GatherMakeRepeat

March Guest Artist: Cynthia Treen

2.26.2013- Permalink

You have probably seen the lovely thread follower stuffie kits we've been carrying for over a year in the shop and at our Bazaar Bizarre Boston show table. Designed by Cynthia Treen in nearby Rhode Island, they are one of our most popular gifts. These small hand-stitching projects are a wonderful introduction to sewing for all ages and use products sourced in New England. We're huge fans of Cynthia's!

But did you know that Cynthia is the author of Last-Minute Fabric Gifts? And you may not be familiar with Cynthia's other talent - appliqué. We are truly honored to have Cynthia be the next special guest teaching in The Annex. <PREVIEWEND> Cynthia's one-day workshop on Saturday the 23rd from 1 to 7 PM will focus on layered appliqué - something we have never offered at gather here but we think will be a great addition to anyone's arsenal of skills. You'll learn how to utilize appliqué in your work and how to take your class creation and use it as the cornerstone or centerpiece of future projects.

Here are some amazing examples of Cynthia's work. We hope you'll join us on March 23rd for what we hope will be one of many workshops with Cynthia Treen.

All images by Cynthia Treen.

Chalk cloth, counting and patchwork...

5.08.2012- Permalink

Have you dropped in and seen the sweet quiet book Maritza made for this month's patchwork class? Using chalk cloth, Jenn Ski's "Ten Little Things" line and Moda's tutorial plus more bias tape than we want to blog about - she created a soft book that can entertain any toddler. After making the sample, we thought it was a terrific introduction to patchwork. Just one page of this soft book will introduce you to the various skills necessary to begin your patchwork adventure. Rotary cutting, piecing, quilting and binding all in one page. Each subsequent page will help you hone those skills and you'll be ready to tackle your first throw quilt!

Read more about the book on Maritza's blog! And we hope you'll join us for the class on Saturday, May 12th at 1 p.m.

Past Present Future (Part II)

6.30.2011- Permalink

Past: Did you see the article about us in Dig Boston? Thanks so much to Shayna for making us sound so hip and cool. I think I blushed all day long after reading the article. Days later there was an article in the New York Times about the resurgence of sewing and one particular sewing instructor in Brooklyn. Once again, feeling hip for being a part of the trend. But I don't think sewing is just a trend, too many people clamor to take sewing basics and leave the shop beaming, tote bag slung proudly over his/her shoulder. (By the way, if you're waiting to take a sewing basics class, we'll be launching classes for September on August 22nd.)

Left: Knitter's Brunch (every Saturday morning 10 am - noon-ish), Right: The Artful Bird Workshop <PREVIEWEND>

Present: Have you missed me? I've been off making a movie. A lacrosse movie titled Crooked Arrows. I miss being in the shop every day but am enjoying designing this film. I've learned so much about lacrosse in just 7 weeks and can't even get over how awesome this cast is. The hours are wicked long (up at 3:45 AM!) and I spend a lot of time at the mall. (Is anyone else disappointed in the fall RTW collections?) But I took this movie not just because I love being a costume designer but also so I can continue investing in our little shop. Every hour I'm working helps our shop grow. In those few hours of sleep I get each night I doze off knowing that the rent will be paid through January of 2012. That's a cushion that makes it easier to sleep and to restock our shelves with the finest products available.

Clockwise from left: The wardrobe trailer with washer/dryer, basecamp at Governor's Academy, "video village", the first day of "lacrosse" on the "reservation" - Locke vs Crooked Arrows (All photos taken with instagram!)

Future: This Saturday crafty genius, Melissa Chao of To Boldly Fold, will be sharing her bookbinding expertise with us. Through this workshop you can learn to sew something totally new – books! Her Traveler Series workshop leaves you with your very own travel journal for your next trip, as well as the skills to continue binding books. The last workshop we hosted was such a hit that we decided to do it one more time. But we hate repetition so this is the last time this particular bookbinding workshop will be offered at gather here! (Check out this awesome blog post about the May class by Ana of Toil Trouble!)

Photos from the last bookbinding workshop. We were so impressed with all the books people left with!

Our Class Calendar just got even better!

5.23.2011- Permalink

A short little post to let you know that the calendar now has preview windows for our classes! (At least for the classes that we've finished making the samples for... we're working on it.) So when you scroll over a class you are interested in you will most likely see an image of what we intend to make. This ought to make our calendar that much more user friendly! (Image below is for Knitting Produce Bag class - May 24th and 31st.)

<PREVIEWEND>And if you haven't discovered this yet, you can simply click on "Sewing", "Knitting", "Crochet", "Embroidery", "Crafts", "Classes for Kids", or "Events" at the top of the calendar and you'll see only that category's offerings. Pretty sweet when you are madly searching for a sewing basics class!

Hope these little improvements make it easier for you to find what you are looking for. We'll be adding a couple more classes to June's schedule so check back often for updates. And if a class is full, don't hesitate to drop us a line at makesomething@gatherhereonline.com or call the shop to be added to the waitlist!

Happy Crafting,
Virginia
Continue Reading...

