Standard Grit

Standard Grit, a collaborative project by Christian Helms, a designer based in Austin and Susan Helms, a textile craftsman in Black Mountain, NC., makes limited-edition hand-made textiles. Here's their statement: We work to remind people of the value of craft, and to get people excited about making things with their hands. We do that by stitching high-quality textiles that folks can pass down for generations. Inspiration Sometimes we’re asked why on earth we started Standard Grit. Truth be told, there are a lot of reasons we found ourselves making textiles. To start, we love unique keepsakes with a sense of heritage, and the simple joy found in crafting things with our hands. On top of that we really like the idea of creating modern day heirlooms that people might keep in their families for generations. You can’t pass down an iphone to your grandson. There are just as many things that inspire the personality of our textiles. The south has a rich, colorful tradition of storytelling that permeates every day life. There’s a unique vernacular specific to the south that’s odd, arcane and beautiful. Those eccentric sayings seem to lodge in the brain, and it makes sense to us to celebrate them. Seasonal Flag Series Standard Grit Flags are 100% hand-made, and produced in limited-editions. Released seasonally, we produce three new decorative flags four times a year. Each release has a loose common theme, and feature distinctive phrases that might serve as a call to arms, a gentle reminder or simple conversation fodder. All of the flags show our affinity for southern vernacular and vintage or hand-rendered typography. Our flags are most often displayed in frames, but also age gracefully draped over the backs of couches, tacked above liquor bars or just about anywhere else you place them. We’ve even seen one worn as a scarf. They’re popular as gifts, and can be passed down as an heirloom. They’re ready-made with a sense of history and heritage— like a modern artifact from a forgotten time. All of our projects are designed in Austin, Texas and crafted by hand in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina.