or blanket. for your bed, your picnic or your next outing to the beach.

hat. the perfectly packable hat for summer. 

swedish fish. for the ride home.

Our Anne bag is perfect for a short trip, while our June tote fits much more.    

Shop all our bags and totes here.

Safe travels, folks!


outdoor time

7 June 2020.  Hello out there. We hope you are all taking care and staying well. We are listening, we are learning, we are taking each day as it comes.  We're hoping to be able to spend more time outdoors and in nature, and are looking for opportunities to be together with friends and loved ones, even though it may be in the socially distanced confines of our own yard, porch, balcony, or neighborhood park.

This season we're inspired to make our outdoor spaces as welcoming as possible with linen. Strong and durable, our linen likes to be taken outside for an al fresco meal as much as we do.  Tablecloths perk up outdoor tables and can double as picnic blankets, while napkins make meals outside feel special. We'll also rely on our linen covered trays to carry it all out. This season we're welcoming some new patterns to the mix. Jack, Mia and Emiley are joining us in kitchen cloths, napkins, placemats, tablecloths, coasters, trays and in our full apron.  

As with any new season, we're looking forward to celebrating with fresh ingredients. Here are a few recipes we want to eat outside.

Lentil Taquitos with Avocado Crema.  From the talented Jerelle Guy of Chocolate for Basil.

Balsamic Roasted Cherry Tomatoes. From one of our faves, Modest Marce.

Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Lemon Pasta. From the ever inspiring Smitten

Kitchen

Summer wouldn't be summer without peaches. This Peach Cobbler from Jocelyn Delk Adams of Grandbaby Cakes is perfect. Good for breakfast too, just saying.  

Shop all our table linens here.

Need help in the kitchen?  Shop all our kitchen cloths and aprons here.


second drop summer clothing 2020

15 June 2020. Summertime, summertime, summ, summ, summertime. Yep, we love you summer, and nothing is better than summer clothes. We've just received our second shipment of summer clothing with some real favorites. Let us introduce you...

Irene Dress: We're just such fans of dresses in the summer. The Irene dress has a loose fit with elbow length sleeves and patch pockets at the hip. An easy one to slip on and go about your day in comfort and style. In Lapis and Albatre. 

Paquita Dress: The little details on this dress are gorgeous. A short sleeve, with delicate gathers at the cuff, a sweet round neckline, and a gathered waist with side pockets make this dress a special one. In Jane Plaid, Black and Noisette.

Julian Dress: A simple sleeveless shift dress with a gathered neckline that gives the body of the dress a beautiful drape. In Morocco Red and Marin Blue.   

Macaria Pants: With a super dropped crotch, these elastic waist pants will be super comfortable too. In Black and Nuit.  

Mirela Top: Short sleeved simplicity. Boxy and cropped, an easy shape to wear all summer. In White, Praline, and Ben.  

Maria Apron Dress: Overall style bib top, with a fuller skirt, perfect for layering a tee or tank underneath. This one comes in Linen Denim and George.  Very cute in our opinion.  

Lucia Jumpsuit: Just pure fun! Loose, comfy, forgiving. Short sleeves, a rounded crew neckline and full through the body. In Nuit and Black. 

We've got lots of other great summer styles in store here. Take a peek!

As always, please reach out with sizing questions if you have them. You can contact us here


mom's day

28 April 2020. This year, Mother's Day feels different in so many ways and we'd like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank the moms of the world for everything they do.  We literally wouldn't be here without you.  

We've put together a small grouping of items for Mother's Day that we thought your mom might appreciate.  From tote bags, to necklaces, to scarves, socks pouches and lounge wear from Shop Fog Linen and a selection of Los Poblanos soaps, lavender salves and fragrances from our sister store, Pod.  We love these things and we think your mom will too!

You can see the whole collection by searching "mom" on our website or by looking here.

Fun Fact: We can combine your Shop Fog Linen and Pod orders into one shipment. Post check-out, send us an email to let us know you’d like this option.

Happy Mother's Day and stay safe and healthy out there!  

COVID-19 UPDATE: In light of the evolving health crisis, we will continue online operations with our warehouse following the recommendations from the CDC to ensure a clean, sanitized environment for our staff and our goods. We will be limiting our shipping days to Tuesdays and Fridays. If you live locally, we'd be happy to arrange a pick-up. (this is now a delivery option at check out) Stay healthy friends. We'll keep you posted as things develop here.