Celebrate Spring with a Pincushion Swap this Sunday!

A couple of no-sew beauties! These pincushions were made by my friend Dawn, from a set of vintage egg-cups.

 

 

 I can't think of anything more fun than a celebratory Spring Pincushion Swap, can you?

So, let's pounce on the moment and have one this Sunday at the shop!

I've set up a Pinterest board with tons of "Pinspiration" to get you going...

There are so many different ways to make a pincushion and the beauty of a pincushion is that they don't take very long to make at all.

The hardest part will be deciding which type of pincushion you'd like to make!

Here are the details:

The Pincushion Swap will be this coming Sunday afternoon, April 28th at 1:00 pm here at Alewives Fabrics.

You don't need to sign up to attend: just show up.

You need to make your pincushion yourself: the more creative the better (here's where you should sneak a peek at our Pincushion Love board on Pinterest to get your creative juices flowing!)

Wrap your pincushion so no one can see it: make it look like a fabulous little present that anyone would want to open.

The Swap will work like a Yankee Swap: we'll all draw numbers and swap and steal from each other until the last pincushion standing is gone.

Swapping and stealing are highly encouraged: that's part of the fun!

No matter what number you get, everyone goes home with a handmade pincushion, so everybody wins.

The Pincushion Swap will also serve as our spring SEAM meeting: you'll get to meet lots of people who enjoy sewing just as much as you do.

(Don't know about SEAM yet?  Check out the official SEAM website here!)

So, I guess that's it...  we hope to see you at the shop this Sunday afternoon.

(And please forgive me if I steal your pincushion from you!)

XO,

Rhea

Rekindling the romance...

(The culprit)

 There is another relationship besides my relationship with this blog that has suffered a bit since Bert came along.

Allow me to elaborate...

I'm someone who's always trying to figure out the whole "time management" thing.

I'm sure most of you can relate, right?

Even before having Bert, I spent most days feeling like I was constantly playing catch-up, constantly trying to keep all the balls up in the air, constantly letting go of one thing or another in order to end the day in a semi-organized state.

Between my duties at the store and my (completely lame) attempts at keeping the house neat and my time spent visiting friends & family and my (also completely lame) attempts at physical fitness (the occasional walk and/ or yoga class), there was always still just enough time left over for a date with...

the sewing machine.

(Did you think I was going to say something else?)

But now that I have a baby...

Oh my, time management has been brought to a whole different level.

To be clear, it is a wonderful state of un-organizedness I now find myself in.

 But...

Lately I can't deny that we're drifting apart.

Over the course of the last few weeks I can tell the sewing machine is getting jealous of the baby, growing resentful of my time away.

 I've come to the conclusion that I've got to crank everything up a notch if I am ever going to have time with my sewing machine again and I do NOT want to neglect that relationship.

So, in an effort to patch things up, I have a date with my sewing machine this Saturday night.

I've lined up a babysitter and picked out a special outfit and everything.

I just hope it's not too late to rekindle some of the romance we used to share.

 

 We're going to have to work hard in order to make time for each other in the coming years, but I think we just might be able to do it.

XO,

Rhea

Still here...

Has it been a super-long time since my last post? Yes.

But I'm still here...

Just up to my eyeballs in renovations (and keeping up with the internet orders) over at the shop.

 

Also not a lot of "hands-free" time these days because someone likes to be held all. the. time. and I have to admit I am only too happy to oblige. 

I will be back to a more regular posting schedule when things settle back into their normal-ish routine.

I can't wait to share with you all the changes to the shop.

XO,

Rhea

Feather Bed Quilt Class this Weekend

I am furiously typing away while Bert snoozes in his little swing.

Seems he will only sleep if someone is holding him, which is fine by me, but makes it very difficult to get anything done in those moments when he is asleep.

But, however hard it might be to tear myself away, the fact is I am coming back to work at the shop again starting this Thursday... sniff, sniff.

I'm happy to be coming back but of course a bit sad to not be spending all day every day with Bert.

But, one of the things I am most excited to come back to work for is teaching! 

