The latest in my sashiko tutorial video series is longer than the first episode… mainly because Thomas wasn’t here to hurry me along and keep things brief so I rambled a bit. Hope you don’t mind, or at the very least find the ramblings useful. I talk more about thimbles and how to use them, why to use them, and show how the brown and blue “boro” quilt is coming along (almost done!).

Monday evening we shipped 475 lbs of inventory to Grand Rapids, Michigan for AQS Quilt Week. What is significant about the weight? Last year I shipped less than 300 lbs to the site, so this means MUCH more inventory for you to peruse. I’ve graduated from a 10′ x 10′ booth to a 10′ x 15′ booth and can easily fill that extra space. More fabric, new sashiko supplies — some of which arrived in the mail the same day we shipped everything out so we packed them up and I haven’t even tried them yet — loads of gorgeous vintage fabrics and anything else I can find that will fit into a box for transport.

Here at home we’re getting the old homestead freshened up with a new paint job and having a lot of the old wood trim repaired and replaced. Built in 1895 she’s been through a lot, including two big earthquakes (1906 & 1989) and we want to keep her going for as long as we can. For those who have visited the studio this year and haven’t been by lately, I hope you’ll enjoy the new look! For those who have been visiting during the restoration, thank you for being so patient and understanding. For those yet to come, welcome! I think you’ll love the new look. Here are a few before and during photos to give you and idea of what’s going on right now. Click on the photos to get a closer look.