Cool Place Alert: Gossamer

Gossamer is a beautiful, serene craft store at 24th and East Burnside, devoted to fiber arts and Waldorf learning and creativity supplies.

Let's start with the Waldorf school, in case you're not familiar. It's a system of education that dates back to 1919. There are many components, but in particular, Waldorf schools emphasize creativity as an essential part of a child's education.

The links in the preceding paragraph will take you to the Wikipedia entry for the Waldorf school, but if you really want to know all about it, I'd recommend chatting with Gossamer's owner, Rose Sabel-Dodge. She ran a supply store in the Portland Waldorf School for nine years. But in addition to being an enthusiastic proponent of Waldorf, she's also an avid fiber artist. And her dream was to open a store that could blend these two passions.

Poke around the Gossamer shelves, and you'll find lots and lots of wonderful natural materials, including wool felt in so many glorious colors, available both as squares and yardage. (If you've never crafted with real wool felt, you are missing out!) There are also wonderful plant-dyed felts, with subtle colors and an interesting surface texture. And in addition, you can buy pieces of pre-felted wool sweaters - saving you a grungy trip to The Bins.

Needle-felting is also a big theme here. These felting kits sell like hotcakes, and Gossamer also offers regular classes in wet felting and needle felting.

I love this inviting, tactile display of embroidery goodies. Gossamer carries wool and linen flosses.

Look deeper, though, and you'll find some really interesting Waldorf-related supplies that brim with creative possibilities. On the top shelf here, we have these pretty slabs of colorful beeswax, which is often used as a sculpting material in Waldorf education. (See that tiny snowman?) You warm this material up in your hands, and form it. Rose also stocks sets of thin beeswax sheets in an array of colors, which you can cut into shapes with cookie cutters and adhere to pillar candles.

The shelf below has traditional Waldorf-style block crayons. There are also wonderful soft pencils for drawing, and gorgeous artwork by Waldorf School students on the walls. (I should mention, too, that if you're a Waldorf teacher, Gossamer offers discounts on many items for you.)

Gossamer is also a community gathering-spot. Rose hosts a Tuesday morning open crafting session for Moms, and a Tuesday night "Mini Vacation" craft night that "travels" to a different destination each week. Recently, the group has explored Ireland, India, and Italy. There are snacks and music, and people bring their own projects, or use the resources around the shop to start a new one.

The shop really has a lovely feel to it - the kind of space you want to relax and take your time in. Maybe take a seat on the sofa and pull out your knitting. Do plan a visit soon - that wool felt is calling your name . . . .