Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween!
























No tricks for you this Halloween: just treats!

Treat number one: we got our shipment of the new gift issue of Stitch magazine in the shop today.
























All work STOPPED as we each grabbed a copy and browsed through the pages.

Just in time to inspire me before the Holiday Craft Swap!



Treat number two
: You asked, we listened! There is now a search engine feature on our website... should make finding things a LOT easier.

For all those who harassed me: thank you!

(I respond well to being harassed.... eventually).


XO,

Rhea

Saturday, October 29, 2011

This week's ad























Tee hee...

(It's zombie chic!)

She's Helena Bonham-Carter meets Bride-of-Frankenstein meets the upcoming Holiday Food Drive.

Every year it's a bit tough to do the ad this particular week: I want to do something Halloween-y but I also need to push the Late-Riser's Sale, and I want people to remember to bring food for our Holiday Food Drive...

That's a lot of info to cram into a space the size of a business card, plus some cute little drawing, but as GOD is my witness I make it happen!

In other news, please DO bring a non-perishable food or toiletry item to our upcoming Late-Riser's sale and we've got a free little goodie for you as our way of saying thanks.

Even if you don't bring something in on Saturday we'll be collecting food until December 21st.

Donate early and donate often, I always say.

And if you haven't already done so, go check out Amanda's blog today: there's a giveaway for one of our "Sense and Sensibility" fat quarter sets and a promotional code for 10% off any online (or in-store) purchases.

Go say hi to Amanda, tell her I sent you, and best of luck!

XO,

Rhea

PS. I promised Jacquline I wouldn't blog about this yet, but I just can't help it: Lotta Jansdotter's new fabric collection "Echo" has arrived and is up in the shop! Can you find it in your heart to forgive me, Jacquline?

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Newest Echinos have arrived and then some!

Today was one of those days when I was just on the computer for too. damn. long. and yet here I am, plugging away at the computer again because I wanted to let you all know that some truly awesome stuff has arrived at the shop lately.

You can see it all in our new fabrics section, but here are a couple of highlights:

The entire Echino Fall 2011 collection is up online.
























A bunch of new Nani Iros came in as well. I've said it before and I'll say it again and again and again these are so beautiful they break my heart.


















When we first invested in these Japanese fabrics, my Mom was doubtful. She loved them and thought they were gorgeous but was a little dubious about the price.

I'm so glad they have sold well for us: not just because I love them and believe in them and want to carry them in my shop and make things with them myself, but also because I love to be right.

And in other news...

Don't forget the Late Riser's Sale, the Holiday Food Drive and the Holiday Craft Swap are right around the corner.

I have a crafting date (specifically geared towards the Craft Swap) with my sister on Saturday night. She is coming over to our house to spend the night and I am so excited it's completely ridiculous.

Everybody should be lucky enough to have a little sister they can completely corrupt (in a good way... I mean "corrupt" in a good way...)

Just a quickie: I'll see you all again real soon, I hope!

XO,

Rhea

Monday, October 24, 2011

They had some big shoes to fill...
























Amy Butler's newest fabric collection arrived on Thursday and is finally, finally, up in the shop.

I liked Amy's last collection, Soul Blossoms, a lot but I think that Lark is my favorite collection yet. I love that it's a little schizophrenic.
























And I love this shirt. I assume the pattern will be forthcoming, Amy?



And speaking of shirts, I bought the Tova shirt pattern from Wikstenmade.

(Don't judge. I feel better about spending the money on that pattern than I do about most purchases I make...)

When it came in the mail it was like Christmas morning and I hugged it to me and read it like a book for the rest of the evening, sewing in my mind.

I think I will actually make a muslin for this one before I make it from nicer fabric and get everything just so.

I'ma go all Goldilocks on that shirt: this one is gonna be juuuust right!


And speaking of just right...

The new "Footloose" movie is really good.

I am a big fan of the original. I can pretty much spout the entire thing, word for word.

So I went to this newest version expecting to be disappointed, but I was pleasantly surprised.

My cheeks literally hurt from smiling so much.

But that new girl who plays Rusty, she's pretty cute, but she ain't no Carrie Bradshaw!

Aaaannnddd...

Fabric sighting!

Ariel's bag was made from this older Anna Maria Horner fabric.

