I Create Too.

I realized that I've only shared things that mom is working on. So, I thought I'd share something of mine. I finally sat down last night and ripped back the row and a half that I messed up on this hat and now I'm back to knitting away. I'm so close to the end! I'm using Elsebeth Lavold's Baby Llama and it is oh so soft and isn't that a great color?! I found the pattern in Interweave Knits Holiday 2007 and the pattern is the Koolhaas Hat by Jared Flood. This is my first go at knitting in the round and cables!

Now, back to mom.... She finished her first basket bag!

Isn't it adorable? Now she's working on a purple one.

I also wanted to share one of the wonderful quilts that we have hanging in the shop. Our good friend, Milton, brought this to us and we are so happy to have it on our wall! We figure it is an early 30s crib quilt and that's Steamboat Willie - one of the first Mickey Mouses. It's actually much paler in person but I upped the contrast so that you'd be able to see the design in the photo.

They're Finished!

Heidi finished her shorts, after only two lessons! And look at how straight those stitches are! Now she's ready to start a dress and she's hunting for just the right fabric. That's the best part - the hunt for the perfect pattern, fabric, and notions.

Mom has been putting the finishing touches on her first purse in between lessons and I've been digging through a HUGE pile of polyester! Vintage polyester - Jersey Knits, Double Knits, this silky, stretchy stuff that I haven't found a name for yet.... Anyone know what that is?

She's making her purses again!

These purses are some of my favorites of all of my mother's creations! Maybe I'll get one this time around... Here are a few that she made last year...

She was inspired by these awesome, vintage embroidery transfers a few years ago and these wonderful bags are what followed.

This week is going to be fun! We have a lot of new projects underway, a full schedule of introductory sewing lessons, and it's the Folsom Quilt & Fiber Guilds annual show. Rita Carl, of Reets' Rags to Stitches, is coming out as a vendor at the show and we are having her come spend a day at The Tin Thimble on Monday, the 4th. We'll be making her Chelsea's Pin Cushion! and having a meet and greet that evening. It's guaranteed to be a good time.

My Funny Valentine

My goodness! My mother has been busy! Look at the darling apron she finished yesterday! We have been having so much with aprons lately. We even hung a clothes line of them up in the shop! Speaking of aprons, if you haven't shared in the joy that is this book, you must check it out. Mom and I got to see EllynAnne Geisel's collection of aprons at last years American Sewing Guild's Annual Convention. What a treat!

Mom has also been making pretties. We had a collection of beautiful, antique, crocheted & tatted tops that needed fabric added to them. We had already done a run of lawn & voile tops so we decided to go with fancy fabrics this time around. Pink, silk & rayon velvet; champagne, silk charmeuse; and handkerchief fabric.

Our birthday postcards are taking their sweet time at the printers. I'm afraid our January birthday customers won't get theirs until February! I was really hoping to avoid that....

Groovy

One of our new sewing students, Heidi (who happens to be 14) chose my favorite print of all of our vintage knits! The mushroom print (above) is perfect for the pajama short pattern (below) that she chose for her first sewing project!

One of our other introductory sewing students, who also happens to be in her teens (Ya! for young sewers!) stopped by just the other day wearing the skirt that she had just completed (on her TREADLE machine!!) and she looked absolutely darling! Of course, I didn't have my camera that day, but she promised that she'd email me one. So I soon as I get it, I'll share.

Home Baked Goodies and MailArt!

Mom taught our friend, Lynn, how to make yeast bread yesterday. The kitchen was full, as usual, and had the wonderful smell of yeast and home baked bread. Lynn and her husband, Ron, went home with a happy bowl of rising dough and called, later that day, to announce that she had just pulled a beautiful loaf of bread from the oven. And mom treated us with home bakes cinnamon rolls this morning! Yum!

I was going to wait and let our January birthday customers be surprised when they find these in their mailboxes.... But I just can't wait! I asked my younger sister, Hannah, to create some MailArt for our birthday postcards that we are going to start sending out this month, and she did an absolutely beautiful job! They look just like our shop, don't you think?

Blogging

Well, I have been so inspired by some of the craft blogs out there, that I decided to finally give it a try. Blogs like Posie Gets Cozy offer so much more than ideas with their witty narratives and little windows into not only their art, but their lives. I hope I can share and inspire as well as they do!

I am going to give you daily updates on what mom and I are working on, what's new in the shop and the wonderful creations our customers and students bring into the shop to share with us.

I also just opened up an Etsy shop for those of you who live too far away to come and visit us at the shop.

Mom and I started gathering all of our red, pink and white goodies on Saturday. Stay tuned for the creations that are about to ensue.