Fun Times at the CRAFT/Naughty Secretary Club party

Oh good grief! I just realized that this post has been sitting in my drafts since *last* Saturday night. That's the kind of week it's been. Ah well, better late than never, right?

The CRAFT/Jennifer Perkins party was a total blast. There were loads of great folks - all ages, all styles, and all ready to get crafty. Jen's book did smashingly well, we sold some CRAFT subscriptions (and remember, when you get a CRAFT subscription, you can get a free adult day pass to Maker Faire Austin. That's a crazy good deal - those suckers are $25 a pop!) and we ate pink and aqua cupcakes. It doesn't get much better than that. Jen was a total dream boat, and I was so happy to finally meet her in person after emailing with her for months and months. She's as down home sweet and fun as you would expect.

On to the thank yous and other random bits from the party!

(iPhone pic, so it's kinda blurry)

First off, some fantastic volunteers. These gals helped greet folks, hand off raffle tickets, sell subscriptions, and helped guests make the fabric covered button ring projects. I can't thank them enough. They are (l to r) Misty, Jamie, Niku (of Lovely Letterbox fame) and Jennifer (of Textile Fetish - who also donated an adorable apron for the door prizes). Not pictured are also Sarah and Anne Marie.


Next is just a sampling of the cool folks who came to the event. I watched this mother/daughter pair throughout the party, and thought it was so cool to see them there together. I could tell the daughter was just a few years older than my daughter, and she just seemed .... so cool and fun. It made me a little excited for seeing my daughter at that age. She was so cute throughout the party - mingling, talking with Jennifer, making stuff - and when I'd do door prize drawings, she'd sit there, clutching her ticket, dying to win something. Toward the end, I could tell she was about to leave, and when I happened to draw her mom's ticket as a winner, I invited her over to the table to pick something out as well. I couldn't let her go home empty handed.

As I talked with her, I learned that she and her mom are actually from McKinney and live not to far from Jennifer's mom and dad. Avery, who is the ripe age of 11, is a self-proclaimed "devoted fan" of Jennifer Perkins, and they travelled to Austin primarily for this event. She even made the adorable Barbie shoe earrings that her mom is wearing! And she was adorned in all kinds of cool handmade jewlery of her own! (as well as little black Chucks - a girl after my own heart. I'd kill for my daughter to want to wear black Chucks!)

As you can tell, I was quite smitten with them. Avery's mom, D'Wanna, is also crafty and seeing the mother/daughter duo out on a crafty adventure just set my heart all aflutter. I mean, how adorable are these two?

If you missed the party, don't fret! You can catch Jennifer and her sister at Bazaar Bizarre at Maker Faire Austin in October. Go ahead and hop over to order your CRAFT subscription so you can score a free adult day pass - it's a deal you cannot pass up.

Door Prize Delight

The door prizes have been a big hit today. CRAFT box set and Hambly
Screen Print Rub Ons went FAST! Loads of fun, happy crafty people.

Wish You Were Here ....

Jennifer Perkins and Vickie Howell at the book/ magazine release
party. We're about to do another raffle drawing ... Gotta run!

A Crafty Party you do NOT want to miss

We're just a little more than 24 hours out from the Craft08/Naughty Secretary Release party, and folks - this is gonna be a humdinger of an event. We'll have all kinds of cool goodies from CRAFT to giveaway, great deals on subscriptions, and - of course - we'll be celebrating with one of the coolest crafty gals around, Jennifer Perkins of Naughty Secretary Club. Jenny Ryan from Craft Magazine will have a book review and Crafty Q&A with Jen up on the Craftzine blog later today. Check it out!


You've heard me go on about how cool Jen's new book, The Working Girl's Guide to Handmade Jewelry, is, and part of what makes it so cool is all the neat stuff she uses in it. You'll have the chance to get your hands on some of the very supplies she used in the book, as well as some of her other favorite craft supplies at the party. She's scored loads of amazing door prizes and if you can't make the party, you still have an opportunity to get your hands on these goods, 'cause she's doing a tandem giveaway over on her blog.


I am COVETING these rub-ons. When I saw them in the book, I hit their web site immediately. They are amazing. Hmm ... wondering if I can slip my name in the door prize basket ... ehhhh...

Does the goodness ever stop? Really.

Here's a preview - hop over to Jen's blog for even more pictures and descriptions, and - better yet - make sure to be at the party tomorrow night.


When you get Jen's book, you'll want to try resin casting (I'm itchin' to!) - this door prize will give you everything you need to get started ...
Hooray! Crafty Chica stuff! And did you know you could win a spot on the Crafty Chica Cruise?
More Hooray! Sublime Stitching Stuff! Must.Stitch.Ovaries.STAT.

Book Review: Complete Embellishing

I've seen Complete Embellishing by Kayte Terry reviewed on several blogs, and wanted to give my two cents as well. I've been reading through the book for a little more than a week now (remember my habit of reading craft books cover to cover? yeah. Gets time consuming!) I haven't been able to read *every* page, but I've read a lot, and what I've read - I've liked. A lot.


Physically, the book is fantastic. It's large, hard covered and has a spiral binding (hoorah for spiral binding!). It almost feels like a text book for a very cool textile class. The full color pages are yummy and easy to read. The photographs are beautiful (a few are repeated in the book) and the step by step writing is clear and easy to follow.


The first part of the book covers instructions for various embellishing techniques like appliqué and embroidery - two of my favorite things. I love that the embroidery stitch diagrams are so large! I always wondered why books make stitch diagrams so small. These are big, colorful and easy to understand.


The projects that follow in the book are fresh and stylish. Terry's background as a Visual Manager for Anthropologie comes through in the projects. They have that handmade, but uber cool feel to them. I love it.

Here are a few projects that stood out to me, and that have me itchin' to get embellishin'


The Romance Skirt - I don't know how often I'd wear a full taffeta skirt, but this project kinda makes me want to get one into my wardrobe. Appliquéd with floral fabric, free stitched and dotted with sequins, it's snazzy without being too flashy.


The Pearl Button Purse - Button projects abound in the craft world, and why not? They're fun, versatile and can use up a notion that most crafters have in mass quantity. This purse is one of the more formal button projects I've seen, and is gorgeous. A lot of it has to do with the purse she's adorned, but if you can find something even remotely close, it'd be a fun, easy project to tackle.


The Vintage Appliqué Dress is perhaps my most favorite project I've seen in a long, long time. My jaw literally dropped when I saw it and realized what she'd done. It's brilliant. She's taken bits of vintage embroidered linens and appliquéd them at the waist and neckline of a cool dress. The effect is gorgeous, and makes my embroidery-loving heart skip a beat. I'm dying to try this and maybe even tweak it a little.

Overall, I like the fresh projects, unique style and clear diagrams in Complete Embellishing. Its spiral binding and large color format are nice bonus features. If you're looking for some new ideas for a range of embellishing techniques, definitely pick it up.

More fab sewing classes at The Stitch Lab!

As if the classes from the Future Craft Collective aren't enough to get you super excited, we're also working on the fall schedule at the Stitch Lab. We'll be working on the newsletter with the new schedule announcements on Wednesday (my favorite day of the week is newsletter day - it's loads of fun) There will be new rounds of the ever-popular Beginning I and Beginning II Series, some more hand embroidery classes from me, and maybe even a few new classes thrown into the mix.

To make sure you are first to be in the know, sign up for the Stitch Lab newsletter over on our web site. The newsletters aren't just schedule updates - we post loads of good information from our Notable Notions series, crafty news from around Austin and beyond, and pictures of Stitch Lab student creations from our Flick gallery. It's an email newsletter you'll actually look forward to receiving - even if you aren't local to Austin! So go sign up for it ... like NOW!

More fab sewing classes from the Future Craft Collective gals

I know I spout a lot of love for Kathie and Bernadette of the Future Craft Collective, but it's because they are just so dang awesome. They just sent out their fall schedule, and it is absolutely packed with fantastic classes.

First up, there are some really cool classes for kids. I love that there are options for homeschool kids and for outside-the-home-schooled kids. These are some particularly cool classes.

Next up are classes for mamas. I'm re-posting the description from below up here. It almost makes me a little weepy. What a beautiful way to put together classes!

