4 March 2021. We love mango wood around here. Not only is it a great all natural material, but we love the variation in the tones and the grain of the hand carved wood. We've got mango wood in a variety of serving spoons, utensils and serving boards, all designed to be both useful and beautiful in your kitchen.
The serving boards are perfect for individual-sized servings of fruit, cheese, snacks, or dessert. We think little hands and big hands alike will find these useful for serving and snacking.
Our mango wood utensils and serving spoons are a big help in the kitchen and on the table. The large mango wood server is our personal favorite for scooping rice right out of the pot.
Mango wood is easy to care for. It can be cleaned with warm water, a mild soap, and a soft sponge, then dried with your favorite kitchen cloth. If you find your mango wood is drying out with use, you can condition it with food safe mineral oil applied with a soft cloth.
You can find all of our mango wood items in our Et Cetera Etc. section.
And if you can't get enough of wooden spoons, there's a wonderful tutorial on making your own in Yumiko Sekine's new book, Simplicity at Home.
15 February 2021. We wanted to introduce this spring's clothing collection with a few words from Yumiko Sekine, founder and designer of Fog Linen Work.
Spring always comes after winter.
But especially this time, I have been longing for the spring time.
Hoping spring will bring us a better world.
Thinking about next spring made me want to try new colors, like pink and yellow, colors I have never used, but feel like trying this time.
We agree with Yumiko. What perfect timing to bring some color and hope to the world. It's giving us reason to believe spring can't be too far off.
We think you'll find this season's collection the perfect balance of styles that blend function and fashion with comfort and wearability. With a pop of color to boot.
Here are some of our favorites:
Aria Dress: A must have for spring, this beautiful tiered dress is super comfortable and can be easily dressed up or down. Put it on and away you go! In Blue Indigo and Black.
Natalie Dress: We love the simplicity of this dress. The banded collar with a shell button placket adds just the right amount of detail to this long sleeved a-line dress. Great on its own or layered over jeans or a skirt. In Nuit and Rose.
Madison Top: A lovely neckline with a tie collar is the star of this shirt. Gathered cuff sleeves add nice detailing. With a roomy fit to the body, this shirt looks great tucked in or left out. So pretty for spring.
Trinity Top: One of our favorite favorites (if we had to choose). We love everything from the pointed collar, to the shell buttons, to the boxy, yet utterly flattering on everybody shape. Winner, winner as they say. In Wisteria and Ecru Beige.
Kylie Overall: Practical, comfortable, forgiving. Overalls are the new sweatpants, and these have enough style and dash that you can wear them anywhere. We love that they provide so many options for layering over or under. We adore the wide leg on this one, and of course it has pockets. In Black and Nuit.
Gianna Pants: This trouser style pant is giving us Katherine Hepburn vibes. It feels a little bit tailored, and very comfy. A pant to put some spring in your step. In Ochre and Albatre.
Riley Coat: Trading a winter coat for a spring one is such a rite of passage every year. We always look forward to seeing the spring coats! We're really drawn to the look of the Riley Coat. A longish length, a simple pointed collar, linen covered buttons, this coat can dress up any outfit and add a little warmth, all without feeling fussy. Perfect. In Grey Blue.
Please check out our clothing section to see all of the 2021 spring collection. There's much more and it's all so good and there are a few more items yet to arrive. As always, please reach out with questions about sizing and fit. Here's to a new season!
28 January 2021. Other than being outside in the fresh air, there's nothing like a craft project to get us through the winter. Bonus points for using re-purposed materials. And if it's something slow and meditative, all the better.
We've just received a restock of our fabric remnants in many shapes and sizes, which lend themselves well to these sorts of projects. From buntings to fabric covered hangers to patchwork coverings and curtains...the possibilities are endless. Perhaps you have others in your household that would love to help you out? Fabric scraps are a great way to entertain little hands.
One of our favorite remnant projects is the patchwork square pictured above from Simplicity at Home, the new book from our founder, Yumiko Sekine. Yumiko gives easy to follow instructions for making your own patchwork square that can be sized up to any dimensions your heart desires. Let your imagination soar! And let us know how you end up using Fog Linen fabric remnants. We love featuring your creative endeavors on our IG feed.
Happy winter crafting!
14 January 2021. We are very excited to announce the arrival of Simplicity at Home: Japanese Rituals, Recipes, and Arrangements for Thoughtful Living.
This lovely new book from Yumiko Sekine, founder of Fog Linen Work, along with Jenny Wapner, is a guide to cultivating a beautiful, joyful home throughout the year. Simplicity at Home celebrates the simple rituals and techniques rooted in Japanese traditions for decorating, organizing, preparing food, entertaining, and more.
We've had a chance to preview a copy, and the experience has left us relaxed and refreshed and wondering why we don't curl up with a real book instead of a screen more often.
Filled with beautiful photos by Nao Shimizu, simple recipes, projects and design ideas, this book takes you through all four seasons with wonderful insight into Japanese lifestyle and culture.
