|
|
|||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
TypePad Profile
Get updates on my activity.
Follow me on my Profile.
Categories
- Bobbin Products (22)
- Buy Local (58)
- Classes (28)
- Community (53)
- Craft Lounge (15)
- EcoSew Workshops (11)
- Green Alterations (6)
- Handmade (45)
- Mamas (17)
- Music "Craft w/The Band" (7)
- Recycling + Refabrication (27)
- Sew Bar (11)
- Sewing Lessons (15)
- Social Media (13)
- Sustainable Sewing (51)
- UpCycling (33)
Craft Lounge
16 November 2010
Designs. 
All Bobbin products in our 
15 November 2010
The Bobbin gets a Make Over!
The Bobbin is entering into its fourth year of business on the corner of Archibald and North Winooski, in the Old North End of Burlington. As a bit of a birthday present, the store was closed for a few days of "beauty treatments". The windows were cleared of clutter. Cobalt blue curtains were stitched up from donated polar fleece, generously given to The Bobbin from our local mountain lovin' gurus, Burton. The Sew Bar was restructured for maximum work space and decoupaged with vintage pattern pieces.
The Craft Lounge was re-painted and fresh "new" bench cushions were stitched and stuffed from locally sustainable textiles. Black denim rementants that were landfill bound, combined with teal & white polka-dot fabric
The racks were re-arranged for maximum browsing and additional space was created to showcase local designers and their one-of-a-kind Slow Fashion Designs. Caps from Flying Hen Studio, Sock Monkeys from Wee Silly Beastie, Unique puffed sleeved little girl dresses hand sewn by Pius Sinzohagera, Upcycled knit skirts from Nicole's Threads and of course, ARt Jackets, UpDresses, gauntlets, mittens, critter skirts, love bunnies and sew much more...all designed and created in our very own Sew Bar!
Be inspired by our variety of vintage fabrics + notions! The Bobbin has a unique selection of sustainable green fabrics, needles, zippers, buttons, snaps, rick-rack, bias tape, sewing kits, etc... for sale.
The shop is open 11am-5pm Tuesday-Saturday
Call ahead with your specific fabric desires and we can organize a personal fabric trunk show. 802-862-7417
13 August 2010
CRAFT w/THE BAND-The Smittens!
Living in Burlington, Vermont is a feast-for-the-ears if you are a music lover. From week-long Jazz Festivals, to free concerts in Battery Park, not to mention small clubs and coffeehouses (The Monkey House, Radio Bean) or just a stroll down Church Street, live music is everywhere! As a family of musicians and music lovers, we like to do our part- with the creation of CRAFT w/the Band!
CRAFT w/the BAND
is one of the Mamas all-time favorite events. An all ages show- with a
rare opportunity to talk and make art with the band between sets.
The Bobbin Mamas were so super blessed to have our local (super)heros The Smittens! spend a Saturday afternoon making friendship pins and music in The Old North End.
"The Smittens are a hard-working globe-trotting independent American twee pop band from Burlington, Vermont who like to think of themselves as friends first and open-hearted indiepop revolutionaries after that.
Max Andrucki, Colin Clary, Dana Kaplan, Holly Chagnon, and David Zacharis switch up instruments, song-writing, and singing to create brilliantly lyrical and hyper-catchy pop songs of all shapes and sizes."
The Smittens are a global sensation adored from coast to coast. How incredibly lucky we are to have them as our friends and neighbors.28 July 2010
Juggle Balls with Prizzy Prizzy Please!
On a quiet Wednesday afternoon in May, The Bobbin Sew Bar + Craft Lounge hosted our favorite Midwestern band Prizzy Prizzy Please! for CRAFT w/the BAND. Juggle balls were stitched up and stuffed with beans, little dudes rocked out on guitar, drums & keyboards while a crafty fun dance party was enjoyed by all.
CRAFT w/the BAND is one of the Mamas all-time favorite events. An all ages show- with a rare opportunity to talk and make art with the band between sets.
Prizzy Prizzy Please! met while in Jazz Band together and their music is often described as "avant-punk/funk-fusion". Our kids thought they were "...completely AWESOME!" and "the BEST band in the WORLD!" Thanks to video clips, you can share in their enthusiasm.
Mama sez...If Prizzy Prizzy Please plays in a town near you, Go!
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
03 May 2010
ASG Neighborhood Sew Club meeting May 6th
Local Sewing, Quilting and Stitching friends gather to create a
neighborhood Sew Club!
Bring along some stitches-in-progress for show+tell
Help decide the official name+logo for our group
Our group's mission is to:
-talk about sewing
-show our sewing
+ encourage more sewing!
If this sounds like you...
Come join in the discussion!
802-862-7417 for information
02 April 2010
ASG Neighborhood Sew Club
The first meeting to establish an American Sewing Guild Chapter here in Burlington went quite well last month. While we decided against forming our own chapter, at this time, there was a lot of interest in creating an ASG Greater Burlington Neighborhood Sew Club. The group will meet the first Thursday evening of every month from 7-9pm
The goals of the group are to talk about sewing, show our sewing and encourage more sewing! If this sounds like you, or someone you love, mark your calendar and come on down!
We discussed the group's desire for inclusion (welcoming all sewing levels and encouraging the younger generations), organizing group sewing challenges, and an interest in establishing community sewing projects for local charities.
Our next meeting is - Thursday, May 6th at:
The Bobbin Sew Bar + Craft Lounge, LLC299 North Winooski Ave @ Archibald Street
Old North End - Burlington - Vermont
802-862-7417
Our agenda for the April meeting is:
-Brainstorm about a name + logo for the group (contest?)
-Show + Tell: Bring along a project for showing and questions
-Contemplate community action through sewing
25 January 2010
The Bobbin promotes 'green knitting' in Burlington
Megan Foster (left) and Erinn Simon (center), both of Burlington, take a green knitting class with Rachel Hooper at The Bobbin Sew Bar and Craft Lounge in Burlington Jan. 17.
Creative minds weave sustainable threads in Vermont class
Rag rugs knitted together to soak up Vermont's January thaw can contain yesterday's hottest fashions, reams of dated fabric that sat in the sewing room for decades or denim strips from baggy jeans. And it's not only rag rugs. It's anything a creative mind can knit together. Taking the old and making something new with a pair of knitting needles is a passion for Rachel Hooper at The Bobbin Sew Bar and Craft Lounge in Burlington. Along with her pal and co-owner, Gyllian Rae Svensson, they offer an abundance of eco-sewing classes designed to help people take materials out of the waste stream by tapping into creative energy.Green knitting class participants Erinn Simon and Megan Foster, both of Burlington, learned sustainable ways to knit with Hooper.
The first order of business was to begin "breaking down" materials straight away. Recycling materials is an affordable way to get crafting materials to use, Hooper explained. If that idea isn't green enough on it's own, the act of ripping out knitted material is called "frogging." Get it? Rip it. Rip it.
As Hooper frogged an old sweater, reclaiming yards of golden strands of wool, Simon cut a worn, bright blue sari into one long strip of fabric while Foster was busy with a white-and-orange striped T-shirt that everyone thought would be great knitted into a beach bag.
"We have free materials all over the place," Hooper said. "People take boxes of clothing and put them out on the curb that you can make something new with like dishcloths or a stuffed animal and it costs you nothing but time."
Unraveling thrift store sweaters is a favorite pastime for Simon, a self-admitted "stash addict." She has hordes of materials at home because, for her, breaking down the old is a way to be ecologically savvy.
"I crochet a lot and I'm always looking for more yarn," she said. "It's a money saver, but you can also find fiber in an old sweater that you can't find anywhere else, and that's exciting to me."
Simon took the class to improve her knitting and to adapt her favorite crochet patterns. "Some things look better knitted and because of the nature of the loops knitting uses less yarn," she said. She sells whimsical craft items on etsy.com.
Find Simon's online shop at www.urbanfarmgirl.etsy.com.
