It’s totally not too late to get your very own Sewing Buddy! Round 2 of matching is going on NOW. Skip on over to the original post and leave a comment to join in the fun!  I’ll close out Round 2 Sunday, August 1 and send out matches next Monday.

When I originally put out the Sewing Goals 2010 survey, I guess I knew that folks felt inspired by seeing what others accomplish in their sewing–that seems natural.  I don’t think I was at all surprised to see how many of the responses indicated that having someone to keep us accountable would help most of us stay on track and meet our goals.  So putting together the Sewing Buddy Project made sense: like a pen pal, but with sewing!

Reading the emails and comments and responses, though, has been so much funner than I expected, for reals.  I am SO enjoying seeing how excited y’all are and watching as Buddies get started with this new project–I’m hearing about how much you guys have in common, and how invigorated you feel, and how many of you don’t know ANYONE near you who sews, so this is a whole new thing for you.  I had no idea that so many of us were sewing in isolation!  Sewing Buddies to the rescue!

Now that Round 1 has all been matched up, it’s time to get to know one another.  I think some basic background info is necessary, like where you grew up and how you like your eggs cooked.  Y’know, the essentials.  And then some sewing background: how long, how often, what type, what techniques you use to disguise your stash so your kids/spouse/folks/neighbors won’t think it’s taking over the house.  Right now, we’re not even really setting goals, not yet.  Step One is really about doing a lap and finding some handholds in common.

I’ve developed a PDF guide for Sewing Buddies to use with one another as a jumping off point.  Do I think you ought to rely on this as the sole way to introduce yourselves?  Heck, no!  In fact, I’ve already seen some of you jump in with both feet and send emails with some or all of this info (which I think is really awesome) and others who have given totally different details and asked one another questions (also awesome).  I think that I benefit from some structure, though, and I want to make sure that if you, too, like a framework, that you have one right at hand.

I should mention: I’m working on some Sewing Buddy quizzes for down the road, and I can’t promise I won’t ask you questions about one another.  There will almost certainly be prizes.  Just putting that out there.

So off you go, my stitching darlings!  Meet your new best sewing friend, and I’ll see you soon with ideas of where to go next!

I am SO excited that the book is nearly out, and working feverishly on putting together a blog tour and local appearances and a window display of the projects from the book.  I hope y’all love it as much as I loved writing it–I know every dorky author says that, but this book was such a labor of love for me, and I can’t wait to see it in the hands of new stitchers and watch them blossom into amazing, confident folks with needles in their hands.

Hooray for sewing buddies!  This project is growing rapidly, and I have to say, I am delighted to see it!  The first round of Sewing Buddies have been matched with one another, and Round 2 are receiving their confirmation emails as we speak.  There’s still time to sign up and join us for 2010!  Leave a comment and let me know you want to participate, and refer to the original post for more details.

Coming this week:  suggestions to help you Buddies get to know one another, project ideas for pairs, and a QUIZ!  Hooray!

It’s because he loves us so much.  Inside that giant wrapped package?  ALL our Christmas and holiday prints, just for you!  Cottons, flannels, corduroy, patterns, embroidery, kids’ items, trim.  All wrapped up and ready to be relished and loved.

I’m feeling like a handmade Christmas this year.  If you are, too, the bad news is we’d better get started.  The good news is Santa brought us all the best stuff to sew with!

Now, he left very specific instructions.  The tag says, “Do Not Open Until July 25th.”  So, we haven’t.  But on July 25th?  It’s ON, baby.  At 2 pm this coming Sunday, come down to the shop to join us for cocoa and cider, holiday tunes a la Kenny & Dolly, and the Grand Unwrapping of this fabulous gift!  All purchases of Christmas fabric between 2 pm and 5 pm are 10% off, so what better time to get your holiday craft started?

Not an Atlanta local, you say?  Trapped at home with a summer cold and can’t make it to the shop?  Away at the beach but already have Christmas on your mind?  NO worries!  All these fabulous fabrics will be listed in the online shop at 2 pm, as soon as our gift has been unwrapped.  Discount for you, too, between 2 and 5: just use code SANTA10 at checkout!

STILL need a nudge?  Keep your eyes on our classes page for our Christmas Camp: a FULL WEEKEND of Christmas sewing in October, just in time to really hunker down and get the job done.  Sign up for our newsletter to get the info first, and happy stitching!

Very few collections have sold so quickly or with so much excitement.  So when Lizzy invited me to create a project for Castle Peeps Summer Camp, I felt like I’d been invited to sit at the cool kids’ lunch table.

