Her Felted Garden

Mom became a felting fool week before last. She was a spinning fool last week, but that's another post.
She's using a mix of natural corriedale wool along with merino wool and silk hand dyed by Aunt Carin.

Mom has always been inspired by nature in her art and I think these are a fine example of that inspiration. I'm excited to say that she will be teaching a class on wet felting flower wall hangings, place mats and coasters! If you're local you can find more info on the class here.



This last one is my favorite! I just love the color palette!

In other news.... we all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Mom and most of the fam were up in Downieville at the cabin while Chris and I stayed home and opted for a quieter holiday at our new house! (I know, I still owe you pictures!) I cooked dinner for Chris and his parents and his grandmother. It was a lot of fun! I cooked a "Chris approved" meal - that means no flour, no sugar, no dairy along with a list of various other fruits, nuts, and vegetables. I took the challenge willingly and I must say, dinner was fantastic! You never would have known that I had such criteria! ..... not to toot my own horn. I was just pleased that he didn't have to break any rules AND was able to enjoy a tasty holiday meal. How was your Thanksgiving?

We had a fantastic time at The Mountain Mandarin Festival! It was very well attended and we passed out SO MANY class schedules and flyers! We're already seeing the results of the advertising. Gary Gilligan and company - you put on a great Festival!

The Mandarin Festival Clown

Mom has been slaving away at a costume for the Mandarin Festival Clown and it is adorable! I never thought I'd say that about a clown costume!


And there's a hat! It's not done yet though - I'll have a picture later.

Outside of my box

So for the last two years Chris and I have been invited to teach at a swing dance camp in the Mendocino Woodlands called "Camp Swing" and both years it has been an absolute blast! We have met some of the nicest swing dancers (and swing dancers are already notoriously NICE), we've met great instructors, there's good food and it's just an overall great experience. And.....it is camp tradition that all of the girl instructors perform in the variety show each year and there really isn't an option. The girl instructors at the camp perform in the variety show. So I smile and nod, learn the choreography and do my best to put together a costume which it seems tend to involve very little clothing. And both years they have successfully pulled me outside of my fairly small box.


That's all for now. I'm still working on pictures of the house.

Brazilian Embroidery

Oh my gosh! I had never seen Brazilian Embroidery before! Isn't this gorgeous? We are so excited to have Beth Kauffman, an absolutely darling lady, come and teach a free class in this technique. She called us weeks ago and said that she wanted to give back to community that had given her so much and that she wanted to volunteer her time teaching lessons! How wonderful is that? Visit www.thetinthimble.com/lessons.html if you're interested in taking the class - all of the details are there.


I haven't forgotten my promise of pictures! I'll get there, I promise! :-)

Craziness & a NEW HOUSE!

I can't believe how old that last post is!  I was on such a roll blogging every day and then insanity set in!  I have so many things to share but Chris and I are headed to Mendocino tomorrow morning and I have to go pack.  So I will share pictures of the new house that we're moving into and pictures from the dance camp in Mendo and hopefully the vacation in Mendo following the camp.  See you soon!

The Alice Top

We finally finished the pattern for Hannah's "Alice Top". The pattern is for stretch fabrics only and it's so simple to sew and easy to wear too! I already have two in my closet. The one pictured here is made from bamboo knit and is oh so soft and flattering!

The pattern is available for sale here.

More bundles of scrappy happiness!

Oh! I had so much fun today putting together bundles of vintage and antique linens and handkerchiefs that have been piling themselves up in our storage. These pieces are absolutely gorgeous and I am so excited to see what everyone is going to do with them!




These are so beautiful - I'm glad that they've already been cut into or I could never do it! Have you ever used old linens in your projects? What have you used them for?

Happy Colors

Doesn't this fabric just make you happy? It's so cheery and bright. My favorite is the flower print above. The orange is so very vibrant.



