Wednesday, March 31, 2010

You're Invited!!


 In celebration of our Three Year Anniversary, we are pleased to announce our first Student Art Show Friday, April 9th - Sunday, April 11th 10:00-5:00. We will be showcasing fiber art and hand crafted items made by the students of our classes. 


Join us for a Student Art Show Reception and Three Year Anniversary Celebration on Friday, April 9th at 6:00 at The Tin Thimble located in the High Hand Packing Shed at 3750 Taylor Road in Loomis.  We will be serving light hors d'oeuvres and local wines.

If you would like to enter a piece (or two or three) in the show please give us a call at 916-652-2134, send me an emma (at) thetinthimble.com or stop by the shop and we'll let you know what the details are!  Anyone who has taken a class at The Tin Thimble is welcome!

Friday, March 19, 2010

A quick hello!

Piece Number Seven


I probably don't have to say it anymore, but this dress was made with a 1940's pattern and material that we're pretty sure is equally as old. The eyelet trim around the collar and arms is so cute! It's the perfect finishing touch. 




Out in the Garden




Yesterday, after work and school, I went home, put on my dirty sneakers, and headed into our long abandoned garden to attack the weeds. The weather was so beautiful and it felt so nice to get my hands dirty. And, lucky for me, there was someone in the garden to keep me company...




And no, I didn't put him in the wagon, he got in all by himself. He was a little preoccupied with the hole in the bottom to look at me though. 


I can't wait for fresh picked tomatoes and (hopefully, this year) some strawberries as well. And Nissie (the cat) can't wait for more catnip! This beautiful sunny weather has gotten me inspired to spend a little less time cooped up inside and a little more time with my hands in the dirt.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Not to toot my own horn...


But I reeealllly like the picnic quilt I made for one of Aprils Home Ec Classes!




It's made from our Oasis organic cotton and has a super heavy canvas in the middle. The canvas gives it a really nice weight and makes it a bit more waterproof, perfect to use on dew covered grass! It measures 45" X 45" so it's not too big. I'm really proud of my first quilt!

We'll also be making napkins (like the polka dot one in the picture) for the first Home Ec Class in April. Check on the lessons page for more details.


I was still working on my summer wardrobe this weekend, although I didn't get nearly as much done as I wanted to. Anyway, here's just a wee sneak peek at what I'm sewin up!


Only a few more steps before they're done! Check back soon for a picture of the completed project.

Mom is in the classroom as I type teaching a Nuno Felted Scarf class and the students are creating beautiful scarves. I have yet to see a scarf I don't like. I'm so glad that we can inspire others to use their creativity.


Emma and I also have a BIG announcement to make...... 


We're having a student art show!! And we're SO excited.

It will be held on our 3 year anniversary weekend, April 9th, 10th and 11th. We strongly encourage anyone who has taken a class from us to enter at least one piece. We're accepting 3 entries from each person (that number may become smaller if we get overwhelmed), and we need those entries on April 6th and 7th. Please call us and tell us what you're planning to bring us so we can plan ahead. Call or come in for more details. Info is coming to the website soon. Please consider entering!! 


Anyway,  Emma, Mom and I say hello to everyone reading this and we hope you're all enjoying this sunny day as much as we are!


Friday, March 12, 2010

Here on this Rainy Friday...

I thought I'd stop and say hello to everyone! Despite the rain, business was actually booming today, so all of us TTT girls are in good spirits. We have added some new fabrics (muslin, canvas, beauuuuutiful silk and harem cloth) into our inventory and we're glad to see the shelves filling back up. We all have pretty mellow weekends planned and hopefully we'll get some bread making and clothes sewing done.

Here is the sixth Piece of Mom's Summer Wardrobe


This little honey is made from a wool blend so it's cozy warm for winter here in the sheds. It's pencil skirt  is really flattering on and the criss-cross straps make it unique. We love it! Good job, again, Mom!


In Progress

Here is one of Mom's latest and greatest Nuno felted Tunics in progress. Come in and visit us and check out the finished look, it's beautiful, of course.





Here you can really see the fluffiness of the wool and how different the texture is than after she felts it. I really like the black silk used for this tunic, it makes them contrast so much more. 

I'm working on sample projects for April's Home Ec classes, the theme of which is "Life's a Picnic". I've already finished the picnic quilt and napkins so I'll feature pictures of the completed set on Tuesday. Check back for an update on that!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Spring is in the Air!

