What was I thinking?!

So, let me preface this by telling you a bit about the three of us Hip Stitch owners....Jen is the quiet, easy-going, even-tempered one. Heather? She's the extrovert - she's a woman of the world (I don't mean that in a negative way, so stop thinking what you're thinking!) She's got moxie. And me? Well, I'm the one who decides 3 DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS that I'm going to make each of my 2 daughters bathrobes, and my husband a shirt. And then I wonder.....What was I thinking?!
Well, here's bathrobe #1:
I actually enjoyed making it, and it was an easy pattern (I'll stock it in the lounge if you even want to borrow!)
My point is, Jen or Heather would not have foolishly decided 3 DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS to make these gifts. They have more common sense. Much, much more. Me? I'm the impulsive, nutty, get myself hyped up on coffee and take on more than I can possibly handle. But I'd like to think that we 3 balance each other out pretty well, and for that, I'm so thankful these 2 women are in my life - as friends, as business partners, as my kindred sisters.
Merry Christmas!

Hunkering down in the snowstorm

Alright, so it's not really a snowstorm, but living in Albuquerque, any snow is reason to light a fire, make some hot chocolate (or pour a glass of red wine), and do something Laura Ingalls Wilder-esque.....like knitting! I'm getting close to finishing my Slouchy Cardigan from http://knitcafe.com/boutique_knitcafebook.html - just have the sleeves left, after putting this project down to knit socks for my girls. (Heather and I are having a mock "contest" to see who can finish our cardigan first....it's just a joke, right Heather?!? Even though I'm going to finish first!!!)

Have you been to the store lately? We got in a shipment of books - gorgeous, get-your-creative-juices-flowing books, and beautiful notecards and journals. Also still there - handmade knitted sweaters, hats, scarves, gloves, and more - Dagmar's "Sheep on a Spring" creations, still lingering from our craft show this past weekend....she'll come by and pick everything up this week, but in the meantime, it's there, for sale!

Tomorrow we hope for a school delay - my oldest turns 11, and we want to celebrate with a leisurely morning of sugar-cereal eating and opening presents!

Happy Snow Day, everyone!

Some more sharing

Kathy Albright (one of our awesome-ly creative customers) has done it again! Look what she created with Amy Butler fabrics - heart shaped placemats! Thank you for the inspiration, Kathy - especially this time of year when we want to make our gifts for others!

It's 11:30 and my head is nodding off....I sewed 2 more tote bags tonight to make my total of 7 - a craft show this weekend (flyers at the store!) in which I'll be selling my Haute Totes. Why are they not all in Hip Stitch fabrics? one might wonder. Well, I've had these cut out for months and months, long before Hip Stitch was born, and they just got put on the back burner until now. Three days before the craft show, and yes, I'm just now making them. I do thrive on doing things at the last minute. I'm a bit disappointed in the Craft Fuse I used....purchased it w/a coupon at JoAnn's, as I didn't want to deplete our bolt at the store. I think I got a bad batch. I just doesn't have the hold that it should. Phooey.

And this is my dream machine - Brother Project Runway edition, purchased at Ryan's Sewing & Vacuum this summer. It just hums along through all my projects! Now, g'night!

Girls' Night Out

Saturday night was just that - my girls and I went to Roller King for a night of skating! Our 1st stop was the Sonoma Coffee Cafe, which is locally owned by friends, for gelatto for the girls and a holiday beverage for me.....have you gotten your Peak Perk gift certificate yet?! http://ccabq.incentrev.com/index.cfm?action=offer&offerid=4656 A $50 gift certificate for $20....(when I bought it it was $25, so you gotta get this deal!)

Then we were off to skate, with my 8 year old wearing my skates (see photo below) from my days of skating in 8th grade. Good golly, I can't believe my little girl is now wearing them! Much has changed, and much hasn't, from when I used to be dropped off at "Wheel A While" in Rockville, MD, every Friday night, to skate, and ogle the cute boys, and whip my comb/brush combo out of my Jordache jeans back pocket to perfect my Farrah Fawcett hairstyle. Sigh......

We left by 8:00, when the crowd was getting a bit, well, bolder - 1 1/2 hrs. was enough for this 40 yr. old mom. We'll definately be doing this again, though - great exercise, great fun!

And now for Hip Stitchin' business.....December has begun and if you haven't made your holiday gifts, now's the time! Half-price lounge times on Fridays and Saturdays in December - a craft show to shop locally. Heather is finishing up her biggest project ever - a quilt, which I can't wait to photograph and get posted for all to see! Jen has been excused from sewing projects right now - she's expecting a baby boy in May (yes, it's a BOY!), and is keeping up with 2 yr. old Olive, who has quite the mind of her own!!

Recycling clothes and Amy Butler patterns

So I went shopping this weekend, at Goodwill, for some "new" clothes. Being that I sew, I knew I could make some alterations here and there if I saw something I liked, but wasn't a perfect fit. Now, I'm not a label snob by any means....but for used clothing, you just have to rummage through the racks to find the good stuff - Ann Taylor Loft, Talbots, Old Navy, J Jill - clothing that is made with good fabrics that will stand up wash after wash, so that by the time it ends up at Goodwill, it's still in great shape!

I made a killing! I found 2 skirts, 2 pairs of pants, and 4 tops, and my grand total was $32.00. So, that brings me to the above picture.....a great pair of pants/Old Navy. One size too big....I took out the waistband and took in the sides, then replaced the waistband.....

...now the problem....how do I move those hooks over to meet up with the 'claw' that hooks around them? They're not sewn on; rather, they seem to be either glued down really well, or are wrapped/hooked through the fabric, like with magnetic snaps. Any suggestions?!

And here's my Weekender Bag! (Not quite finished - the lining gets made/attached today) I worked on it Saturday at our workshop - with Dolores, who cut out her Messenger Bag, and Chris, who made the bias tape cording cover for her Sophia Bag.

There was some frustration with this bag....a bit on my part - cutting out some wrong pieces, having to read a direction 3 and 4 times to understand it. But then it all came together! (Robyn, I can relate to your frustration w/the Sophia Bag - I had to do some major stretching of the fabric to get it to work around the cording. It wasn't a perfect fit!) But, I love the bag - it's size, it's look...don't know if I'll be doing another anytime soon!

A few nifty hints

Last night I was cutting out a new pattern, and thought I'd pass along 2 suggestions....I'm in the habit of putting my pattern in a big manilla envelope, instead of trying to stuff all the pieces back in the original envelope. Just tape the original envelope onto the front of your new one, and there you have a new pattern envelope!

I read this hint somewhere sometime, and thought I'd take a few extra minutes to do it - refold your pattern pieces with the numbers showing, so when you need them, you don't have to unfold every dang piece to find the right ones!

I'm off to make, not buy, a Christmas gift!