Sew & Tell - Harryette's Blouse

This post has been so overdue, but Harryette's beautiful blouse is the perfect opening for the November sewing and crafty month (I heard that September was the sewing month, but I think November should really be the one...or any month :-) Too bad that she wasn't wearing this when she came to the shop the other day. Can you tell the sleeves are a little different? It's not the regular puffed sleeves with an elastic through casing. They are balloon sleeves. I really wished that she was wearing it so I could see how the sleeves would look like on her arms. I don't know where she got this pattern, but it is an interesting one for sure. And don't you love this print? So pretty! Thank you, Harryette!

Thank You and Happy Halloween

Thank you girls for coming to Wine & Needles last Friday. It was smaller than originally planned due to the last minute cancelations, but at the end there were six of us sitting together eating, drinking (okay it was just Lena and I drinking), chatting, and stitching little pears. Very relaxing. We'll do it again, but I realized that it will be during Thanksgiving week in November. So we'll probably have to pass next month. Sorry, no photos were taken because I forgot to bring the camera with a memory card in it :-( Anyways, I hope you are having a nice Halloween night.

you might have seen this collage before as i posted it in 2009. those are photos from the inner sunset neighborhood on one halloween night when my boy was still going trick or treating.

Wine & Needles

Just a friendly reminder that we meet tomorrow night for Wine & Needles. It will start at 6pm after the shop is closed for business. Please bring a hand needle, thread, scissors, and materials for what you are working on. You can work on your unfinished project if you do not feel like making fabric pumpkins or pears. I might work on something else. Please bring a yummy dish to share with others too. The shop is equipped with a microwave if you need to use it. I am providing a few bottles of red wine, cheese and crackers, as well as plates, cups, and utensils. I would bake cupcakes to bring, but I am out of eggs tonight :-( Hope to see you tomorrow.

Happy belated Mole Day

So yesterday was no ordinary Sunday. It was Mole Day! Did you know there was such a day? I didn't. Apparently it is a big day among chemists around the United States. So my son's chemisty teacher assigned the class to make a mole. As the teacher provided only a pattern with no instructions, the students had to be as creative as possible. My son had no idea what to do, but luckily his mom was crafty. I examined the pattern and gave him some instructions...and here it is. Super Mole had been born (yeah, it had to be named too). He chose the colors and did all the stitching. Super Mole was just a regular mole with a turquoise and orange body, but he decided to upgrade it with a Super Man cape. I think he did a superb job. It was due today and he told me that there were many great looking moles in the class. I saw a few pictures on Facebook where his classmates posted their moles. And indeed they were pretty creative. My favorite was a mole dressed in a Super Mario outfit and it was named Molio. Get it? My son jokingly suggested that we should make a mole in Wine & Needles :-)
ta da...

what is this, mama? my new toy?

dash observing it in a circle...

silence before the battle...

dash vs. super mole...

super mole was saved and joined the gang before the dog was about to shred it...

Sew & Tell - Laurel's Flower Garden Quilt

I don't exactly remember when laurel started this quilt because she was making many other things at the time. It all started when she found out that her sister was having a baby girl. She was sooooo excited about the news. Yep, she is a brand new aunt to baby Isla who is happily lying down on her aunt's hand stitched quilt. The pattern is called Grandma's Flower Garden which was very popular in the 1930's. Laurel used, oh, boy, the English paper piecing method so her hexagon pieces are perfectly shaped. Laurel chose grey for the background to make the flowers pop. I think grey has turned the 1930's to 2011, "modern" meets "traditional." It looks fantastic! Thanks, Laurel!

isla in her onsie skirt...thank you, aunt laurel!

the back side of the quilt...

The Lounge Corner

This corner will be a part of our lounge area during Wine & Needles. Are you ladies okay with sitting on the floor? There will be some chairs and the bench area, but since I don't know how many people would show up, I don't think everyone will be sitting on a chair. We will figure it out as the day gets closer. And to answer some questions you may have, you don't have to bring your sewing machine as I am planning to set up a few of mine for you to use. The materials you will need depend on what you want to make. If you want to make a fabric pear or pumpkin, you need fabric (this could be print cotton, your old sweater, or felt) and some stuffing. Well, Peapod carries all these if you don't have them at home. The tools you need to bring include a hand needle, thread, and scissors. Or just bring your own sewing box. As the invitation says, you don't have to work on the assigned project. Bring whatever you've been working on. Something you hand stitch will be a good project. I also want to clarify the invitation a bit. I've been asked in the past if I will offer mother-and-daughter sewing classes. You know, I have offered mother-and-daughter sewing classes in the past. Well, since I no longer offer any classes, I thought this would be a good occasion for a mother and daughter pair to sew together. So what I meant was for you to bring your kid(s) if they want to learn to sew with us. So please no toddlers. There will be everyone's tools everywhere, and this won't be a relaxing evening for everyone if any kids get hurt. And oh yes, I finished my second Gum Drop Pillow.

More to Sew

One new project added to my to-do list...have you seen this orange elephant? It's awfully cute. I just can't stand it :-)