July 9th, 2010

Last night we held our FIRST EVER sock monkey class at the Urban Craft Center! Each participant brought with them a pair of socks that were transformed into these kitschy little creatures. The studio space was full of creative energy and conversation as we worked into the evening. Everyone in the class went home with a new friend and the know-how to create their own sock monkey in the future! Be sure to join in on our next sock monkey making madness on August 25th from 5-9 pm!

June 18th, 2010

Here at the UCC we’ve got a myriad of books on all things crafty, and this week we plundered through our library in search of the perfect tent pattern for our upcoming summer window display. Boy did we find it! I’ve leafed through One Yard Wonders a few times before but never committed to a project, until Rhea came across Milo’s Feline-Friendly Tepee. Crystal clear diagrams and step by step instruction urged us along from start to finish. This was a quick afternoon project and it took, you guessed it, ONE YARD!!! I know I’m makin’ a few for my feline friends at home and there’s even been some buzz in the studio of modifying the pattern for lifesize tepee fun. Not to mention how stunning this lil guy is going to look in our window!! Have a thoroughly resplendent weekend!

March 14th, 2010

Christine Haynes taught another sold-out Intro to Sewing class yesterday – our last session before we say goodbye to winter and hello to springtime prints! The next Intro to Sewing class will be Friday March 26th from 3-6pm. Give us a call or drop by to sign up!

March 13th, 2010

Yesterday at the UCC we gave our ironing boards a little makeover with some of our new Alexander Henry fabric. It turned out to be a super easy and fun project and a great way to make a kinda boring object a little more interesting. All you need to do is take the existing ironing board cover and pin it to your fabric, then cut around it with 1.5″ clearance. Then you fold over the edge twice about 1/2″ and iron, then sew right along the folded over edge to make a casing. The final step is to thread a cotton string through the casing and, voila! A brand new ironing board. A full size ironing board took 1 3/4″ of fabric and made 2 covers. We just got a ton of new fabric in, so come and check it out!

March 1st, 2010

Between the drop-in sewing nights and the enthusiasm of everyone involved, we managed to finish three amazing baby quilts for the raffle last Saturday night.

Thank you so much to everyone who participated – this never would have happened without the help of our members and customers contributing their fabric and time. One woman even mailed in her quilt blocks when she couldn’t make it in person! It was so great to see the community come together over the group project, and we managed to raise $485 to donate to the Partners in Health organization to help with the Haiti Relief effort. A special thank you goes out to Linde and Shannon, who were a huge part of getting the quilts finished on time.

February 15th, 2010

I recently joined the online sewing community called BurdaStyle. The site is free and provides ideas and inspiration for the budding seamstress, designer or clothing admirer. Members can upload/download copyright free, printable patterns that are modern and most importantly, possible to create! Choose from novice to expert based on your experience level, then post photos of your creations for everyone to see. On my first visit to the projects page, I even spotted an old friend from grade school who posted photos of this adorable yoked button down shirt she just made!

The tutorials section contains a wide range of advice; from tying the perfect bow, to drafting a simple skirt pattern, to sewing your first t-shirt. It’s empowering to exchange information and creations with people who share a similar passion and now there is a great online space to do it. I noticed there are over 200 Burda Style Sewing Clubs that exist for people to make clothes, meet up and motivate one another with a different pattern project each month….any interest in meeting here at The U.C.C, say, during our Sewing Club night?

images from Burdastyle

February 12th, 2010

A big THANK YOU to everyone who came out last night to make quilt blocks for our Quilt for a Cause! The UCC is in the process of making some community-sewn baby quilts to be raffled off during our next Knit and a Movie night, Feb. 27. All proceeds from the raffle tickets will go to Haiti relief charities. Raffle tickets are currently on sale in the store, $5 each or 5 for $20. You can purchase them in person or over the phone.

If you couldn’t make it last night, don’t worry…we’re having another drop-in sewing night next Wednesday, Feb. 17th from 6-8 during our Sewing Club night. So if you can, stop by and make a quilt block for a great cause.

February 10th, 2010

I love this pattern because it’s simple enough for a beginner seamstress and a unique and modern design you can make over and over again! Here are some photos from last night’s class, taught by Shannon Richards who also designed the pattern.
Her next class is Garment Alterations, a 2 part class starting Monday March 15th from 6-9pm.