Archive for the ‘News’ Category
I’ve spent the last week coming down from a Grand Opening Party high…man what a great turnout! Many thanks to everyone who showed up. It truly was a blast and a half! So many great folks were on hand saying wonderful things about our new space. It was very encouraging, and I can’t tell you what a great feeling that is for a new shopowner. It’s much, much appreciated!
In other news…this afternoon at the shop, I made my very first granny square thanks to our awesome crochet teacher, Cecily Keim. I’ve dabbled in crochet here and there but didn’t always know if I was doing things “properly”—much less what the stitches were called. Cecily set me straight and got me hooking up a multicolored granny square in no time. I’m so excited to try it again solo…my stitches can only get more even in time, right? Anyhow, I’m not the only one with granny square fever, because our Granny Square 101 class sold out in 48 hours flat. (Not to worry though, we added a second session on October 16!) I’ve been a fan of granny squares for a long time, but the lovely Pip from Meet Me at Mike’s (note to self: buy plane tix to Australia immediately) really reignited my desire to learn with her “Granny a Day” posts. Trust me folks, if I can do this, so can you!
Oh and speaking of classes, we have a new Saturday morning class available that’s just for kids ages 8-12! Scrumdilly-Do blogger Jessica Wilson (aka Jek) will be teaching your little monkeys how to stitch up their own custom sock monkeys. Check out the details here.
Psst…it’s here! Finally and truly here. Yes folks, the new shop quietly opened last Friday, August 28 and we couldn’t be happier. Please join us for a Grand Opening Celebration on Friday, September 4 from 7-10pm. We’ll have snacks and drinks, and there will be fun crafty surprise giveaways to boot. Be there!
Home Ec. Silver Lake
3815 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90026
Well, as is often the case with these things, we’ve had to delay our “soft opening” for a few more days, though I hope to have our doors open by Wednesday or Thursday at the latest. I’ll post here as soon as we’re open for real (and will of course alert the mailing list as well!). We’re also working hard to get all our web orders wrapped up and out the door in the meantime. Thank you so much for your patience while we get this stuff going!
In the meantime, head on over to the Cinefamily website and pick up your tickets for next weekend’s big movie premiere! Handmade Nation is finally coming to L.A., and we’re helping to produce the event. It’s showing several times over the weekend, but the big noon premiere on Saturday, August 15 will feature tote bags for all the ticket holders, plus Yudu silk-screening demos and a mini-craft fair and Q+A with the director, Faythe Levine! We’ll be raffling off Yudus and giving away special prizes like Cinefamily monthly passes, gift certificates to ReForm School and credits towards free classes at Home Ec.!
Hope to see you there!
Yes folks, you heard right…Home Ec. is moving! After six wonderful months renting space from our pals at ReForm School, I’ve taken the leap and found a storefront of my very own. Home Ec. is still in the same neighborhood, we’re just a block over on the opposite side of the street. The new shop is at 3815 W. Sunset Blvd. LA CA 90026, right between Secret Headquarters (a fab comic book shop) and Dangerbird Records.
We’re still putting the final touches together (you can view some of the early progress in this Flickr set) but will be having a “soft opening” this coming weekend. There will be a big, official opening party later in the month, and I promise to to keep you posted. I can’t wait to celebrate our new location with the community that made it all possible. Thank you all so much!
In other news, there’s a new class on the roster this month: Crepe Paper Flowers with J. Christina Huh. One look at her Marimekko-inspired poppies and out-of-this-world paper roses and I fell in love! Get all the details here.
And sure enough…just a day or two after my last post, one of our Sewing 101 students did buy the vintage gnome/mushroom fabric! She used it to make a pillow for a little boy in her life. See it there on the far left? How sweet!
Our next Sewing 101 session starts June 23 and there are just a few spots left. Act now if you’d like to learn to sew!
When it comes to fabric, I have so many favorites it can be hard to narrow it down. I try to carry fabrics that speak to me somehow and I only carry what I love. There are such great fabrics coming out nowadays (and even fabrics you can design and have printed for yourself!) it can be hard to keep up. And then…there’s vintage!
It’s always a treat to run across some gorgeous vintage yardage at a flea market, thrift shop or even a loved one’s attic. Pictured in this post are a few swatches of the vintage fabrics you’ll find at the Home Ec. shop inside ReForm School.
When I found this mushroom print I just about fainted and couldn’t wait to bring it into the shop. It would look so fantastic stitched up into a toddler dress, a zipper pouch, or a reusable grocery tote. Maybe one of our Sewing 101 students will end up buying it to make into a pillow!
Due to the limited availability of these vintage fabrics, it’s one of those items we offer in-store only. I hope these photos will inspire you to stop by and check them out! And as always, we love seeing what you’re making. Keep those photos coming!
June Gloom is a condition we Angelenos find ourselves afflicted with at the beginning of every summer. But just because the mornings here are moody and grey doesn’t mean our lives have to be! Here’s something to be chipper about: we’re having our first online sale! 15% off all merchandise (not class fees!) with the code JUNEGLOOM. Sale ends Sunday, June 7. Enjoy!
(Like the cute crayon owl? You’ll find him in our New Items department!)
The last Friday of every month, we hold an Open House here at the shop. Folks are invited to stop in from 7-10pm with whatever craft project they happen to be working on. We sit and chat while work on projects ranging from knitted baby jackets to embroidered samplers to collage art. At the last Open House we held, one of our newest students and pals Brantlea brought in her portable spinning wheel and showed us how to use it. I had only used a drop spindle in the past (which, by the way, we’ll have in stock soon) so it was a really amazing experience to speed things up a bit with a spinning wheel. Here’s the yarn I spun that night, which I am totally in love with, overtwisted bits and all. Naturally we’re now obsessed with getting a wheel for the shop! We’ll keep you posted. 
Colette Patterns, where have you been all our lives?
Designer Sarai Mitnick of Colette Patterns has come out with a fantastic new line of vintage-inspired dress and skirt designs that knocked our socks off right from the get-go. Not only are the garments themselves beautiful, the patterns are a thing of beauty! Each one features a lengthy booklet at the front walking you through the assembly of the piece (it includes a glossary, diagrams, and space for your notes) with a pocket at the back containing the actual pattern pieces. The booklets are stitched up the side with thread and adorned with lovely illustrations. In short, we freaking love these! They’re in stock now online as well as in the brick-and-mortar shop. You can find all five designs here in the pattern department.
Our decoupage class with Lisa Congdon happened last Friday night, and it went off without a hitch. It was such a blast seeing how different everyone’s plates turned out, despite us all pulling paper and ephemera scraps out off the same table. Lisa was kind enough to snap photos of everyone’s plates and we’ll share links to them as soon as she gets back home to San Francisco and uploads them. Above is a sneak peek at the plate I worked on that night. I’m really happy with it and can’t wait for Lisa to come back and teach another class soon! Thanks again Lisa!!
Speaking of classes, tomorrow night is Christine Haynes’ Indian Summer Sundress class and if you’ve been looking to try a great beginner clothing sewing project, this is totally your ticket. This dress doesn’t use any buttons or zippers and is ideal for newbie stitchers. In just two nights, you’ll create your very own cute and kicky sundress just in time for L.A.’s next heatwave. Class details are here—sign up online or give us a call at the shop ASAP to sign up! You’ll need to bring:
* 3 yards of lightweight cotton or linen fabric (which can be purchased from us at a 10% student discount)
* Thread in a color of your choice (which we also sell)
* Christine’s book, Chic & Simple Sewing (it contains the pattern pieces you will cut out to make your dress. Bring in your copy or nab one the night of the class.)
Hope to see you there!