Brand Spankin' New Stitch Lab Web Site

One of my latest creative endeavors isn't of a crafty nature.

Well, it kind of is.

I'm thrilled to announce the launch of the brand new Stitch Lab web site, designed and built by ... me! For the last six months or so, we've gone through countless versions, gathered massive amounts of content, edited hundreds of photos and built a ginormo-awesome web site for my favorite crafty spot on the planet. It was a huge undertaking, but even in its most stressful moments, was a true labor of love and a joy to work on.


It's so exciting to know how much incredible growth the Stitch Lab has had in the last few years. From a few classes a week in Leslie's backyard studio a few years ago, to dozens of classes a week (and more than 90 different classes on the roster) with almost 10 instructors and a bustling retail shop, I'm simply blown away by what Leslie has inspired and created.


The new web site is built to handle the high volume of enrollments, to share resources for students and to convey the spirit and fun of the Stitch Lab. I can't tell you how satisfying it is to see it up and running.

And it's still growing! More resources will be added, and a fully-functioning blog will be integrated so Leslie and Carol can share their favorite crafty tidbits and what's new in the shop. (mmmmm .... fabric .....)

I hope that even if you aren't in Austin, you'll pop by and check it out and let us know what you think. I feel really lucky to be a part of the Stitch Lab gang, and honestly quite honored to be tasked with creating the Stitch Lab online presence. I'm excited to see what growth the next few years have in store for us!

Summer Sewing at the Ranch

The kids and I took a little break last week and headed out to a special little place out in the Hill Country: my parent's ranch. This is a place we love, and after spending a week out there last summer, we decided to give it another go this year.

Along with lots of swimming, wildlife observation and s'mores, we made time for some serious crafting. My friend, Jamie, joined us at the ranch with her son, and we had big plans for knocking out a lot of sewing while the kids played.

I have to admit that the crafting portion of the vacation was pretty darn blissful. We transformed the Party Barn into a massive sewing area, complete with cutting, ironing and sewing stations. It made for dream-like sewing conditions.

We decided to keep our sewing to-do list pretty simple, and stuck to knocking out tons of elastic-waist skirts (and a bag, for Jamie). We pulled out our trusty skirt patterns from our Beginning I Sewing Series classes at the Stitch Lab and went to town. After a couple of days (and one *very* late night) we'd knocked out eight skirts and one bag. All in all, a very productive use of our time.

Doing so much hard-core sewing made me really miss sewing. I do so much embroidery, that it had been a really long time since I'd been behind a sewing machine, and I'd forgotten how much I enjoy it. Not to mention, it was hugely satisfying to crank out essentially an entire summer skirt wardrobe in just a couple of days. I've already worn three of the skirts since we've been back!

So what summer crafting have you been up to?