Hi from Angela

Meridian Idaho, Sunday September 22, 2024

Good morning!

I have been sewing so much the past few weeks! It is absolutely true that sewing increases our happiness, because I'm sure feeling the euphoria.

I've sewn a bunch of zipper pouches, playing around with some pattern ideas I've had in my head for a long while. I'm planning to publish them as sewing patterns at some point, but in the meantime I'm happily being my own pattern tester.

I also made something that has been on my to-do list for literally years: sewing machine covers. It feels so good to make bespoke covers to replace the flimsy vinyl covers that come with the machines. ByAnnie has a fantastic pattern, and I made two of them for both of my Juki machines. I like to have a soothing, peaceful vibe in our sewing studio, so colorblocked pastel solids are just right. I published a blog post where I share mods and sewing tips (especially in Step VII), so I invite you to take a look below.

I'm also cross stitching! Each evening I've been working on a project to unwind my day, and I'm currently making the Ghost Sampler by Lola Crow. It is such a cute design that will be perfect for a little Halloween display. I'll share more about that below, too.

In other news, I discovered a USA-made thread that is a joy to use, and so it's new-in-the-shop for you. We also restocked some cross stitch kits that sold out almost immediately after I shared them. Read on to learn more.

I really hope you are working on sewing something, because you deserve to be happy! Reply if you want to share it with me :)

Colorblocked Sewing Machine Covers

These were a labor of love, but it's worth it. ⁠I'm going to have them forever.

I used one of our fat quarter bundles and ByAnnie's Under Cover pattern. On the sewing pattern cover Annie says "protect your cherished machine" and she's right!

When I sew, I like to keep track of what worked well and what didn't. I did that while making these, and included some tips in a blog post for you, along with a listing of all the supplies I used in case you want to make one, too.

Lola Crow Cross Stitch

Lola Crow is a new-to-us cross stitch designer, and we are dang excited to offer her adorably unusual cross stitch patterns.⁠ Her name is Amie, she lives in Oregon, and we love working with her already.

She just recently started offering print versions of her patterns, and here's the first one we have available: Ghost Sampler. A completely do-able make in time for Halloween.⁠ That's what I'm doing!

There's also a Cryptid Christmas-themed cross stitch pattern that you should go check out, too.