There's a long list of inspiring projects we want to try and here are just a few of our favorites:
Refreshing the house for the new year
Vegetable tempura and somen noodles
Yuzu bath salts
Growing plants and seeds from scraps
Simple spring floral arrangements
Patchwork linen sewing projects
We hope you'll enjoy this book as much as we do.
Available for pre-order now. The first 100 pre-orders will receive a copy of the book with a handmade bookmark signed by the author, Yumiko Sekine. All book pre-orders will ship for free within the continental US.
Orders will be shipping in February 2021.
21 December 2020. Today is the shortest and darkest day of the year and though it's not technically the end of 2020, it feels like a turning point, as from now on there will be more light.
Although this has been a challenging year, we are finding there are still many things to be thankful for. For us, it all comes down to you, our customers. We are so thankful that you have chosen to support our business during this time. Your orders and emails have kept us busy and raised our spirits through all of the ups and downs of 2020. We can't thank you enough.
We hope you are all staying safe and sound and we wish you health and happiness as we enter 2021. And remember, going forward there will be a little more light in the world each day.
* Please note, we will be closed December 25-28th. Shipping will resume December 29th.
10 December 2020. We've got some new clothing headed your way. This year's winter collection was designed with more "at home" time in mind, using a warm blend of linen and recycled wool in soft shapes and colors.
We're wanting pieces this season that feel comfortable, but also special. Clothing that elevates our daily wear above sweatpants and t-shirts, yet still feels comforting. A dressed-up at home kind of feel.
Here's a selection of what's arrived, and let's just say we're finding everything in this collection to be so cozy and wearable, like a big hug in clothing form. We hope you'll love it all as much as we do.
Doris Dress: an easy, classic linen piece to be dressed up or down. Clean simple lines and a flattering fit. In Herringbone Black and James Plaid.
Gigi Tuck Skirt: long and lovely, guaranteed to keep you cozy in a blend of recycled wool and linen. In Khaki, Navy, and Heather Grey
Robin Pants: a go to for comfort and style, Robin plays well with many shirts and sweaters. Offered in a linen/recycled wool blend or a linen denim. In Denim Navy, Denim White and Wool Navy.
Kito Skirt: we love this elegant full skirt with its flattering length. An elasticized waist band and pockets make it super comfortable as well. In a linen/recycled wool blend in Navy and a linen denim in Navy and White.
Alicia Shirt: this one is a real favorite! Many special details here, like the pointed collar with its delicate shell button placket and a shirt tail hem that can be tucked in for a tailored look or left out to layer over shirts and turtlenecks. In a linen/recycled wool blend in Heather Grey. Offered in linen in Herringbone Beige and Theo Check.
Boel Apron Dress: such a fun dress. Perfect for layering shirts or sweaters underneath. We love it with leggings or boots. With a drawstring tie waist so you can adjust it for the perfect fit. Features a v-neck that can be worn in the front or the back. How's that for versatility? In a navy pinstripe linen. Also in a wool linen blend in Khaki and Navy.
Carita Coat: this one's so elegant with simple shaping and a double breasted closure. In a linen/wool blend and lined with linen on the inside, it will keep you cozy on a cold day with room for a sweater underneath. In Wool Burgundy and Wool Navy.
Shop our entire clothing collection here and keep warm and safe this season.
17 November 2020. In this year like no other we've experienced, we are heading into the holiday season. We're taking a moment to think about how we'd like to celebrate this year. Will it be a year to stick to time honored and comforting rituals or is it a chance to create new traditions? Or maybe a combination?
One thing's for certain, we will be looking for ways to feel connected to our family, friends, and community, even if we are not able to be together to celebrate. That means picking out some wonderful recipes for holiday meals and setting our tables with real cheer, even if our gatherings are tiny.
We've got some festive linens in the mix in our table section, aprons for everyone in our kitchen section, and some lovely brass ornaments in our holiday section to add some sparkle to your celebration.
We are continuing to encourage you to shop early for the holidays this year as shipping times will be slower due to the pandemic. 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. And don't forget to thank your delivery person! We see them every day working so hard on the front lines and we couldn't do what we do without them.
And finally, please contact us with questions if you have them and let us know if you would like your item gift wrapped. We are happy to wrap in simple white paper and can even add a handwritten note on one of our signature postcards. Just leave us a note in the comment section of your order or send us an email.
Stay safe folks!
29 October 2020. Fall colors are fading into November's starker palette around here, but we're still wanting to bask in the golden glow of October. We're loving all the warm ochres and nut browns going on in our clothing collection. Here are a few faves:
The Satou Pant in Ochre
The Kaari Dress in Noisette
The Verna Coat in Ochre
The Laina Dress in Biscuit
The Elmi Coat in Ochre
The Raakel Shirt in Ambre
The Fay Coat in Sepia
Lightweight Wool Leggings in Mocha
We're feeling warm and cozy already!
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, Pod. Bryant 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.
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.
