Do you know about Handmade Nation? It’s a documentary movie (and book) about the indie craft movement. Faythe Levine traveled thousands and thousands  of miles to all the big craft fairs like Renegade, Felt Club, Bizarre Bazaar and interviewed all sorts of designers and artists. She also visited many of them in their studios and the results are fascinating. Some of the designers you will recognize like Austin Craft Mafia founders Jenny Hart (Sublime Stitching) and Jennifer Perkins (Naughty Secretary Club) and also Susan Beal of West Coast Crafty and Susan Stars. Here is a sneak preview trailer for the film which is being screened on March 11th by the San Francisco Film Society. I can’t wait! Hope to see you there!

Following the screening there will be a conversation with Lisa Congdon, owner of retailer Rare Device; Tina Barseghian, editor-in-chief of Craft magazine; Derek Fagerstrom, co-owner of the Curiosity Shoppe and the Craft and DIY editor of design*sponge; and Stephanie Syjuco, fine artist and professor. Also, local artists and vendors (such as Needles and Pens, Dutch Door Press, Diana Fayt, Miss Natalie, and Little Otsu, just to name a few) will be on hand to sell their work. It promises to be a fun night! You can find more information about the event here:

http://www.sffs.org/events/films/film_handmade_nation.html

Tickets are $8 for SFFS members and $12 for non-members; must be 21+ to attend. Mezzanine is located at 444 Jessie Street in San Francisco.

We just marked our first anniversary and we are celebrating with a sale on fabrics, patterns, notions and more! In this scary economy surviving is definitely something to celebrate! From today through February 28^th all full priced supplies are 20% off. In the past year at StitchCraft, hundreds of adults and kids have learned to sew for the first time or have improved their skills to new levels and we look forward to teaching hundreds more this year! So come on down and took a look at the new fabrics that just came in this week (new Amy Butler!) and sign up for some of our new classes like Serger Basics and the Frenchy Bag!

Thanks Petaluma for making our first year such a success. Couldn’t have done it without you!

Today’s events are just incredible and awe inspiring. StitchCraft will be closed today as I (and the rest of the world) am glued to the tube watching the inauguration. So proud to be an American!

In this scary economy, lots of folks are looking ways to supplement their incomes. As a result, the handmade and indie craft scene is exploding. Have you always wanted to start your own craft business but didn’t know how? Are all the rules and regulations intimidating and discouraging. Have no fear! Come to our “How To Start a Crafty Business” seminar on Wednesday, January 14th from 6pm to 8pm.  This fun and informative class will teach you the basics on starting your own crafty business. We’ll go over:
How to get a reseller’s permit so you can buy your materials tax-free
How register a business name with the county and get a business license from the city
How to get a business bank account
How to set up credit card acceptance
Selling to retail stores through wholesale and consignment
Marketing and PR
Craft shows and trunk shows

Well now, the rest of 2008 slipped away in a blur & here we are in 2009. I was a slacking blogger during the end of last year and promise to work on that in the new year. We have tons of new and exciting classes planned for this year at StitchCraft. One that I am looking forward to is the Amy Butler Messenger Bag class that is happening this Saturday.

Perfect for guys and girls! You learn how to put in a magnetic snap, insert zippers and more! There are still a couple of spaces left so call or email to reserve your spot!

 Also, starting February we will be offering serger classes! We’ve had so many requests but never had enough sergers to be able to hold a group class. But we now have 3 sergers available for use and the first Serger Basics class will be Saturday, February 14th. Look for all sorts of classes using knit fabrics to hit the schedule in March. I’m thinking T-shirts, dresses, panties and lingerie!

I adore vintage buttons and have been collecting them for ages. When I opened StitchCraft in back in February I put them all in a big bowl and marked them at 25 cents each. And they sat there. And sat. So last month I designed some cards and had them printed up. And now my new TV watching project is sorting and sewing buttons on cards. We have SO many for sale and they are priced to move!

We got in some fantastic new fabrics yesterday. They are by Blank Textiles and I love them because they are not everywhere. As much as I love Amy Butler, Alexander Henry etc. I don’t like selling the same everyone else is. So I’ve been actively sourcing different things, And 2 HUGE boxes arrived yesterday! Take a peek:

Pretty, huh?

Yes, the boxes are starting to arrive. Lots and lots of boxes filled with beautiful new fabrics. These fabrics from Erin McMorris’s Park Slope collection are just gorgeous. I can totally imagine them as totebags or skirts. Yay!

We got some new Alexander Henry fabrics in the other day:

I love the 50s vibe. Very Mad Men! And very guy friendly! 

 We also got in a restock on the Joel Dewberry sparrows. This was a pleasant surprise because I had ordered it months ago and it just never shipped which usually means it’s out of stock and not being reprinted. Well, guess what? I have it!

We have many more fabrics arriving in the next week. Here’s a sneak preview: