Craft Swap!

Here are some pictures from the Craft Swap for you to enjoy...


















The loot:I don't know what that big jug of water is all about, though...
























This doll was made by Linda and it was swapped A LOT... but I think in the end she went home with Meredith.


















This bracelet was made by Nadine and was also stolen a lot... I believe it went home with Julie (?)



















My business associate (Mom), made this floorcloth and it was stolen a lot, too! I can't remember who this finally went home with...























Sandy opened up this "Pockets-2-Go" by Dawn, which came with a pincushion and some of our gorgeous pins. Sandy told everyone that it was her birthday next week and she really liked her "Pockets-2-Go" so nobody should steal it from her...

That was a nice try, Sandy... a valiant effort at keeping your present.

Too bad she didn't count on me (who has no heart at all... mwa ha ha ha!!!) coming up next because I totally stole these from her, but they didn't stay with me long because Nadine stole them from me!
























Anne made this cute kitty purse... I cannot remember who this went home with, though.




















Jennifer made this gorgeous wall-hanging, which I believe is a McKenna Ryan pattern. This went home with Barbara M.

(By the way, I ended up with Barbara M.'s gift, which was a string of birds almost identical to the ones she gave me as a wedding gift, so now I have a matching set!)
























And here is a picture of Pam wearing Barbara C.'s gift: a gorgeous hand-knitted hat and matching cowl. Good thing I didn't see these earlier, or I totally would have stolen them and had harsh words for anyone who tried to take them from me.

And speaking of me...
























I made this bag (The Winslow Market Tote), which is a pattern in International Quilt Festival Scene magazine... The mag was sent to me as a freebie (I know, I know, I am a brat!), but I plan on getting some copies in to the store to sell. I really liked this pattern a lot and I think it is perfect for all those Japanese cotton/linen blends... especially the new Echinos. I made a matching drawstring bag (really simple and easy) and a matching make-up bag (I used the pattern from my trusty copy of "Weekend Sewing" by Heather Ross) to throw in for good measure.

At the end of the evening I was very pleased because Ginny B., who pulled the number 1 (the BEST number to get at the Craft Swap) and who could have anything at all that she wanted from the room chose my bag to take home with her.

She took it away from Anne, and I will admit that I felt a little badly for Anne because I knew she liked the bag a lot, but I think she is recovering nicely. And I think we all made out like bandits.

Thanks so much to EVERYONE who came to the Craft Swap and if you would like to join us the next time, we are planning a Craft Swap for late February and I will keep you posted.

Thanks and I will see you all again soon!

XO,

Rhea

Sale is Over... thanks a bunch!

So far this is my favorite print from the Soul Blossoms line.


The Internet Sale is now officially over... whew!

We have had a great time filling all your orders and there are still some that need to be filled today so I know what I'll be doing.

Thanks a bunch for partaking and making this such a success: I think it is safe to say we will make this an annual event for our internet customers over the weekend before Thanksgiving.

And the timing couldn't be better because I have it on good authority that Amy Butler's newest line, Soul Blossoms, will be arriving in early December. We have ordered the entire collection: all of the quilting weights, all of the home-dec weights and all of the laminates, so we needed the room! Stay tuned to this here blog and to the twitter page to get the news when Soul Blossoms arrives.

Thanks again and I will be back soon with a new post!

XO,

Rhea

Thanksgiving sale for our internet customers ends tomorrow

Hello one and all...

Just a quick note to let you know that our 20% off sale (for internet customers only!) will end tomorrow night at the stroke of Midnight.

The clock is ticking!

XO,

Rhea

Thanksgiving Sale has begun!!!

Photo by Jonathan Nackstrand/ AFP-Getty Images


The Thanksgiving Sale for our internet customers is in full swing and the orders have been pouring in, so thanks!

In case you missed it, all internet orders are 20% off now through Sunday.

You don't need a code or a coupon or anything like that: just place your order as you normally would and we will manually adjust the price to reflect the discount once the order has gone through.

Jessica and I worked our tushes off today and got *most* everything done so if you placed your order today there is a good chance that your goodies are on their way.

Now that I am home I am putting my feet up and re-heating some leftovers and treating myself to some Prosecco.

Speaking of such things as Prosecco, did you hear about the 160 year old bottles of champagne found in a shipwreck off the coast of Finland?

They opened some of them up today and sampled them and found that they were still drinkable!

I like my job and all, but I wonder how one would go about becoming a professional taster of champagne, as I think I am a very good candidate and have done most all of the leg-work.

