My friend Tess made a few of these felted mushrooms for me because she likes to support my mushroom obsession.  She had heard about them from a friend who had heard about them from another friend, and so on, and so on.   These wonderful gems originated at the blog of Kathryn Ivy who created the patterns.  This project is one of those things that everyone goes absolutely nuts over and the word spreads far and wide.  Kind of like mushroom spores spreading!  We couldn't resist spreading the word just a bit farther because they simply make us happy! 

Visit my Felted Mushrooms Project Journal to see how we interpreted Kathryn's brilliant mushrooms.

Visit Kathryn Ivy's blog for the complete (and free) patterns!

Enjoy! --Page

Our Purl Patchwork co-worker (and friend) Ani will be moving away soon to go to grad school in California and I wanted to make her a going away present. The new Needle Point Journal kits from AMH Designs seemed like the perfect idea; personalized and practical, colorful and classic.

Each kit comes with EVERYTHING you'll need to make your own personalized journal:

• 1 needle threader
• 1 needlepoint needle
• 1 pencil
• 1 "Hand Stitched By" sticker
  
• 4 colors of threads
• 1 blank journal with pre-cut needlepoint holes
  
• 1 instruction book and an alphabet and number diagram (not pictured)
  

The instructions are clear and easy to follow even if you've never done any needlepoint. In fact I think this would be a great first needlepoint project. You can fit two initials or four numbers on each journal. I chose to do a letter "A" (since Ani has more that just 2 initials!) and I followed the alphabet chart included and then added a simple border. The whole thing took just 2 hours and I'm really happy with the result! I hope Ani thinks of us at Purl Patchwork while she's taking notes in class.

If you'd like to make a journal as a gift or for yourself you can buy an AMH Designs kit here.  --Molly

One of my favorite Japanese fabrics is Nani Iro by Naomi Ito.  I first discovered it on a trip to Japan last May.  Imagine my thrill when I first started working at Purl and discovered that we carried it too!  I have been (im)patiently waiting for the past few months for her new line to come out, and I wasn’t disappointed.  On top of a beautiful collection of fabrics, Naomi Ito has put out a book, Nani Iro Pattern Book, with patterns using her fabric.

This book features clothing for both women and girls, as well as a few accessories.  Nani Iro is a double faced gauze fabric, which lends itself nicely to loose, flowing pieces versus highly tailored clothing.  None of the patterns have zippers, and only a few have button or hook enclosures.

I made two dresses with the fabric. 

This dress is the one on the cover of the book.  It’s a loose fitting tunic dress that could be worn over pants or a skirt.

One of my favorite things about this pattern is how she uses the selvedge motif along the collar and hem.

This simple tank dress is so comfortable I never want to take it off!  It’s a slip dress with no fasteners to get in the way. 

If you'd like to make a few of the beautiful patterns featured in Naomi Ito's lovely book but feel daunted by the task of working with a Japanese sewing pattern, please visit my Japanese Pattern Drafting Tutorial for directions. --Mari

Page's daughter, Coco, has been wearing a vintage pair of these adorable cotton bloomers for years. First, she wore them over her diapers. Then the bloomers grew right along with Coco into her toddlerhood, where she now wears them as shorts.

I decided to make my friend Giacomo a similar pair. Giacomo's mom, Giovanna, loves them because they remind her of old photographs of her father as a little boy in Milan wearing exactly the same shorts. Some designs are just timeless!

 
To make a pair for a little person in your life, please go to my Baby Bloomers Project Journal. Thanks! - Whitney

This summer we have some fun new classes at Purl Patchwork including a demonstration of  the super cute and functional Liesl + Co. Backpack given by the pattern's designer Liesl Gibson on Sunday July 13th.

Liesl + Co Backpack Demonstration

Come learn how to make the Liesl + Co pattern The Convertible Backpack, taught by none other than Liesl herself! This class will demonstrate lining, putting in grommets, making straps, and many other skills. There will be no actual hands on sewing but there will be tons of information and time for questions. $50

Sunday July 13th from 6:15- 8:15pm

We are also offering a Friday night lab with Phyllis (machine sewing) or Cassandra (hand sewing) where you can come in to finish your projects and use our machines or get some hand sewing advice.

Patchwork Open Lab with Phyllis or Cassandra   

Have a project you haven't finished? Need a space to cut a big pattern? Come and use our sewing machines and cutting tables at our open lab. Phyllis will be there to answer simple questions and make sure everything goes great with your machine (but not to give detailed lessons). So make some time on a Friday night to finish that quilt, bag or softie already!

The last Friday of every month will be reserved for hand sewing and overseen by Cassandra . $30

Every Friday night this Summer from 7:15- 10:15pm

Give us a call if you'd like to sign up, and as always you can view our complete latest schedule here. Hope to see you at Purl Patchwork!