Inside, Out

Wow! It's 4 above zero and w-i-n-d-y here in Burlington. I'm uploading MP3s of mixtapes past as Classic Hits and I prepare to record the next one. Here are some pictures from inside and outside the studio.

A Better Fit!

Learn how to alter those thrift shop scores to fit you just the way you want...

Intermediate Alterations class

with Flying Hen Studio designer Rebecca Mack

2 to 4 pm

Wednesday, December 30th

at The Bobbin, 299 N. Winooski Ave, Burlington, VT

call 802-862-7417 to register

$40

Down with white supremacist capitalist patriarchy! Up with Slow Clothes!

New Caps at The Bobbin!

Just in time for the holidays. We're on a family road trip from Vermont through the Bronx, DC metro area, on our way to Nashville. We'll light Chanukkah candles in four states this year! I was happy to finish my hardware adaptions to the new display case and deliver it with some fresh goodies to The Bobbin before our departure. Want to see? Visit The Bobbin's Facebook photo wall:

Fall Skirts Workshop

Let's sew cozy skirts for fall! I'm leading a workshop at The Bobbin on Wednesday, October 21, from 2 to 4 pm. We'll start with a basic A-line pattern, tailor it to fit you, and add volume and flair to your taste. You take home a custom pattern, and your new skirt! $60 includes all materials for one skirt and a warm, afternoon lesson in the lovely Bobbin. The Bobbin is located at 299 North Winooski Avenue in Burlington. Call 802-862-7417 to register.

After All Designs... aprons

Here are the latest aprons from After All Designs, made up in lovely, 100% cotton fabrics. Wearable, washable, livable, lovable aprons from my mama's stitching studio right here in Burlington, Vermont!

Bike Cap Delivery!

I finished the first installation of the Fall 2009 cap series a few hours ago. Next door neighbor, Jen, helped model and deliver them to the Bobbin. Sold one on the way, but most arrived soundly!

Here is today's collection at the Bobbin. See it in person at the shop, corner of N. Winooski and Archibald St.s, Burlington. The caps pictured are in a range of sizes and are priced from $20 to $45.

See how the Bike Cap pattern is made to hug deep down to the nape of the neck? That's what keeps it from flying off your head when you speed down the hill!

Here's Jen giving us a Bike Cap action shot on my "used-to-be-a-10-speed". This is my beloved old bike I've had for 20(!) years. For our 20th anniversary I had the Old Spokes Home rebuild her into a single speed. See the festive birthday handlebar streamers?

The Boys' First Embroidery Lesson

There's nothing like watching young (tiny) boys handle a needle and thread for the first time to make a mama feel that all is right in the world, for a moment.

my favorite garden

My gardening triumph of the season came from one of those "ah-ha!" moments in the back yard. For my birthday (in early May), my mother gave me a collection of hand-painted terracotta pots and took me to Red Wagon Plants to fill them. But with curious twin toddlers, anxious to explore our backyard, where could I put them and ensure their safety? 

On top of the bike shed! Tall enough to keep tiny fingers away, close enough for me to water and harvest easily! This position had an invaluable bonus: visible from the kitchen window in our upstairs apartment, I look out on it daily. I see it every morning and think, "Really need to water those petunias," or, "Maybe I'll use some of the tarragon in this potato salad," et cetera.

Unlike the rest of the backyard, or most of Vermont this growing season, the environment on top of the bike shed was dry and hot. Next year maybe I'll put the petunias somewhere else and try some Sungold tomatoes.

Potato Printing at the Bobbin

Thanks to Gyllian, Rachel, and to Aubrey, we had a lovely class in Basic Printing on Tuesday. Using stamps cut from potatoes, Aubrey made beautiful leaves, flowers and grass on muslin and cotton jersey. 

I finished a two-color tree pattern on muslin.

If you're interested in taking a printing, sewing, or crafting class at the Bobbin in Burlington, find them here: http://thebobbin.com. It's lots of fun!

the crushable sun hat!

This mock up satisfies all my sun hat pattern requirements: shady, cute, doesn't hit the back of the neck, and crushes up to fit in your pocket! The fabric is block-printed cotton muslin with a broadcloth lining, modeled here by long-time friend of the Flying Hen Studio, Megan O'Brien.


Looks like I'll need to make a couple up for sale. I wonder how fast I can ride my bike without it flying off my head...

Bicyclalicious!

Here's Decatur Street, outside the Flying Hen Studio, last Saturday!


And that's our new tandem! Thanks, Old Spokes Home!

Photos by Heather Driscoll.

Pride!

Here's a little something in celebration of Pride, even if it's from California, not Vermont. 

New Ramble Caps!

A new batch of caps from Flying Hen Studio is available now at The Bobbin, in celebration of The Ramble! Come on down; they're open until 5 pm. (Then you can wear your new cap on the Ramble Bike Ride, which starts in front of the Flying Hen Studio on Decatur St at 5!)

burlington craft busking

Anarchist Craft Circle brings you a rag knitting demonstration!

We used t-shirts cut into strips.

Watch Burlington streets and parks this summer and fall for more demonstrations!

A Better Fit!

I'm teaching a class in altering garments, tomorrow at the Bobbin. That's Tuesday, June 9 from 2 to 4 pm. 

We'll be going over the basic formula of fitting garments and methods of alteration. Bring something to alter and we'll get started! $40 fee includes instruction, materials, workspace and tool rental!

The Bobbin is located at 299 N. Winooski Avenue (corner of Archibald) in Burlington. Call 862-7417 to pre-register.

New caps!

Just dropped off a new batch of caps at the Bobbin, including some larger sizes, as requested. There's something for everyone now, even Dad!

listen, baby!

Bessie Smith, Yann Theirsen, Dame Darcy, Susumu Yokota...

Working on a mixtape, finally! Want a copy?

pretty birdies

Check out this free pattern from Knitty; a flock of stripey springness! Knitters, don't sleep: free patterns, every month! Here's the link:

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring09/PATTflock.php

documenting ephemera

Street art lovers and those with a taste for the handwritten notes of strangers should check out this blog:

http:/brooklynsigns.tumblr.com/

See what else Susan Norton is doing at:

http://nortonanalog.blogspot.com

Make an "A-line" for spring!

Come to the Bobbin and I'll teach you how to make your own pattern for an "A-line" skirt. Then we'll make the skirt, using materials provided by the shop. All on a Thursday afternoon!

$40 includes instruction, materials, use of tools, and workspace. Spend a lovely afternoon building your skills and leave with a new skirt!

Thursday, April 16
2 to 4 pm

The Bobbin is located at 299 N. Winooski Avenue (corner of Archibald) in Burlington. Call 862-7417 to pre-register.

pins and needles

Thanks to everyone who came to the Bobbin to see the spring caps! If you missed that batch, look for the next round this weekend. Thanks also to the wonderful Bobbin for supporting crafters and mamas in so many ways! Here's a photo from a 2008 party at the Bobbin, featuring some of my favorite recycling tools.

Spring caps are at the Bobbin now!

Spring is here! My spring line of caps is now at the Bobbin, 299 N.Winooski at Archibald in Burlington. Check out two new styles: Reversible and Pin-up, in addition to your old favorite Classic and Bike caps. Available in adult and children's sizes, in fresh spring colors!