Come in and Make Something

3.09.2011- Permalink

We've been busy whipping up samples of the things we think you'll enjoy making! And while our tote bag classes are completely full for this month there are other classes with spots still available. Check our calendar for March's offerings and be sure to check back on March 14th for April's offerings. <PREVIEWEND>

These are The Spun Monkey Fingerless Mitts that Kendra will be knitting up in tomorrow (Thursday) night's Monkey Mitts class. We've got a collection of Spun Monkey Corespun Yarn to choose from and as with all our basic classes the yarn and the needles are included. This yarn is comprised of rescue farm mohair and wools, bright and joyful, with a few random novelty bits and a whole lotta love, spun 'round a merino wool core. The resulting yarn is light and bouncy yet toasty warm. With spring practically pounding down the door these mitts are a great transition piece.

If you're looking for a simple craft project then the Shamrock Fascinator is for you! This is our first Crafty Cocktail project. I whipped up this trio of felt shamrocks and then got all crazy with glitter. This is exactly the kind of happy hour project we'd been imagining for months and you'll have green glitter on everything by the time you leave, too. (Who doesn't love glitter?) Join Liz and I tomorrow night at 6 p.m. for felt, glitter and fun times. And wear it a week later on St. Patrick's Day!

The envelope pillowcase class is a great way to brush up your sewing machine skills. If you've ever used a sewing machine in the past you can tackle this project. We made a flannel bunny pillowcase for a 16"X16" pillow form as well as a standard pillowcase (no photo because we forgot to bring in a bed pillow!) but we figure you can imagine what that looks like! Class is this Saturday at 1 p.m. - all materials are included.

If you've always wanted to learn to crochet, our first crochet basics class is this Saturday (March 12th) at 3:30 p.m. This simple trivet pattern will be your introduction to the crochet hook and basic stitches. Don't expect to finish the trivet in class unless you have crochet super powers you haven't tapped into yet but don't worry, you'll have the knowledge to finish it up on your own and like all the class projects, you are always welcome to drop in and get some help later on. Use this as a trivet or make a series of squares for a blanket.

And here's the oven mitt Liz patterned and stitched up yesterday for our Quilting Basics class offered on Friday the 18th. Using heavy weight Echino and Alexander Henry fabrics she created a pretty fabulous mitt. It's almost a shame that we'll be using this in the kitchen after class! From piecing and quilting to binding we think this little project will give you the confidence to tackle other quilting projects - perhaps even a baby quilt!

Our first week of classes was so much fun and we loved meeting all the crafty peeps that came in and made things with us. We hope you'll find time to join us this week so we can make something with you, too!

One week later

2.28.2011- Permalink

We did it! We got through the very first week! Thanks to all the nice people who have dropped in and welcomed us to the neighborhood. And thanks to all you knitters, sewers, embroiderers, crocheters, and all-around-crafters for being excited about the shop and the space. We're still all warm and fuzzy from the love. It's actually really hard to leave at the end of the day.

<PREVIEWEND>This next week is a pretty big deal as well. Our classes begin! We kick off the week with "Skip the Tailor". If you've ever taped up the hem of your pants or safety pinned your pants closed, this is the class for you! (Secret: I have some of my pants cuffed using safety pins.) You don't have to pay someone for every pair of pants you need shortened (or lengthened) you just need the knowledge and some readily available tools (needle, thread, pins) and you can do-it-yourself. You'll be learning from an actual film and television tailor who has altered clothing for some real big stars. And you'll learn some trade secrets like how to hem jeans without losing the original hem.

If you've been contemplating knitting then sign up for Friday's class on "Knitting Basics". You'll learn how to cast-on, knit, purl and cast-off. We'll be making washcloths in class and I'll share my washcloth knitted by Oscar-winning costume designer, Jacqueline West. It was a thank you gift for my work on The Social Network and I cherish this handmade square so much! After you knit up your washcloth you might not want to part with it but you'll have the skills to whip up another in no time.

On Saturday we'll have our first Kid + 1 Sewing Class. I created this class in a fit of nostalgia for the days when I learned how to sew with my grandmother, Nita, during many summers in a small town in Iowa. Not every child has a Nita to teach him/her how to sew or knit or embroider but if you (Parent, Grandparent, Godparent, Family Friend) want to learn (or brush up your skills) along with your curious 7-10 year old please sign up. We'll be making drawstring bags this week - a useful thing to carry treasures, toys, snacks or produce.

(The Feathered Nest Rabbit Stuffies)

Our first Sewing Basics - Tote Bag class is FULL. It happened on the first day online registration went live and I'm thrilled people want to learn to sew. We added a section on March 16th but now it's full, too. So if you are eager to learn to use a sewing machine, please sign up for the class on Saturday, March 26th because we won't be offering another sewing basics class until April!

If there's a class you've always wanted to take but you don't see it on the schedule, please let us know. Or if there are specific times of the day/week that would be great for classes, we'd like to know that, too! We stayed away from week day classes but if there's enough interest, we'll add them to the schedule.

(The shop bots!)

Don't forget to join us this Thursday for our first Pints 'n Purls, an open knit for guys and gals! Bring your knitting and your beverage and we'll provide the peanuts (and some other stuff, too). It's gonna be a great week at gather here!
Continue Reading...

Previous 1 Next

sidebar

March Guest Artist: Cynthia Treen

Chalk cloth, counting and patchwork...

Past Present Future (Part II)

Our Class Calendar just got even better!

Come in and Make Something

One week later

Categories

Tags

Archives