Foster said she took the class to support her community. "The Bobbin is good for our little community that we have going on here," she said. "Classes like this are good for our neighborhood."Foster has re-purposed sweaters before. She made wool soakers for cloth diapering her son. "Wool diaper covers are naturally water repellant and bring the moisture away from the baby's skin, and it's really easy to clean and doesn't hold odor," she said. "Natural fibers have some pretty miraculous qualities."
The Bobbin is also a yarn shop that carries a selection of local and organic yarn. "Green knitting can also mean using materials like hemp and organic cotton," Hooper said. "Using organic and eco-friendly fibers is the way to go."
To end the class, Hooper demonstrated how to weave plastic grocery bags together. The City Market bags she cut into strips were biodegradable but she still wanted them out of the waste stream. "Even if you are recycling plastic, it still takes energy to process," Hooper said. "When you take materials out of that stream and upcycle them, you can get more use out of them and extend their life cycle."
She wrapped the plastic strips together like jelly bracelets from the 80s, putting one inside the other. "It's a process, but when you interlock loops like this you add a lot of strength to the materials, just like in knitting. You can make a basket or tote bag or even a cocktail dress with these bags, but I don't really recommend it unless you like the feel of plastic against your skin."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."
11 June 2009
Kitchen Stitch
Kitchen Stitch
I’m a klutz; if I enter a room containing tomato sauce, at least one splash invariably finds its way onto my shirt: This leads to lots of laundry detergent purchases and a sense of growing desperation about my wardrobe. But for some reason, I’m not in the habit of wearing an apron. Although I try to change into ratty "house clothes" before doing the dishes, adding an extra, prophylactic layer to my outfit before cooking rarely crosses my mind.
This isn’t because I’m rebelling against the patriarchy by rejecting apron strings as a symbol of oppression. After all, my husband works in a kitchen, and it’s not unusual to see him sporting a man apron "mapron?" as he whips up a meal. More likely my lack of interest has been due to the tangle of tacky tie-ons, none of which I purchased for myself, clogging up my dishcloth drawer.
They include: 1) A serious , and seriously un-sexy, canvas deal printed with pots and pans. 2) A bright-green, holiday version complete with a Santa head and a reindeer or two, perfect for making X-mas cookies with little ones, but I never bake and don’t have kids. 3) A sleek black number marred by the presence of a garish, yellow-and-green slogan for a canola-oil marketing organization, a gift for judging a fried cooking contest at the 2007 Champlain Valley Fair.
Over the last few days, as I scanned the thousands of hip, funky and fun aprons available on crafty websites, I started to get excited about the workhorses of the clothing world. Could the old, tomato-sauce-stained shirts in my closet be cut up and repurposed as handmade aprons to protect my newer clothing?
I knew exactly where to go to turn my apron dreams into reality. At The Bobbin Sew Bar and Craft Lounge on Burlington’s North Winooski Avenue, owners Gyllian Svenson and Rachel Hooper occasionally teach apron-making classes, but for $25 an hour, they’ll serve up DIY skills in a private lesson.
When I arrived, Svenson had a colorful collection of printed and plain fabrics laid out on the table and ready for the plucking (cloth was included in the lesson’s price) but when I identified my favorite pattern, she pointed out a problem: There was just enough of the good stuff for a sash and pockets. "That’s part of the deal working with reclaimed fabric," she explains. We managed to match the bold purples, blues and teals with a handful of complementary cloths, and it was time to sew.
Well, almost. First we needed to create a pattern. Armed with a measuring tape, some brown paper and a pair of scissors, Svenson created a mock-up of the bodice, with a sweetheart neckline and a colorful waistband; an original design, of course. The skirt was so simple we didn’t even need to lay it out. With a few snips and some ironing, the pieces (including a special pocket for my iPhone) were ready for assembly.
After three chatty hours, I walked out the door with a burnished sense of confidence in my sewing abilities and a purple, blue and green confection pretty enough to wear in public.
In fact, I like my jewel-toned, handmade apron so much that I’m loath to splash it with olive oil or drizzle it with viscous, golden egg yolk. You know what, though? That canvas muumuu in my kitchen drawer would fit right over it.