I looked for a better picture, but this was the best I could come up with:













(See it? See the strap right there? AMH all the way, baby!)

I give the movie two thumbs up!

I will see you again soon, enjoy your week!

XO,

Rhea

PS... One year ago I was doing this! So far, so good!

Friday, October 14, 2011

Sense and Sensibility Fat Quarter Sets

Sigh....
























My favorite fat quarter bundle yet...


I know I say that every time but this time I really mean it...

























The Sense and Sensibility fat quarter bundle
...

Officially named after the book by Jane Austen...

Un-officially inspired by the movie by Ang Lee and Emma Thompson...

Which stars Kate Winslet whom someone may or may NOT have told me once that I looked like...

Soon to be given away on Soulemama...

A very few available here in the shop...

Would make a great Lucky Stars with some simple white muslin in the background...

Just sayin'...

XO,

Rhea

PS

The figurine in the photo was my grandmother Priscilla's and it wasn't until after I pulled this FQ set together and cleaned some of my things out of my Mom's old house that I realized she was a perfect match.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Spaz McGee

October in Maine is the bestest. I may be the teensy, tiniest little bit biased, but it's hard to drag me away during this month, so you'll have to excuse me if the blogging mojo has been a bit sparse lately.

I shall return, and I shall return with a vengeance!

The good news is, I have been getting lots of stuff done at the store.

Also have been getting a lot done away from the store: camping with Ollie, cleaning the bejesus out of my house, organizing my sewing room, drinking buckets of tea with my Grandma, getting ready for that woodstove, decorating a giant pumpkin yet again, taking lots of walks during this Indian summer and even getting a lil' sewing done.

Time management will probably never be my thang, or at the very least there will always be room for me to improve that aspect of my life, but sometimes I get it right. Or I give myself permission to let go of the whole "being organized" thing. Not sure which.

Tomorrow when I am fresh I'm starting my first quilt in a long time: I'll be sure to share it with you.

My intentions with this new quilt are good: I'd love to make a sample for the shop and then hopefully sell a few books and some fabric and teach a class after Christmas. It's been a while since I sewed-up something for the shop myself or taught a quilting class myself, so we shall see. Gotta make sure I still got it. And you know what they say about good intentions!

In the meantime, I can show you the fabric I am using:
























(This is a dyed-in-the-wool, honest-to-goodness fat quarter bundle. Straight from the manufacturer, one fat quarter of each design from the "October Skies" collection by Verna Mosquera for Free Spirit Fabrics. If you read this blog regularly you know that I don't usually use a collection straight up, but every once in a while there is a collection that really snags me. This one hit the spot. I'm really inspired to use it and can't wait to cut into these lovelies tomorrow morning.)

And the book I am using:
















(The Practical Guide to Patchwork by Elizabeth Hartman, AKA OhFransson. Now that the book has been out for a while and the hype has died down a bit I'm pleased to report back to you that this book is fabulous. There are minimal corrections to the book {a feat in and of itself!} and the tips Ms. Hartman shares are absolute pearls. I'm a strict non-believer in pressing seams open, but she's got me rethinking my policy. I'll report my findings back to you. But, keeping in mind that I have been quilting for well over a decade and sometimes like to think I have seen it all, this book is an excellent resource. Well done, Ms. Hartman.)

Can you guess which pattern from the book I am using? I'll keep you in suspense for a bit.

In the meantime, I am sure you are wondering where the Slow Sewing Retreat pictures are, and I will share them with you, I promise! It's just that uploading pictures to blogger takes so. durn. long. I cannot bear the thought of uploading all those images when I know I could be wasting time some other way, but I will upload them one of these days when you least expect it, so watch out!

Also in the meantime, I want to thank you if you are one of the people who came into the shop and/or otherwise encouraged me to keep writing this blog, reminding me that you are reading. I sometimes forget these things! I probably won't ever be able to update this blog as much as I would like to, but please know that in between posts, I am having a helluva time.

And also, also in the meantime, don't forget to check the events page: our customers have some sales coming up to look forward to! If you are local, please spread the word about the food drive... There are people out there who fall through the cracks in the system, so this cause is always going to be very important to me.

Whoa. I apologize for a spazzy post, but man that felt good!

I'll be back again soon(ish)!

XO,

Rhea