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EcoSew Workshops
08 December 2010
All Bobbin products in our 
11 August 2010
EcoKids: Fashion Camp!
This past July found the shop in a frenzy of sewing & design during our annual EcoKids: Fashion Camp! Intended for beginning seamsters who have basic knowledge of sewing and have completed our Intro2Sew or Beginner Sew Camp. We had such a super fun week of sustainable sewing, upcycling and basic fashion design/sketching. During their week at Fashion Camp, the girls made tote bags, upcycled t-shirts, learned basic block-printing on fabrics, and spent two days sketching, pattern-drafting and stitching up their very own Wrap-A-Round skirts.
This Video- taken during the last day of camp- is Mama's favorite Media piece from the whole week. Their quiet concentration and complete focus on their sewing is remarkable.
We enjoyed this camp sew much that we have decided to add more EcoKids camps to our calendar throughout the school year. Look for a camp focused on eco-friendly gift giving this fall and will be offering Fashion Camp again during springtime school breaks. Also be sure to let your crafty teens & tweens know about our EcoSew workshops encouraging multi-generational crafting. Take a class with your kid/grandparent/sibling/cousin and share the love!
08 July 2010
The Bobbin's July Newsletter 2010
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07 July 2010
Cut + Sew Poor Boy Dolls
In a sweet score of seventies vintage joy, The Bobbin Mama's came into ownership of a large stack of cut+sew+stuff Sad Boy dolls. Our love for this childhood image has influenced our designs for the Summer 2010 line. Parts + pieces of Sad Boys show up on patches and in appliques. If your lucky like us and live on the shores of Lake Champlain, you can take a class this July in our cozy Craft Lounge to cut, embellish, and sew up your very own Sad Boy doll.
As a girl in the seventies, I would often tag along with my Nana on trips to the fabric store, a magical place full of fabrics, notions and endless possibilities. My favorite spot at the local fabric shop was the ever changing selection of "poor boy dolls" or cut, sew, and stuff dolls. I stitched up my very own "poor girl doll" with blue gingham skin, black mary-janes and yellow braids. I would pick through the patterns dreaming of stuffed elephants, teddy bears and musical instruments.
It was such a nostalgia trip to open up a box of glorious fabric donations (Thanks sew much Aunt Carmen!) and stumble across sheet after sheet of classic seventies pink + white gingham, rosy red cheeks, sweet black + white sneakers and that quizzical Sad Boy "smile". Living a modern existence of endless plastic dolls and action figures strewn across every floor, it was a fond childhood memory to recall my siblings and I playing with handmade hand-sewn toys.
The Bobbin Mamas have since cut and sewn and stuffed and stitched up many a Sad Boy doll for our shop. The first three, of course, went straight to the giddy hands of our children and are currently well loved couch buddies and floor pals. Other dolls have been lovingly hand-sewn for sale at our Etsy and Artfire shops, while some dolls still lie un-cut waiting for the next student to learn the skills, patience and joy that comes with the creation of their own "poor boy doll".
11 May 2010
CRAFT w/THE BAND-Prizzy Prizzy Please!
Psst! Guess what! it's that time again...time 2 CRAFT w/the Band! The Mamas are thrilled to announce Band-Crafting super fun in the month of May. Join us in welcoming Prizzy Prizzy Please on Wednesday, May 19th 2-5pm
Don't miss your
chance to enjoy an afternoon
with Bloomington,
Indiana's own "avant-punk/funk-fusion"
band
Prizzy Prizzy Please!
Mix & mingle
juggle balls to take
home.
This is an all ages show.
Tickets ONLY $10.00
(Limited number
available-only 20-closed VIP event)
ONLY THE 20
TICKET HOLDERS WILL BE ADMITTED!!!!
Get yours at:
The Bobbin Sew
Bar + Craft Lounge
299 North Winooski
Ave @ Archibald St.
Old North End - Burlington - Vermont
802-862-7417
06 April 2010
The Bobbin Sew Bar + Craft Lounge April Newsletter 2010
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13 January 2010
Stitching, recycling at The Bobbin Sew Bar and Craft Lounge in Burlington
Rachel Hooper of Burlington holds a crochet hyperbolic pseudosphere at The Bobbin Sew Bar and Craft Lounge in Burlington on Tuesday, January 5, 2010.
Three years ago The Bobbin Sew Bar and Craft Lounge was born in Burlington. Co-owners Rachel Hooper and Gyllian Rae Svensson, both of Burlington, host weekly classes in mending, knitting, block printing and have coined the term "eco-sew" with their Friday afternoon classes designed to educate the community on reusing materials.
"About 67 million tons of fabric hit the landfills every year," Hooper said. "We live in this disposable culture where we don’t value quality materials and we don’t value the labor that goes into making our clothing."
This surplus of materials is what brought them to create The Bobbin. All sustainable sewing and crafting classes include materials. "A lot of our materials are recycled," Svensson said. "Basically, we are here to give people a place to build a skill and recycle. It’s empowering for everyone involved."
Many people come in intimidated by the sewing machines, but Hooper and Svensson said they are always on hand to show people that sewing can be fun and accessible. After taking a sewing class, machines can be rented by the hour.
"For some, it’s hard to pull the sewing machine out and make space," Hooper said. "Here we have all the space and material you need to sew and create." They offer birthday parties for children and parties for adults, too. The space and the guidance of Hooper and Svensson can be booked for an evening, or people can stop by to do some mending. Svensson said The Bobbin is a green business.
"We’re
bringing sock darning back," Svensson said with a chuckle. "As
Americans we are going to need to reach a place where we get back to
basics."
Hooper said, "We embrace the Depression-era ethics of mending. Remember ‘a stitch in time saves nine?’"
Along with alterations and custom design work, The Bobbin also has clothing for sale made by local designers. The arts and crafts that line the walls and myriad vintage materials are also for sale.
Last week the two women held a class in crochet, creating models of the shape of the universe; coral-like structures called "hyperbolic pseudospheres" by some scientists.
While holding a red and blue piece of crochet work, Hooper explained that it was a hyperbolic pseudosphere.
"It’s next-wave geometry. It’s about negative curvature," she said. "See how it folds in on itself and crenulates. That’s because of the properties of hyperbolic space. Scientists are using models like this to figure out how big the universe is."
12 January 2010
The Bobbin Sew Bar + Craft Lounge January Newsletter 2010
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28 October 2009
Creep on the Cheap | Seven Days
Creep on the Cheap | Seven Days.
Getting By: Surviving the Recession
By Lauren Ober [10.28.09]
The Recession
It’s that time of year again, kids a time when men dress like women and women dress like sluts. On Halloween, we’re encouraged, nay required, to step outside ourselves and be something or someone different.
But the occasion can present a challenge to the pocketbook. Dressing up as a sexy nurse, a superhero or a blood-dripping ghoul ain’t cheap. A wig might set you back $30 or $40. That may not seem like a lot, but when you add the cost of your outfit, you can be looking at a hefty investment for just one night of costumed glory.
Getting all dolled up doesn’t mean you have to sell a kidney to afford it. To help you do Halloween on the cheap, we sought the aid of one of the DIY queens of Burlington Gyllian Svensson, co-owner of the Bobbin Sew Bar & Craft Lounge. Svensson is an advocate of patching together a costume based on what you have in your closet. You may not look exactly like Patrick Swayze, Barack Obama or whoever you’re dressing as, but odds are it’ll be more amusing that way.
Here are a few inexpensive costume ideas. You can thank us by sharing your Halloween candy.
The Recession
Abstract ideas can be the easiest to throw together without a lot of money. Svensson says for this costume, she sees "a suited-up dude, like Wall Street meets homeless man, begging for change with a coffee cup, holding up some sign with a cheeky slogan about bonuses." For this, all you need is a dress shirt and tie, a suit, a paper coffee cup and some cardboard. Since most people can get their hands on a suit pretty easily, Svensson says this costume is a breeze.
Svensson liked this idea the most since she is a dedicated Tweep. "The most obvious thing is to get a cardboard box and turn it into a big thought cloud that says something cheesy, like ‘I like hot dogs’ or something," Svensson says. If you’re feeling really crafty, she recommends covering the cardboard cloud in contact paper and getting a dry-erase pen so you can constantly update your Tweets. For a final touch, Svensson suggests affixing a Twitter-esque bird to the hat, assuming you have a stuffed bird lying around the house.
Swine Flu
This is another one of those conceptual costumes that can be whacked together in a pinch, assuming your slutty librarian costume doesn’t work out. Svensson suggests making pig ears out of pink scrap fabric and a headband, and wearing your pajamas. Go the extra step by creating a curly pink pig tail from some fabric, yarn or ribbon. Carry around a box of tissues and a thermometer, and you’re so H1N1. Find some similarly costumed friends and become an epidemic. Warning: About half the population will be wearing this costume, if they’re not actually in bed with hog flu.