I'm teaching a class this Saturday on Anna Maria Horner's Feather Bed Quilt and there is still time to sign up.

If you are local and want to take advantage of the fact that there is NOT a major snowstorm scheduled for this weekend I would love to have you join me.

Over the course of my maternity leave I did begin making my own version of the Feather Bed Quilt for the shop and I can tell you this quilt is MUCH, MUCH easier than it looks... that Anna Maria Horner know a thing or two, let me tell ya!

It's quite fun to work on and goes together fairly quickly.

I'd say a "confident" beginner (someone who knows how to use their sewing machine and has made a project or two before) could take this quilt on with amazing results.

If you'd like to join me we would love to have you in the class: there's a bit more info on our classes page.

Call the shop at 563 5002 to sign up and I will see you all back at the shop this Thursday morning!

XO,

Rhea

Tappy, tappy, tappy

Do you watch Duck Dynasty?

Confession: I totally watch (and love) it!

I like it when Phil says "Happy, happy, happy."

This post is not about Duck Dynasty, but it is about something that makes me happy, happy, happy...

Maple-syruping time!

Ollie has got the market cornered in our neighborhood and he has tapped almost all of our neighbor's trees in exchange for a bottle of precious, precious maple syrup.

We took Bert out this weekend on a snowy day and put the first taps in for this year.

I felt like I was in a Phoebe Wahl illustration: the happy family, tapping the neighborhood trees on your picture perfect Maine winter day.

 

I'll let you know how much syrup we get and you can come over for flapjacks!

XO,

Rhea

New fabrics from Denyse Schmidt: "Shelburn Falls"

I am bummed I won't be going to the very first ever Quilt Con... maybe next year (and I have a very wonderful excuse!).

But in the meantime, a new collection from Quilt Con's keynote speaker and the "Mother of Modern Quilting" herself has arrived at the shop.

30 new prints in all... we have them listed in our online shop as yardage and in bundles.

I love this collection and to quote myself: "It's very usable."

Let the snip, snip, snip begin!

XO,

Rhea

The Handmades: Blue Bert Baby

Of course, being that Bert is a baby boy (and he is such a boy, let me assure you), of course he got lots of cute blue things....

So I thought an "all blue" post was in order.

 We received a sweet, sweet, sweater from Cindy (Miss Fussy Cutter herself) knit from Rowan Denim yarn in one of my favorite stitches.

I can already picture him wearing this sweater on a cool spring night: it suits his personality perfectly.

 

This is technically a gift for me, I suppose, but Bert has benefited from it at many a midnight feeding.

Of course, every breastfeeding mother knows a "boppy" pillow when she sees one: this one is from the Lotta Jansdotter book Simple Sewing for Baby and my friend Susanne made it for me.

I love the neutral palette with just a touch of baby blue, and this boppy is a bit smaller than a traditional boppy which suits me perfectly.

And, it must be noted, the crocheted blanket in the background of both these last two photos was made for Bert by my Godmother, Millie, whom I have always called "God Millie" ever since I was a little baby myself.  

It is the softest, sweetest, palest baby blue you ever saw and I just love it.

Here is Bert snuggled up in his blanket from God Millie, with an owl softie my business associate (Mom) made for him from a re-purposed cable knit sweater.

Last but not least is this gorgeous blue patchwork quilt from our good friend Ginnie.

This little quilt is so timeless I just had to use it as the background in my "month by month" photos of Bert... see the "1 month" on his little tee shirt?

This is part of a set of onesies I bought on Etsy from Culpeper General, each with a month silk-screened onto the front so you can make a collage of your child's first year.

Even though these onesies came in a "Blue for Boy" set, I opted for the "Modern Neutral" colorway.

I think Ginnie's quilt makes the perfect backdrop... what do you think?

Bert's personality is emerging every day.  

He really is a "boy" and he really is a "Bert" if that makes any sense.

 

If he could talk, he would want me to thank Cindy, Susanne, God Millie, Grandma Ba Ba and Ginnie for their wonderful handmade gifts.

 

But since he can't quite talk yet, I will say it for him...

 

Thank You, ladies!!!

XO,

Rhea