In other news, I am going to see the Harry Potter movie this weekend.

Anyone else going?

And oh yes, we ordered more fabric today...

You should SEE the stuff coming down the pike: it is gorgeous.

That's all for now: see some of you at the Craft Swap tomorrow night (mine is all done!).

XO,

Rhea

Thanksgiving Sale is just HOURS away!!!

A note to all our internet customers: don't forget that starting tomorrow (November 18th), through Sunday (November 21st), all online orders will be 20% off!!! Hooray!!!

To get the discount, you won't need a coupon or a code or anything like that: just place your order as you normally would and we will adjust the price manually after your order comes through.

We've never done a weekend-long sale before, so please be patient with us as we adjust the inventory on our site and fill orders as fast as we can. Orders are filled on a first come, first-served basis and we will do our best to make sure everyone gets what they want.

And a note to all our local customers: the Craft Swap is this Friday night at 6:00 sharp. Is your goodie ready? (Mine is not, but I'm almost there!)

Remember to wrap your project up so it's nice and pretty and we'll all want to steal it and remember not to tell anyone what you've made. If you haven't signed up for the Craft Swap yet, there's still time: just call us at the shop (207 563 5002). You must sign up in advance to participate, though!

In other news, we are experiencing some cuh-razy weather out there now and I am feeling so bad for my husband because he is working in this mess.

Also, I made a roast chicken last night that was to-die for! It was really easy and tasty and fun and made the house smell really good and I'm feeling my second-ever recipe post coming on!

Alright, that'll do it for now...

I'll catch you on the flip flop!

XO,

Rhea

Liesl workshop a success!

This past weekend was phenomenal...




























































































(Perhaps my favorite photo of the day... " Contortionist Liesl" gets up close and personal with Judy's machine)
















































(Dash's almost finished pair of Nature Walk Pants)

























(Above: Trish's version of the Hopscotch Dress with faux sleeve inserts)


























We all learned and laughed and finished our projects and hung out with a sewing celebrity: what more could you ask for in a workshop?

I am already scheming and scamming to get Liesl back here again (perhaps this spring?).

Thanks so much to Liesl for flying out here (hope they didn't make you do one of those body-scan things... sheesh!) and thanks so much to everyone who took the class and came to the evening's Q+A... we had a great time!

XO,

Rhea

Updated to add: There is a really great write-up of the day and even more pictures here on Tina's blog, SquirrelAcorns. Thanks, Tina!!!

New velveteens in the shop and I rave about the Sandlewood Jacket!

We got our Anna Maria Horner "Innocent Crush" velveteens in yesterday and I am completely smitten....



















They are so soft and so pretty and a breath of fresh air: I bet they will be super-popular!

We've been cutting fat quarters of these new velveteens and making bundles: whew, what a workout... this stuff is substantial.

Jessica and I were talking about what you could do with the new velveteens and we came up with all kinds of ideas: pillows (of course), bags (natch), skirts (especially at this time of year), quilts (these would make amazing quilts!), but what I really want to make from the velveteen is a jacket.

I have been teaching a class on how to make the Sandlewood Jacket by Amy Butler and it is quickly becoming one of my all time favorite patterns.

















It's so easy... as in, no buttonholes, no zippers and just ONE lonely little page of instructions.

There are only 4 pattern pieces to cut out: that is, IF you omit the "hanging loop" and the "tie," like I did, so it cuts out very quickly.

If you use home-dec weight (or perhaps a certain velveteen?) for the outside and quilting weight for the lining, then you don't need to use ANY interfacing (always a nice quality in a pattern, I think).

And it's really 2 jackets in one: the design is completely and utterly reversible, so you're getting a lot of bang for your sewing buck.

I did a bit of searching for other versions of this project on the interweb, but it seems like so far this pattern has been waaaay under the radar, which is strange, because I can't recommend the Sandlewood pattern enough.

The jacket is really flattering (trust me I don't say that lightly!) and totally stylish: I will be wearing mine all fall, winter and spring long.

I did find a great pattern review here, by the way.

When my Sandlewood Jacket is all done (which will be very soon), I will take photos and show you.

These new velveteens that just arrived are BEGGING to be made into a Sandlewood Jacket (Yes, that's where I was going with all of this).

Now that the wedding is over and I am getting used to this new rhythm at the shop I have carved out a little more time to sew (remember when I used to SEW on this blog?) and I think a Sandlewood Jacket in a lovely velveteen is completely possible.

And when people ask me if my jacket is "homemade," this is what I'll tell them!

See you again soon...

XO,

Rhea