This one is a vintage print and it's actually a heavy weight cotton. It would make a fantastic retro purse, don't you think? Or a little coin purse!...... hhhmmmmm.......

The Change of the Seasons

Mom just finished this apron last week. Now she's working on a miniature version! It's going to be a Mother/Daughter set! How sweet is that?

Katie had asked me about Hannah's graduation dress because Hannah had shown us the pattern and the fabric of the dress that she was going to make..... but..... I confirmed last night, she ended up having to buy a dress 'cause she ran out of time. So, no wonderful pictures of that creation. Maybe she'll make it for another event!

The shop has been SSSSLLLLooooooowwwwwwww. I don't fully understand it, but mom and I have observed that the change of the seasons seems to throw people for a loop. I know that the economy forecast isn't helping this season change, but it doesn't make us any less lonely! :-) We miss you guys. But, Wednesday is mom's birthday so you HAVE to come in and wish her a good day!

We have taken the quiet time to sew, sew, sew! Mom has been making Gold Rush costumes for our good friends Ron and Lynn and they are turning our fantastic... of course! And I have taken on another musical to costume, actually two small shows in one evening. This one is a bit of challenge though due to a very SMALL budget and I only have two weeks to costume 28 kids.... Oy.

HAPPY AUTUMN!!!! It's finally here! Ya!

I finally found a picture....

of the back of Hannah's senior ball dress!


And this picture gives you a good idea of what the bodice was like....


And this would have been a great picture of the front if the camera had decided to focus.....


This was mom's first go at draping and I think she aced it, don't you? She even made Matthew's tie to match the dress. How cute is that! I should share photos of my 8th grade graduation dress that she made. It was gorgeous too.

Hannah has been a sewing fool!

Hannah is taking a clothing construction class at Sierra College this semester and she has been a sewing fool! Somewhere in between her wool jerkin and corduroy jacket I talked her into make this as a sample for the shop. It's Amy Butler's "Birdie Sling" made with this fantastic Japanese fabric we have in here in the shop. One of our customers already claimed this one for herself.....I think I'll have to make myself one. :-)

I promised a preview.....

It's really more of a teaser. Mom's new wool creation.

Christmas is coming!

Oh my! It is unbelievably September already and we've had to put our Christmas fabric on the shelves here at the shop and I've started advertising Christmas Stocking classes. Phew! I still can't get used to this retail mentality. Mom and I really struggle with it. Anyway, I am really excited about the stocking classes. Carin will be teaching a wet felted stocking:


Aren't they great? And Beverly is going to be teaching a knitting Christmas stocking class that is also acting as a great introduction to sock knitting! I'm excited to get the sample of her stocking and share a photograph.

We've been busy sewing here at the shop. Mom has been sewing dresses like a mad woman and she has be designing a beautiful wool quilt that I am so excited to share with everyone. She and my Aunt Claire will be putting together kits for each square and we are going to debut the kits in at the Folsom Quilt Show which we were just accepted to.

I have been working on sewing custom pillowcases and pajama pants. Simple but fun projects that I have really enjoyed picking the fabrics out for. Here my first pair of pants:

Explore a little bit

Thank you Rebecca for the Blog Award. I am honored that you thought of us. Now I get to share some of the blogs that I find inspiring!

Posie Gets Cozy
Allsorts
Angry Chicken
Brooklyn Tweed
JCasa Handmade
Pointless Nostalgic

And here are the rules for those of you (if you so choose to accept your award! ) who are nominated:

1. Add the logo of the award to your blog.

2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.

3. Nominate at least 5 other blogs.

4. Add links to those blogs on your blog.

5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

Fabric Shops on Etsy

I have seen a good number of forum posts with lists of online fabric stores but I find that the lists rarely include very many Etsy fabric shops. Sooo... I have compiled a list of just those shops. And now that I'm looking at the list, I'm impressed by the number of stores and I'm sure this isn't all of them. So, if you notice that I missed a store that carries mostly fabric please let me know. So, in the support of friendly competition here we are - Etsy's Fabric Shops:

(and remember, Shop Etsy First!)