These workshops are collectively called Crafting Family Goodness with each one focusing on a different aspect of family life. In addition to learning to upcycle and sustainably sew some incredibly handy items to enhance your family life, we'll discuss ways to make your family life just how you want it to be. We'll talk about creating rituals and establishing rhythms that work for your family. We'll share ideas for ways to slow down and pause now and then to give you a chance to take it all in and make decisions about just how you want your family life to be.


Here's the full-on lowdow on their fall schedule, and you can head over to their web site to register yourself or your kiddo(s) in a class. Tell 'em Average Jane sent ya.

Future Craft Collective Sustainable Sewing Classes for kids ages 8-12
Homeschool classes: Monday afternoons from 1-3 p.m.
Afterschool classes: Monday afternoons from 3:30-5:30
Classes start Monday, September 8th
$95.00 per month

September will focus on making a complete, reusable, washable, upcycled lunch kit that will have you toting your lunch in sustainable style you just won't find in the stores.

October is Fashion month during which students will work on different elements of declaring their own style and self-branding to create their own fashion image. We'll work on sewing, embellishing, and fabric printing all the while discussing the benefits of making it yourself and making it your own. The students will also be given the opportunity to participate in a city-wide sustainable fashion show put on by Treasure City Thrift Store.

November and December our thoughts turn to gifts and holiday rituals and how we can make it all our very own. We'll make hand sewn gifts for friends and family and holiday decorations and Advent calendars to count down the days the Solstice or Christmas or even New Year's Eve.

Future Craft Collective Saturday Workshops for Mamas
These workshops are collectively called Crafting Family Goodness with each one focusing on a different aspect of family life. In addition to learning to upcycle and sustainably sew some incredibly handy items to enhance your family life, we'll discuss ways to make your family life just how you want it to be. We'll talk about creating rituals and establishing rhythms that work for your family. We'll share ideas for ways to slow down and pause now and then to give you a chance to take it all in and make decisions about just how you want your family life to be.

Sign up for:
One class: $60.00
Two classes: $100.00
Three classes: $145.00

Saturday, September 13th 2-5:30 p.m. Upcycle your own Lunch Kit
In this class you will make your own upcycled lunch kit to tote your own lunch in sustainable style. You might share it with your kids or you might just decide to keep this one for yourself. This is definitely not available in stores.

Saturday, September 27th 2-5:30 p.m. Happy Birthday to You (and you and you)
This class is all about creating birthday rituals that will become a part of your family year and year and child after child. Choose one of three different projects:
1. Birthday Crown - adjustable to fit every family member
2. Anticipation Banner - for counting down to that special day
3. Birthday Wish Flags - to decorate and honor each member of the family on their special day.

Saturday October 4th and 11th 2-5:30 p.m. The Quiet Book
Two Part Workshop
This idea was brought to us by a mama friend who got the idea from another mama friend who got the idea because her own mama made her one of these so many years ago when she was just a toddler herself. The Quiet Book is an amazing little cloth book for babies and toddlers to play with and peruse during down time or rest time. The book focuses on small motor skills such as buttoning and snapping and on the basics of numbers and letters. When you see it you will cry sweet tears. When you make one for your own child or a special child in your life you will feel like the world is indeed a beautiful place.

Saturday November 8th 2-5:30 p.m. Toys Like Mom Made
Well, not my mom, she was too busy raising nine kids. But stepping back into our society's crafty past, Kathie will unearth a variety of handsewn toys to choose from. Each one sure to play your heart strings and give you the highly esteemed Crafty Mama award. Your child will thank you and praise you for years to come and be smarter for your efforts*.

*not guaranteed

Saturday November 15th 2-5:30 p.m. Advent Calendar
This beauty will surely become a part of the wonderful celebration around your own family's holiday traditions. Whether you countdown to Solstice or Hannukah or Christmas or New Year's Eve, your family will find beautiful anticipation in the tiny pockets of this crafty project.

Make your own Class to Make your own Crafts
Do you have a group that wants to craft together? Gather 5-8 friends and we'll be happy to schedule your own Crafting Family Goodness session at a time that works for you. (and for us of course) Group rates available.