Lisette

I just received these new patterns and I am so excited about them. Have you seen them? I didn't know these were designed by Liesl Gibson of Sew Lisette, the designer of the adorable children's patterns, Oliver + S. I thought Simplicity finally listened to what people (Peapod's customers at least) wanted. The package covers show better choices of fabric and styling. Hence more inspirational! I haven't tried any of them yet, but they look simple enough for beginner sewers (well, that's why I purchased them). The jacket or shirt dress might be a bit intimidating for the beginners, but I think they are still beginner-friendly after making rather easier tops. So let's start sewing girls. I've already heard feedback that the Portfolio tunic (#2245) is so cute and easy to make. Can't wait to try them myself!




photos courtesy of simplicity

Birdie Sling

Well, I've been making things while I was working on the new space. The new store needed some fresh samples to display. This Birdie Sling bag is the newest one I've made and my second one to make from the same pattern. The first one didn't even make it here before it was sent to Japan last year. For this one, I used heavy weight canvas for both the exterior and lining so I had a choice of fusing them with interfacing or leaving them without it. I still fuse heavy weight cotton depending on the style of the bag. But, for this bag, I thought it would be okay without it if I used heavy weight cotton. And I was feeling lazy too. Cutting and fusing the pieces for a bag this size, it would easily take more than an hour. But, the band and the handle are made of a regular medium cotton and fused. I cut some of the pieces at the shop, and I sewed six and a half hours straight that night to finish. I love the way it turned out. This pattern is very well written and easy to follow. I've been always a square bag girl, but this is really cute. My son even looked away from his computer monitor and looked at the bag, and gave me a compliment. If you have a teenage boy, you know how they are. No attention to anything but video games. So this is really good and he meant it :-)

Traditional Japanese Prints

One new feature at the new location is a little nook with traditional Japanese prints in traditional Japanese colors. Indigo, purple, mustard, pink, and red are commonly used in the old kimonos. They are traditional. They are modern. They are cute. They are beautiful. They are wabi-sabi. Come and see them yourself.

The Winners

So did you guys enjoy the gorgeous day? For those of you who are not local, it was a beautiful day in San Francisco. The temperature hit the 80s. We kept the door open and the dog wanted to stay in the sun all day. But, he had to work as a shop dog by being in a film called "The Peapod Fabrics Grand Opening Prize Winners." Sorry, it's one day late. The prizes didn't arrive all at once, but today we got them all. I know many of you love Japanese sewing books, so I chose some that are available in English. I wanted to film the drawing and my boy (and the dog, well, he had no choice) agreed. We had to do it in two segments because my memory card got full just before the last prize. I quickly deleted some of the photos and continued filming. The film looks incomplete at the end because we ran out of memory again. My film editor-in-chief (my boy) did an excellent job editing it. I tried to upload on Blogger, but it was taking more than two hours and sill not working. So I quit and asked my boy to upload it on his YouTube channel. He loves filming and editing videos of him skateboarding. So watch to see if your name is called and congratulations to the lucky winners! Again thanks all for coming.

Making of the New Peapod Fabrics

Thanks all for coming to our Grand Opening (prize winners will be announced by Wednesday). It was very nice to see you all. I received a lot of warm wishes and compliments for how the shop looks and its contribution to the neighborhood. The newest comment I received was from a stranger who walked by as I was walking out the door this evening. She said to me, "I've been living this neighborhood for the past 35 years, and this is the cutest store ever. You are doing a great thing" It was very sweet to hear. I understand that her comment was not just how the shop looks. It is about what my shop contributes to the community. I know we need Peapod Fabrics :-) No, I meant any small businesses that make the city and communities special. Okay, if I may say something for the sake of all the small business owners, I have to admit that it is not always easy. Costs of running businesses go up every year. Laws and regulations are not always on small businesses side. Demands for paying less get higher as the recession goes down deeper. We try to meet the demands, but the truth is that we have to make a living too. I almost wrote then Mayor Newsom to protect small businesses in a better way. Without unique small businesses, the City of San Francisco won't be the same place. I'm sure you guys agree with me on this. Who doesn't want to see neighborhoods more vibrant and happy? Am I right? So let's support hard working small businesses! We really need your help, otherwise we can't stay. I did it again, didn't I? I didn't mean this post as a pledge for small businesses. But, I meant to show you before and after pictures of the new Peapod. So here enjoy my long journey to Grand Opening. It was hard, but a fun project. Space configuration was the hardest part of this entire project. an overall view... the nasty carpet had to go... so did the plastic drapes... the floors are in...dash seemed lost as he noticed the difference... dash: i prefer the stinky carpet, mama... phew! moving complete... fabric bolts await the new shelving... what was i thinking? the famous "tattoo parlor" black walls... painting the other side of the walls in grey... thinking of what color to paint this wall with... much needed bright color smiles on the door... turquoise started growing from the kitchenettes... the peg boards painted in orange...our notion wall is growing... thinking about what to do with the cutting table... every time i finished a part of the space, i had to place shelving and fabrics to see how they all looked... accent turquoise was the third color choice. couldn't hold my paint brush anymore.. reds and pinks by the windows, but got stuck with the rest of the space around them... more turquoise... this was the disaster zone and last area to work on... feeling desperate for this area with no time or money to hire another handy man... i was almost crying because i didn't ask my floor guy to put the flooring on this bench area as it was covered with an ugly carpet. i was on my own. after giving much thoughts, i decided to cover it with my canvas and piping (my first attempt using piping, a staple gun and a glue gun). i bought this child rocking chair dirt cheap several years ago at an estate sale, but it was sitting in my storage forever. i painted it, wove the chair bottom, and made quilted seat and pillow. a perfect project! i was very proud of myself when i was able to change the light fixtures... welcome to the new peapod fabrics...

Phone Out of Service

Just a quick note...our credit machine is working, but instead the phone is not working. So sorry for the lame system. This will resolve when I receive the right terminal next week.

The following is the new business hours...

Tue - Fri 12pm - 6pm
Sat 11:30am - 5:30pm
Sun 12pm - 4pm
Mon closed

Awning

So the rain had stopped, and the sun came out for Peapod's Grand Opening Day. Thank you, Sun. And thank you everyone who stopped by. It was a great day. It was wonderful to see some familiar faces who came to congratulate me. And it was also wonderful to see some new faces who noticed the new store at the corner of Irving and 15th Avenue. I love this location! It's easier to be noticed. The ginormous awning helps people notice the shop too. Yes, Peapod now has an awning (with its name on it)! A very pretty one! My awning guy, Andy, did an excellent job. He was so helpful. It was a bit challenging to choose the right style because of those historical windows above the awning. But, He knew all the regulations and worked with the obstacles that Peapod's new location had. So I trusted him and voila! It is beautiful! I love it, and so do my customers. Thank you again, Andy!