• The Tin Thimble (Designer fabrics, vintage fabrics & destash)
• Pink Polka Dot Studio (Mostly designer fabrics)
• Fabric Supplies by Charlie (Mostly designer fabrics)
• My Heart and Sew Fabrics (Mostly designer fabrics)
• Bee Square Fabrics (Japanese fabrics along with designer fabrics)
• Fabric Shoppe (Mostly designer fabrics)
• Sweet Flavor (Japanese fabrics)
• Lucky Kaeru Fabric (Japanese fabrics)
• Starlit Nest (Mostly designer fabrics)
• Fabric Stash (Japanese fabrics along with designer fabrics)
• Sew Good Fabric (Mostly designer fabrics)
• Fabricworm (Japanese fabrics along with designer fabrics)
• Fabric Closet (Mostly designer fabrics)
• Acme Baby Co. (Mostly designer fabrics)
• Sew Love Fabrics (Mostly designer fabrics)
• Down Shadow Lane (Mostly designer fabrics)
• Mountain of the Dragon (Japanese fabrics along with designer fabrics)
• Kimonomomo (Kimono making supplies & fabric)
• Mod Fabric (Mostly designer fabrics)

Seussical the Musical

I had the honor and the pleasure of working with my dear friend, Josh, on Auburn's Summer Youth Theater's production of Seussical the Musical. Josh directed the show and a few weeks into rehearsals he asked me to step in as costume designer. I had already done some sketches for him to help him with the overall look of the show and then I was able to actively make those sketches a reality!

The Newcastle Sunday Market

We had a booth at The Newcastle Sunday Market on Sunday. Unfortunately, it was painfully slow but we got to meet a few more of the local vendors who frequent the local farmers markets. They were all so friendly and encouraging. Sher from Two Spicy Ladies had the booth right next to us (Fantastic spices and rubs!) and Gary of Newcastle Preserves was on the other side. Mmmmmm... Their new White Peach Jam is fantastic! Geri of Country Essence was there with her fantastic soaps and body products! Chris loves her oatmeal soap. The girl from Sierra Fresh Farmers Markets was there with fruit from her farm - unfortunately, I never learned her name and I can't seem to Google the Farmers Market for a website or else I would link you over because I hear that she and her mother run a wonderful market. Another successful mother-daughter team!

Folsom's Thursday Night Market

Mom and I will have a booth at Folsom's Thursday Night Market on Sutter Street.  If you have a quiet evening come and visit us!  The market runs from 6:00-9:00.  

Rompers!

Mom was so excited to find this pattern!  These rompers are based on a fantastic 1960s pattern.

I love it when customers share like this!

I still get excited when I look at these pictures!!  Isn't this the cutest baby quilt square you've ever seen???  Loretta brought this in a while ago and I think I actually jump up and down.  :-)  She said that her Grandmother made it for her Mother when she was born but she never finished it.  She actually got from A - W but never finished X, Y & Z.  Loretta found the quilt in one of her Mother's rooms and then she found the newspaper pattern pieces in a completely different room!  
Loretta got on eBay and actually found reproductions of the X, Y & Z squares!!!!!!!!  She's going to finish it.  Oh, I hope she comes in and shares her progress!

She also brought in this little Gem.  It was a printed piece of cotton organdy that I think she said her Grandmother embroidered.  It's supposed to be finished into a pillow.  Gorgeous!

Judi's Quilt

Ooooooooo!  Judi stopped by the other day and shared her new project with us!  This gorgeous quilt is actually a kit (pattern and fabric) that was produced in the 1930s and Judi has lovingly appliqued it and is currently working on the quilting (by hand.)  Judi has been a constant inspiring and supportive friend of the Thimble and Mom and I are always so glad that she shares her projects with us!  Thank you Judi!  You always restore my faith that there are still hand quilters out there!