Have you ever bought a craft book online based on the cover and when it's arrived in the mail it turned out to be a total dud?  I've done that a lot.  Especially with the Japanese craft books from yesasia and amazon.jp.  There are a lot of sewing/ craft books out there and it is hard to find one that has the perfect amount of fun projects that are easy yet hip and modern.  I wanted to start a monthly book list of craft books that we've bought and are really worth it.

These are all recent purchases and I can't express how happy I was to peruse each book again and again and again AND again.  A sign of a good book!


Our first set is:

The Liberty Book of Sewing - if your are a fan of Liberty of London, this is a must have in your library.

Colette Sewing Handbook - I love vintage sewing with a modern twist

Lotta Jansdotter Handmade Living - Another Lotta book for the Lotta-fanatic.  This one is hard to put down.

Meet me at Mike's -   I am a BIG BIG fan of Pip Lincolne.  I love all of her books.

Sew La Tea Do -  The second book in the Pip Lincolne series

Make Hey While the Sun Shines - the latest Pip Lincolne book.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and we will see you next year!  Sew Long!

When most people think of Thanksgiving, we think of turkeys and pilgrims and indians.  I like to think about the handiwork that was enjoyed in those early colonies.  What kind of crafts did they do?  Did they sew and knit?  Those simpler times are long ago and yet those hobbies and crafts endured and were passed on from generation to generation.  Before cameras, artists were painting portraits and silhouettes to capture memories on paper.  Women were quilting memories onto sewn blocks.  These works of art are now treasured pieces in the folk art world.  I love the portraits of Ruth Bascom.  And what about the Native Americans who took only what they needed from the land and produced utilitarian works of art?  I would love to find a vintage Navajo woven rug for my inspiration wall.   Folk art is something that everyone can appreciate because not everyone can be mentored by a famous artist or afford to go to a prestigious art college.   The creative spirit exists in anyone who is willing to make it.  Quilting is a great way to find that spark of creativity.  I was inspired by the quilts from Gee's Bend and Denyse Schmidt for this month's mini quilt project. I was also inspired by an article in this quarter's Uppercase magazine about triangles.  Here is my inspiration wall.  Images from Living Etc, Uppercase magazine, Meet Me at Mike's Blog and Anthology Blog.

The British have always had the knack for hats.  Last summer's Royal Wedding was a fantastic showcase for the best (and worst) hats of 2011.  Hat making has been an important craft throughout the ages as hats serve a functional purpose of protecting the head from environmental factors.  Millinery of course ties in the aesthetic nature to hat making and has been an important part of fashion for centuries.  And along with the haberdashery, hat making is brought to the most luxurious echelon of fashion.   Remember Isabella Blow and her Phillip Treacy hats?  Or the 1920s flapper or the 1950s socialite?

You can now learn how to create your own cocktail hat at our studio with Jill Courtmanche, our own San Diego milliner.  Jill moved here from the East Coast and is now bringing the art of hat making to the West Coast (lucky us!!!).   Join her on Saturday, Nov. 12 (2 pm - 5 pm).  Sewing experience not required.  She will help you create a beautifully crafted cocktail hat for $85, all materials included along with a hat box!  Limited to 8 students.  Sign up online here or call 619-279-6379 to reserve a spot.  To learn more about Jill, visit her website www.jillcourtemanche.com.

What is the big deal about Missoni when all these other collections are out????

Orla Kiely
Mina Perhonen
Prada
Marimekko


But then I wish I had scooped up this Summer tunic dress when it went on sale here:

Was anyone obsessed with Grease 1 and Grease 2 back in the day?  Well, that would be me... I wanted to be Frenchie in Grease 1 and then was obsessed with Lorna Luft's character in Grease 2.  Lorna Luft is Judy Garland's less famous daughter and the half sister of Liza.   Grease 2 was kind of the D-List sleeper of the 80s.  Michelle Pfeiffer of course became super popular but then there was Maxwell Caulfield and Adrian Zmed.   I think I can watch this movie over and over again for nostalgia... "Turn back the hands of Time..."  Anyways, the kids going back to school has reminded me of this movie.  Enjoy!  Or not...

After our Indian Summer Camp, I became obsessed with Native American Folk Art.  We recently took a trip to Lake Mono and Lake Tahoe and stumbled upon a Paiute exhibit at the Lake Mono Park Center.  I even spotted some totem poles at Incline Village at Lake Tahoe!

Can you believe we are approaching our third year this coming July 9?  It is crazy that we started home ec. in my family room in North Park.  And through thick and thin we have been in our current location (through various room changes) for about 19 months!  We love our location and feel like we belong to a great family of independent small businesses (South Park Business Group).   From the walkabouts to all the neighborhood events, South Park is an ideal location for us.  That being said, we are approaching the end of our lease and our rent is going up.  Please understand why we have had to change the fees for our Sunday classes to $60/person (two layered skirt and apron with zipper pocket).  These classes are 4 hours long and sometimes they can go over (an hour or so depending on the speed of the student).  We are still offering the Thursday night classes for $45 (tote and zipper pouch).   Please check our calendar for scheduled classes.


Thanks for all your support!  We hope to bring you quality instruction this new year!

We are really excited about introducing patterned fabric for our Fashion Fridays classes.  Chevron is the pattern this month.   I like it mixed with dots for a "mariner" look.  You can't go wrong with dots and stripes!

We've set our dates for 2011 Summer camps.  Certain weeks are starting to fill up fast.  Call for and reserve for sibling discount otherwise check out online.

I just put up some new Fashion Fridays classes.  We'll be sewing up garments for the summer months but we are also exploring the use of fabric patterns, particularly the Chevron pattern and the plaid pattern.