Here are some pictures from Teen Night last Saturday....
Morgan (and I) made pillow covers, with a cut-out piece of chalk cloth sewn to the front:
Hannah embroidered a bird on her jeans:

....and Sophia practiced her embroidery, on a flour sack cloth:

We listened to music of their choice (ugh, I feel so old, I didn't know any names of bands or songs!), and I eavesdropped on their conversations (school, music, and lots of random giggling)

The Liverpool Tunic I made is complete - I love love love wearing it! Picture to post shortly....

Monday night we had a private party in the lounge - a group of wonderful ladies who have been friends for about 30 years (almost the whole group). They meet regularly, and got together to sew aprons. I was a fly on the wall - they had grown children, and though their lives are very different than mine right now, I could see myself in 15-20 years, gathering with friends I have now. These gals had a contentment about them - they weren't in the throes of shuttling children around, worrying about their friends, hoping they'll grow up alright in this world of ours.....rather, they'd done their jobs of mothering and raising their children. I'm sure there are still worries and challenges, but just.....different ones.

Thank you, ladies, for hanging out in our lounge, for your fun evening in which I shared a small part!

Here are their aprons:

Women, food, & crafting - the perfect bond

Last night was craft night. Seven women came, to knit and sew. Two worked on a quilt to donate to Project Linus, 2 made lunch bags:

an idea from this calendar that I bought for craft nights, 1 knit, 1 made a tablecloth from our laminated cotton, and 1 worked on a drawstring bag.

See those gals in the photo above? The one on the right won a trophy from the State Fair when she was a young girl in 4H for SEWING! How cool is that?!

Today was part 2 of the Take 5 Quilt class. The ladies put together their blocks and then began to choose how they would be arranged. Oh my gosh, they looked soooo good! I'm loving seeing how they progress.

What's being made

Here's a picture from the 1st session of the Take 5 Quilt class we hosted this past Saturday. Even though Jen & I didn't officially take the class, as we manned the store, we eavesdropped and snuck in & out of the lounge, and learned so much from Kathy, the instructor! She went over choosing colors, and patterns, and what your eye is drawn to when looking at a quilt with many blocks. I can't wait to make my 1st quilt one of these days!

And speaking of the class, this one filled - 4 Saturdays in January. We've opened up another in February, which still has slots.

Here's the fabric I picked out for the Liverpool Tunic. I cut it out tonight while watching BBC Earth - a Christmas gift for our family from a friend. Trouble is, my 9 yr. runs out of the room whenever it goes on. She's terrified of the natural food chain - can't watch preditor and prey.
What I learned tonight while cutting fabric: the male ibex, a long-horned goat which habitats in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, will battle other males to determine dominance. They clash horns for up to an hour to determine who wins. The winner gets a harem (pronounced "hareem" by the British narrator) of female ibexes following him around. But I digress.

And here's lovely Portia, modeling the ruffled scarf she made with our new voile by Anna Maria Horner. So, so pretty!

Happy New Year!

My sewing machine - MY machine, that I keep at home and once in a while take into the store, has not been in my home since the week before Christmas. It's been at Hip Stitch, having been used as our lounge was transformed into Santa's workshop. So many gifts to finish. One of the best I received was a sewing machine cover made by my 12 yr. old, out of Capri Sun-type juice boxes. (A photo will arrive when my new camera arrives....see below)

Sooo, I have not sewn at home since before Christmas. This is huge for me. On average, I sew in the evening at least 2-3 nights a week. It's my down time, my quiet time, my evening therapy. And though I haven't had a great urge to sew at home over the holidays....rather, I've been eating, and knitting, and eating some more, and gathering with friends, and reading the Twilight series (thanks to my friend Melinda, who handed me the books and told me it was time I read them) I now really miss it. So one of the projects I want to begin this year is this pattern of Amy Butler's.

A new camera!! I've been wanting a new one for sooo long, and this one is on it's way from Amazon. I'm so inspired by Ellen and her lovely photos, and though I don't think I'll commit to a photo a day (oooh, how I'd love to), I can at least get some great shots of what's being made at Hip Stitch!

So excuse me now, while I find out what's going on with Edward and Bella, and escape to my fantasy world for a bit...!

Some of our favorite things

OK, we've all seen many gift guides this season - in blogs, in the newspaper, in magazines. Here are just a few of our favorites this year:

Kim Scott, a fabulous designer of skirts, has an etsy shop, and is also one of our December artists of the month: http://www.etsy.com/shop/kimscott. See that photo above? That's MY skirt, made by her. I have to restrain myself from wearing it every single day. I think I need to put in a request for another. She adds a flirty ruffle at the bottom, lines them with a lightweight cotton solid, and has an elastic waistline to give it comfort and casual-ness.

Ann Brotman, creator of Burst of Color, makes re-usable snack bags. Let me tell you, they're becoming all the rage about town! I send my kids - and husband - off to school each day with their sandwiches packed in them. At the end of the day, I shake out the crumbs (or wash out the jelly), and they're ready for the next day.
My 12 year old, Jane, requested them to "gift wrap" her gifts for friends - you know, lip gloss and socks and candy - things we gave when we were 12! Here they are, ready to take to school:

Portia Perdue, who makes Perdoozy aprons: http://www.etsy.com/shop/perdoozy Portia has sold over 1,000 of them on etsy, and each is put together with an eye for color and hip-ness and a hint of retro and loads of style! Now, I know she's ready to close the shop to be able to have a relaxing Christmas with her family, but she's one to keep in mind for gifts throughout the year!

That was just a tiny tiny sampling of the many local artists whose wares we love.....we hope to post a few more in the next few days!

Here's one to show his future girlfriend....

Here's Henry, (who's 6 months old already!), wearing one of Dagmar's hats. I just couldn't resist posting this! Dag was one of the artists at our craft show last weekend, which was fabulous.

Fabric on it's way to Hip Stitch - selected bolts from:

Anna Maria Horner's new Little Folks Voile

Amy Butler's Love Home Dec.

Jane Sassaman's new Sunshine & Shadows

Next on our list - more laminated cottons - not only does Amy Butler have some out, but Anna Maria Horner and Heather Bailey....what to choose, what to choose....