Introducing the Castle Peeps Travel Play Set! Soft toys made from Castle Peeps fabrics, complete with a travel pouch to take them along wherever you go.  Includes a keep (reversible, should you change sides halfway through the action), a village (to defend or maraud, depending on your mood), and plenty of peeps of varying persuasions (all in triptych, so you get three for the price of one).  Everything is machine washable, soft (so it’s great no matter how old your kids are, and it grows with them), and folds flat (thanks to the velcro closures).  This project is a breeze to make, and my children couldn’t wait–truly, literally COULD NOT WAIT to play with it.  Since it’s Fairy Tale Week at their preschool, it was a chore to convince them Mommy needed to have the toy today.  Good thing I’m bigger (for now).

I think my favorite part about this project, other than how easy it is to make and how quickly it sews up, is how adaptable it is.  Does your kid need phalanx after phalanx of peeps, but won’t really use the castle?  That’s fine–just make dozens of little men and leave the rest alone.  Do you have three kids and need three castles, so they can war against one another?  The elements of the project each take a fat quarter or less, so it’s a snap to make multiples!  Make it all in one colorway for a matched set, or make a little out of each colorway to mix it up–your choice.  Download the PDF instructions to make one–or many!–of these beauties for your own house!

Happy stitching, everyone!

Additional download: Tower/Village Roof Pattern Piece

Sewing Buddy Program ™

I’m super excited to announce the winners of the Overmost giveaway, but first, I want to say how cool it is to see each of your responses come in looking for a Sewing Buddy!  I love the idea that you can be at any skill level, any confidence level, do any type of sewing, be in any country, be any age and the simple act of having someone who’s checking in and inspiring you and cheering you on will help you get where you want to go in your sewing faster and happier and more excited.  I’m sending out emails today to all those who have already left a comment and signed up, and will match the first batch (!) by end of the week.  Keep those comments coming on the original post–we’re nowhere close to sold out of Sewing Buddies, and I want everyone who wants one to get one!

Overmost Giveaway

Thanks to all of you who came by and left a comment in the Overmost giveaway!  Anyone who blogs will tell you that comments really make our day, and this was no different.  I loved hearing from all of you just like I always do, especially because this time I get to give you something I think is pretty fabulous.

Our four winners have already been notified by email.  Each of them gets their pick of the four sets of Overmosts to be shipped to them for a summer of yippee!  Super thanks again, y’all, and happy stitching!

Winners (selected by Random.org):

#31  Jennifer W.
July 20th, 2010 at 11:56 am — Edit I love these…. so so so cute!

#7  Suzanne
July 16th, 2010 at 8:21 pm — Edit I love the pattern and the fabric used. I also enjoy going to the shop and the demonstrations you have had there since opening.

#2 ~Michelle~
July 16th, 2010 at 4:52 pm — Edit So cute! I know a pair of girls that would love the Etsuko pair (well, sis #1 would love it right now, sis #2 later down the road)!!

#30  Ellie
July 20th, 2010 at 12:39 am — Edit Wow, these are fantastic! I love the design, I love the fabrics! I would be happy to win any one of them, as my baby will grow into these sizes. I think my favorites are the 3T because I just love that shade of green, but I really am oohing and ahing over all of them. Thanks for sharing them with us!

Alright, everyone.  As we await the outcome of the Overmost Giveaway, let’s review our Sewing Goals for 2010.

You’ll recall in our last episode that a massive proportion of us reported that we’d sew better/make more/be more satisfied/learn faster/be happier if we had a sewing friend with whom to compare projects, trade ideas and inspiration, and who would keep us on track over the course of the year to see that we get where we’re going.  Since I firmly believe we should all follow the Golden Rule, I’ve designed a Sewing Buddy system that allows us to team up with a partner who will do that for you while you reciprocate, so that we all get the support and community we crave.  Our Sewing Buddies will be there to help see us through these last few months of 2010 with all our goals met!  Ready to sign up?

Here’s how it works:

• Leave a comment.  Include a working email address that you check.
• You’ll receive an email from me asking you to (1) confirm your participation and (2) name a favorite color and a number between 1 and 10.
• I’ll use the responses to the emails I receive to match you up with a Sewing Buddy perfectly suited to your temperament, using a unique formula devised by NASA scientists and perfected in the deep reaches of outer space.*
• I’ll send an email to the both of you giving introductions in proper Victorian style (a lady never spends time with someone to whom she has not been properly introduced), and then like a mother whose chicks are leaving the nest, I’ll step back and watch as the friendship flourishes.
• You and your buddy will make the initial contact and see where it leads you!  I’ll check in from time-to-time with Sewing Buddy challenges, quizzes and activities to keep you motivated–doesn’t that sound like fun??

Some of you might be thinking, “But I don’t know if I have room for a greater commitment.  And what if I get stuck with a looney??”  Fear not.  This is not a long-term commitment or relationship.  These are our 2010 Sewing Buddies–a chance to meet someone new and build a relationship.  At the end of this calendar year, if you’re not feeling it, that’s cool!  You’ll shake virtual hands and walk away before New Year’s, and find a new Sewing Buddy.  If you’re bestest friends and this is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to you, then when you get a new Sewing Buddy in 2011, you keep your old one and your circle of sewing love just gets bigger!  What could be better than that?