And I am thankful! My best friend and I went on a bike ride this weekend and we stumbled upon this. It made me wish for sunshine and iced tea and plums picked fresh off the tree. Hurry, spring, hurry!



I've lost count...



But here is yet another of Mom's handmade dresses. I can't help but smile when I see this dress, it just makes me happy! It was made with a 1940's dress pattern and plaid fabric from around the same era. Here's a detail of the cute little pockets in front. 




Ephemeral...



I made this shirt over the weekend, and Mom thinks I'm "gaining on her" in terms of how many pieces we've sewn. I laughed because she has made 6 or 7 items now, compared to my 3. I'm nowhere to close to catching up. Anyway, I made this out of white cotton voile and a New Look pattern both available at the Thimble. It's super light and comfy, so it's perfect for summer. And, I thought that the back had to be shirred, or that I was going to have to use elastic thread (which terrifies me) but no! It was simply casings that I strung elastic through. Those pattern people are so clever.




Now we just need to get Emma involved in this sewing extravaganza. Because I'm sure she has so much time between the Thimble and dancing...

Anyway, don't forget that we have a Home Economics class tomorrow from 6:00-9:00 and we'll be making scrappy coasters. It's a wonderful class to take if you're a beginner and the instructor is fantastic. Call or visit our  class schedule for details.  

Friday, March 5, 2010

We've Been Sewing Away


Hi, everyone! It's Hannah writing to you again today.

Emma, mom and I get SO much inspiration from Anthropologie and we're always squealing with excitement when we look through the catalog. Everything is just so beautiful and creative, it's so inspirational. So, when Emma and I stumbled upon this picture...


we thought it looked strangely familiar. It looks so similar to the brown dress with the coral roses that mom made! And she made her dress before we even saw this picture. What a trendsetter! 

Speaking of her dresses, here is a skirt that she made for her summer wardrobe. It's made with an Alexander Henry fabric available here at the Thimble, and of course, a vintage pattern. The western fabric, big, deep pockets and all the tiny details make it one of my personal favorites.  Her wardrobe is coming right along! 



And...although I'm a bit behind Mom, I'm still working steadily on my summer pieces as well. So here is my second piece!




I made this one with a Michael Miller cotton and a vintage pattern from the 70's. The pattern I used was actually my Moms and she made herself a shirt from it, as well as one for my Aunt. I guess we like to keep things in the family, haha. It looks a little wonky on the dress form, but I swear it's her that's crooked, not my sewing!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Katie Jean, Home Ec and a Book

Hello!

So our March Home Ec teacher, and dear friend, Katie Trott was featured in a book! Katie has been featured in Craft Challenge: Dozens of Ways to Repurpose a Pillowcase, but now she's in this book as well.



We are hoping to do a book signing here at the shop, so keep an eye out for that date. Here is the link to Katie's website so you can look at her other goodies.

Don't forget about this month's Home Ec Scrappy Series! The first class has all ready passed but there is still time to sign up for the next three. Because we are so excited about these classes, and we're feeling particularly generous, we're offering a special price to our customers who get our emails. So, check your emails! And if you're not all ready getting them, go here to sign up for the emails.


And here are March's Home Ec projects again...


Scrappy Coasters: Wednesday March 10th




Scrappy Eye Pillows: Wednesday March 17th





And finally, the adorable Scrappy Quilt: Wednesday March 24th 





Tuesday, March 2, 2010

It's our 100th Blog Post!!

Hi everyone. We are proud to announce that this is our 100th blog post! Thanks to everyone who reads them and makes comments. We feel loved.


Numero Tres


The third dress of mom's new wardrobe! It's made with a deep red/orange dotted swiss. The eyelet border made it perfect for a dress. She even found a way to make the adorable bolero to match. Again, it was made using a vintage pattern and it fits her so cute!



As I told you all last week, mom got me inspired to start working on my summer wardrobe as well. So, this weekend I oiled my machine and sewed away! Here is the inspiration for my first piece. 

And here is my version! 






I completely altered a New Look dress pattern to get what I wanted and I LOVE it! Thank goodness for mom's private collection of zippers, though. I didn't realize it was going to be so hard to find a separating metal zipper. Anyway, this is hopefully one of  my many summer pieces to come.