On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we’re talking about crafting in community with my guests, sisters Molly and Kaari Meng.
Kaari Meng is the founder and owner of French General, a shop and workshop space on Riverside Drive in Los Angeles.
Kaari and her husband, JZ, have written, styled and photographed six books over the past ten years, including French-Inspired Home, Treasured Notions, Home-Sewn, Handmade Soirees, and their latest book due out this fall, A Year of Jewelry.
Kaari also designs a line of quilting fabric and patterns for Moda, a line of interior fabric for Fabricut, a collection of steel-rule dies for Sizzix and embroidery floss palettes and samplers for Cosmo Floss (see all of her products on the brand new French General site).
A French General floss palette
French General charm pack for Moda.
Molly Meng is an artist, teacher, storyteller, designer, and owner of the greeting card company 8mm ideas. Her cards can be found in shops around the world. Molly keeps an art studio in Downtown LA.. together with Robert Mahar called “Meng & Mahar Studio” where they hold workshops twice a month. She also is a frequent workshop instructor at French General.
French General began 18 years ago in a barn at the back of Kaari’s home in New York. Soon, Molly and Kaari found retail space for the store in New York City and later moved the shop to Los Angeles. We talk about how Kaari built a brand for French General and came to design almost all of the products the store carries, from fabric to crafting supplies and kits.
Molly and Kaari travel frequently to France to buy antiques, textiles, and ephemera for French General (although they aren’t French and don’t speak the language fluently). Each summer they bring groups on week-long textile tours of the south of France where guests get to stay in an 18th-century chateau. See photos from their trips on Instagram.
Each January Kaari and Molly organize a workshop weekend called The Art of Craft. This year’s event will be in Santa Paula from January 20-24. Kaari and Molly also teach workshops regularly, including the downtown L.A. Digging Tour – one of French General’s most popular classes.
Molly and Kaari truly understand how to throw a party, host a workshop, and make everyone feel welcome!
Of course, for the show, I also asked Molly and Kaari to recommend great stuff they’re loving right now.
Kaari recommends:
Molly recommends:
- Upworthy’s daily email newsletter, the Upworthiest
- Song Exploder
- Rebecca Purcell on Instagram and Mildred’s Lane
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Today’s episode is sponsored by Threadle.
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I just finished listening to your podcast with Kaari and Molly . . . Great information and I can’t wait for the Santa Paula event! It’s only 15 minutes from home foe me :-)….and some day maybe I’ll be able to go on the French chalet tour.
Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have fun at The Art of Craft!
Great show! It was so weird hearing them mention Santa Paula. That’s the town where I grew up. Their description was so spot on it made me miss it. I used to hang out at the gazebo down the block from the Glenn Tavern Inn and play my guitar. I’ve walked around the train depot so many times it’s burned into my memory. If you have the chance to visit, it’s a great place to be, and so close to sightseeing and other fun stuff.