The Sewing Buddy Program ™ is open to EVERYONE, regardless of age or location or skill level.  Think of it like a pen pal, but you’re both sewing and sharing via the internet.  Oh, I’m so excited I can hardly type right now!

Over the coming months, I’ll pop in periodically with ideas for how to introduce yourselves, projects you might want to do together, interviews with some of our buddies who have really gone the distance, and features of all the sewing that’s getting done thanks to the added encouragement that only another sewing friend can provide.  I’m really, really excited to see everything y’all are going to produce, and can’t wait to get started with you!

OK, so:  review the bullet points above.  Leave a comment.  And get ready: you’re about to triple your productivity* and gain a new friend all with the click of your mouse!

Sewing Buddy powers, activate!!

*All scientific and statistical references are totally made up, but that doesn’t mean they’re not true.

Thanks to all of you who’ve given such great responses to the release of the Overmost!  Ever since its debut on MADE, I’ve heard nothing but complimentary words, and I’m so grateful for that.  It’s such an easy, sweet shape and a quick sew, and I really love it on girls and boys.

And because I love it so much, I’m giving you a chance to win one!

Up for grabs are FOUR finished versions of the Overmost, in four different sizes.  These are all made specifically for this giveaway, and are constructed using some fabrics I’ve been hoarding in my stash.  I think every pair turned out super cute, and had to slap my own hand to keep from saving them ALL for our kids!

Size 12m, in a Michael Miller airplane print called Fly By Day–bright blue background, aircraft all over, and a red plaid reverse.

Size 2T in an out-of-print Michael Miller Waves design, very chic and vaguely Asian, with a cotton stripe as the reverse.

Size 3T in a linen/Tencel washable blend in a softer-than-soft spring green.  Amazing drape, and lined with a wonderful leaf print cotton.

Size 4T in a fabulous Japanese cotton/linen blend from Etsuko Furuya.  Bright fuchsia, with a small-scale plaid reverse.

To win, leave a comment.  That’s all!  Giveaway is open through NEXT WEDNESDAY, July 21 at 12 noon.  Winners will be announced here on the blog, and your fabulous new Overmosts will fly to you on gentle wings!

Thanks again, everyone, for all the kind words and your endless support of independent design and the handmade.  You’re awesome.

Whipstitch is cheerfully going to the dogs this weekend.  I’m seriously looking forward to it.  Wanna bring your dog down to our place for some fun??

It all starts this Friday, July 16, with a Yappy Hour for the two of you: join us at the shop from 5-7 pm for treats (for canine and hominid alike), drinks, music and meet-n-greets.  Leashes are required, but you and your dog will have the run of the shop!

On Saturday, July 17, it’s dog heaven all day long. Come by at 11 am for a boxed, piped dog bed demonstration & learn all the tricks to making your companion the prettiest place to sleep.  Then, from 1 to 2:30, learn to make a gorgeous martingale collar–with leash to match!  Register online to reserve your seat–space is limited, and they’re going really fast! Follow that up from 3-5 pm with a Doggie Ice Cream Social and free Pawdicures–a sweet treat and a nail trimming just for pup!

On Sunday, July 18, take part in our Dog Treat Swap Social at 3 pm.  Bring some of your favorite homemade dog treats, and trade them–along with the recipe–for new yummies your pet will love!  RSVP for this event so you’ll know how many treats to expect to take home, and tell puppy to save room for dessert!

All weekend long, you and your pup are welcome in the shop.  We’ll have water bowls on hand for heat relief, and like-minded dog-loving souls to help you find the pooch-themed fabric you’ve been craving.  See you then!

Yesterday, I mentioned how great I think Design-It-Yourself Clothes by Cal Patch is.  Her text is readable, her tone is friendly, her directions are clear and concise, and the images in the book are wonderfully inspiring.  Nine weeks after adding Baby #4 to our family, I am finding that many of my summer clothes still don’t fit quite the way I’d like, so rather than running around to the shop and to meetings with my muffin top all over the place, I felt it prudent to bust out Cal’s patternmaking guide and whip up some new, simple, quick and easy pieces for my post-baby wardrobe.  Recent childbirth is no excuse for letting oneself go.

So this was today’s project.  Total time invested, including drafting the pattern to my new measurements: 2-ish hours.  Two side seams, an invisible zip, some darts and a quick hem and I’m ready to rock and roll.  Fabulous Japanese cotton lightweight canvas has just the right drape to give a more formal shape to the flirty fabric.  And I’m feeling wonderfully accomplished, and more comfortable in my new skin.