What's here.....what's coming......

What's here:

And on the way:

Yes, I said ON THE WAY!  Shipped out - from California - to Hip Stitch - via UPS!  Confirmed!!! (can you tell I'm just a wee bit excited?!)

Sewing Retreat

Well, I think it's safe to say that Saturday's Sewing Retreat was a success!  A variety of sewing projects were worked on, our demos were full of a wealth of information, lunch was yummy and filling, and we finished the day with luxurious mini-massages given by Onie, (who is my personal source of stress relief and relaxation every other week!)

From a purse to a tunic, a quilt to a Halloween costume, a skirt to home decorating, all the gals were so fun to visit with, bond with, and hopefully, will come together again for another future retreat.....along with YOU?

 Michele giving a demonstration on gathering/ruffling/pleating techniques.

.....and Julie taking off with the gathering foot on her machine.....

Look at those PERFECT gathers!  A Snow White costume, done that much more quickly!

Amy made a purse....with so so cute handles......

Missy's skirt - so beautiful.

Thank you, ladies, for all the fun you contributed!

Hip Kids' kick off Saturday

Well, this afternoon kicked off the fall Hip Kids' classes.....and I had just as much fun participating as they did!  Today was a  fabric mosaic/collage on a spiral notebook.  Simple:  Mod Podge, fabric, scissors, spiral.  Sometimes, there's nothing like a simple art project to get the creativity flowing:

And an afternoon giggling with little girls, as we cut and glued and talked and sang (Pandora radio is awesome).

In the store now:

......and these are just a few that arrived!

It was a day to remember....

It started about 2 weeks ago.....with a phone call from a woman I've known for some years from church.  We used to run the kitchen during Vacation Bible School - did it every year for about 5 consecutive years.  I hadn't seen her in a while, as our lives didn't cross paths.  She called me to tell me that she and her husband were moving into a retirement home....it was time.  His health wasn't so good - she couldn't keep up with taking care of the house and yard, and she was tired of cooking.  Did I want to come take any of her sewing supplies?  I didn't hesitate - YES!

I went over and started looking at everything......fabric, irons, thread, batting, interfacing, scissors, pins, buttons, trims, needles, patterns (oh, the fun of looking through patterns from the 70s!).  Then I saw it:

My breath caught in my throat.....

I could hardly ask......"are you parting with THIS?"  I asked.  Yes, she was.  A local sewing machine repair shop gave her an offer some time ago.  "Are you interested?" she asked.  I nearly yelped out "YES!"  The offer was good - I asked if I could give her that amount.  Sure, she said.  I told her I'd check w/my husband, and come back in the next week or so to pay for it.  In the meantime, she took me outside to her peach tree, where I loaded bags of peaches, and then we sat on her back porch, chatting.....I always love to hear stories from her of her life - her husband was a pilot in the military, they lived all over the world, and she's had some adventures.  The most touching moment was when she told me that when she looks in her husband's face, she still sees the young fighter pilot that she knew way back when.....she doesn't see the elderly man he is today.  I'll never forget those words.

Fast forward to yesterday.....I went back, she gave me more sewing notions, I wrote her a check for this:

A Singer Featherweight, in pristine condition - oiled, tuned up, shiny - in it's case, with the manual.  When I opened the manual, here's the line I loved:

I took it home, gently set it up, read through the manual to make sure I had threaded everything exactly the right way, and gingerly started sewing.  Well, what can I compare that moment to?   Putting on my wedding dress the day of  my wedding?  Seeing the ocean for the 1st time after being away from it for 10 years?  Giving birth and seeing my daughter for the 1st time?  Well, it was pretty darn close.  For those of you who love sewing, who sew and sew and sew, who burst with pride when you finish a garment, or a quilt, or a purse....you understand.  Right?!

Oh, and my friend had me rummage through the last of what was to be given away to charity, and I eagerly claimed this:

And my girls and I have been having loads of fun typing away:

Someday I'll be an elderly woman (if it's the plan for my life), and I'll have all my sewing supplies.  I don't know if my daughters will be interested in them.  I certainly don't ever want them to feel like they have to take my belongings.....I hope that my things will make someone else happy.  I hope someone else will take them, and know that sewing made me very happy.  I hope my friend knows that what she parted with has made me very happy, and I'm very grateful.