Octomom
Despite Svensson’s disdain for Nadya Suleman, the fertility-drug-loving nut who earlier this year gave birth to octuplets, she admits this costume is almost too easy. "Get yourself eight baby dolls and a Cher wig and you’re done," she says. "If you have your own little girl, finding eight baby dolls should be no problem." You could get clever and attach the dolls to you in some provocative way, or just stuff a bolster under your shirt and go as knocked-up-again Octomom.
Lady Gaga
Emulating the reigning queen of ridiculous raiment is simpler than you might think. Lady Gaga’s style is over the top, and "she doesn’t just have one look," Svensson points out, so, basically, anything goes. Feather boas, sequined skirts, go-go boots and pleather are essentials that most people could find in their closets or those of their friends. A platinum wig would be nice, but in lieu of that, just throw a piece of sheer fabric over your head, carry some sort of prop an umbrella, a birdcage, some fake flowers and you’re good to go. Oh, and don’t wear any pants. The best part of this costume is that it’s skanky by its very nature. No extra sluttiness required.
If none of these strike your fancy, you can always do Kanye West, Farrah Fawcett or Kate Gosselin on a limited budget. Or just go as a hobo. The good thing about this look is, if you’re already poor, it’s not a stretch.
21 November 2008
Promoting sustainability at The Bobbin
The Echo- St. Michael's College Local sew bar and craft lounge uses recycled materials to create |
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Funky music plays and conversations flow behind sewing machines at The Bobbin Sew Bar and Craft Lounge. Upon entering the store, there is an explosion of colors from the array of recycled sweaters, hats and animals. Cushions are propped on the floor against the vibrant yellow and green-colored walls, with hand-made pillows and stuffed animals for extra crafting comfort. In
2007, Gyllian Svensson and Rachel Hooper established The Bobbin, a
sustainable sew and craft store, located on the corner of Archibald
Street and North Winooski Avenue in the Old North End of Burlington. Creating a Craft Bar "We
knew we wanted to create a mother-friendly atmosphere because we were
both mothers at the time," Svensson says. "Originally we thought of
creating a natural parenting and pregnancy store, but two other similar
businesses were started in the area."
"When
you buy designer clothing," Svensson says, "You have to stop and think,
does that really make you feel hot or not? It was probably made by a
Third World child." In addition to clothes, The Bobbin produces an assortment of other products. Their newest products, "love bunnies," are stuffed bunnies, handmade from cashmere sweaters. They also make a variety of other products such as hats, scarves, mittens, zipper pouches and aprons, she says. In hopes of spreading the knowledge about sustainability, The Bobbin will be taking pledges on Dec. 7. Such pledges include buying the handmade, local work of community members. Spreading color throughout the community The
Bobbin has donated products and classes to different organizations.
They have also hosted a number of benefits for groups such as Women
Helping Battered Women, the Chittenden County Breast Feeding Coalition
and Local Motion.
"We want to encourage our community to share resources," Hooper says, "which is why we have the sew bar." A hat-making class is held once a month by Rebecca Mack, a local designer, Hooper says. The Bobbin sells Mack’s hats, but rather than charging her a consignment fee, they have her teach her skills to others, she says. "We’re in an incredible waste stream of America right now," Mack says. "There is so much that gets thrown away that is completely valuable. Using brand new materials is easy and nice, but it’s a luxury that is going the way of the SUV." Joe Golden, a customer at The Bobbin, agrees with Mack. "The workshop is fun because you’re taking something that was going to go into the dump and making something creative out of it," he says. People are crazy to go out and buy all sorts of expensive designer clothes when there is so much that can be recycled, Golden says. The
most rewarding time for The Bobbin was the week before Halloween when
panicked, people were coming in with their costumes and "craft
emergencies," Svensson says. Successful mommas on a mission
Since opening the business, Svensson has been able to have her son with her all the time, instead of having a babysitter or daycare, which has been a real blessing, she says. "We wanted to create a business where we could take our children," Hooper says, "be a multi-generational place. We have 2 year-olds and 82 year-olds who come in." "In our own consumptive way," Hooper says, "we’re asking people not to consume, or to consume less." Svensson
tries her best to impress her mission unto others, including her 9
year-old daughter who has learned to alter and create her own clothing,
she says. |
