We had an amazing Saturday in our Jump Rope Dress workshop with Oliver + S designer, Liesl Gibson. Look at all those cuties and their dresses! The students had a wonderful time with Liesl, who is so knowledgeable and so sweet. Her stitching expertise got our eager seamstresses well on their way to creating truly beautiful garments.

Liesl did demonstrations throughout the day, to illustrate the crucial points in making this adorable dress. She covered button plackets, collars, set in sleeves, and gathered pockets. Whew! The ladies in class got to work!

Everyone had amazing focus and it really paid off. Here’s Eve working on the dress placket. She is using one of my favorite new Kaffe Fassett prints. I can’t wait to see a photo of her niece wearing this beauty.

Even though we all worked hard, there were plenty of laughs, as shown by Julie with her Lady Gaga-style ironing!

It was really fun for me to see everyone have their own “Eureka!” moments with their sewing after having Liesl’s careful instruction. Seeing Liesl is always a pleasure for me, and I feel as though I could talk to her forever about sewing, business, and life in general. If you missed this weekend’s workshop, never fear! We are already talking about having her back in 2010. Thanks so much to Liesl and everyone who came and made her feel welcome!

We are pleased to welcome Liesl Gibson, owner and designer of Oliver + S patterns, to Spool! She will be teaching an all day workshop on her newest pattern, the Jump Rope Dress. Liesl is so much fun, with a great sense of style and design. As a mom, she knows what works for kids, and as a seamstress she knows what we want to sew and how to help us sew it!

This adorable shirt dress is sized for girls 6 months to 8 years. It comes in 2 sleeve lengths, with a rounded collar, front placket and bias trimmed patch pockets. It’s these dressmaking details that make the garments so special. Liesl will walk you through the pattern, demonstrating the various techniques she uses, while you sew. This is wonderful opportunity to learn from the Oliver + S expert!

Saturday, November 14: 10AM- 4:30PM. $80 plus materials
Please visit our class page for all the details. Be sure to call the shop to reserve your space, as class size is limited.

See you there!

We have added tons of dates for your favorite classes, and new courses on our class schedule. As you get back into the swing of things this autumn, take some time for yourself and your crafting. Classes are great way to improve your skills and enjoy some creative company! Here’s a sampling of our upcoming classes:

Beginning Quilt Top $100 plus materials
Wednesday, September 16, 23, 30, November 7 & 14, 6-8 PM
Sunday, October 11, 18, 25, November 1 & 8, 3-5 PM

Make your very first quilt top! In the first class we will select our fabrics, and then go on to learn to use a rotary cutter & ruler, piece 3 different blocks, and construct a crib sized quilt top with borders. In the final class we will baste the quilt and discuss quilting options.

Frenchy Bag $40 plus materials
Sunday, September 13 & 20, 12:30- 2:30
Sunday, October 11 & 18, 12:30- 2:30

Show off your joie de vivre with Amy Butler’s stylish & sweet Frenchy Bag. You will learn how make a pleat & pockets, use interfacing, and install a magnetic snap.

Tricky Tablerunner $60 plus materials
Saturday, October 17 & 24, 10-1 PM

Uncover the mystery of the Disappearing Nine Patch & make a lovely table runner to boot! You will learn to piece a nine patch, make it disappear, and get an introduction to machine quilting using a walking foot. Table runners spruce up a holiday table and make great gifts!

Please visit our class page for all the details and to check out our full schedule. See you soon!

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Since many of you have asked about machine applique classes, I thought it would be fun to learn this new skill and make a cute pillow at the same time. Not only will you learn to use fusible web and machine applique, but you will also be installing a zipper for the pillow closure. Our sewing instructor, Cathy, kindly made up this pillow sample with my initial on the front- so thoughtful! The possibilities are endless once you learn this simple embellishment technique.

Class is Saturday, April 18th from 10AM- 1PM for a fee of $30. If you’d like to join us, please call the shop to reserve your space. Let us know what initial you’d like on your pillow when you sign up, and we’ll have a template ready for you when you arrive.

See you soon!The Maiden Heist rip

This Saturday, December 13th from 2-5PM, come make these pretty patchwork pillows! Learn to cut fabric using a rotary cutter & ruler to make the always useful nine patch block. These pillows are a great last minute gift, and the skills you learn can later be applied to a quilt top. The cost is $24 plus materials. Please call the shop to reserve your space.

Speaking of last minute gifts, if you are working on gift projects ( some of which may be secrets from your family!), why not come and work on them with us? We have added special Holiday Open Sew hours on the weekends through the end of the month to help you get your projects done on time. Opening Sewing is $10/hr, and that includes sewing machine time, and use of our tables, irons, and all of our tools. While instruction is not included, we are always happy to help you over the bumpy parts of your project! Please give us a call and let us know if you’ll be stopping by.

Weekend sewing hours are:

Sunday, December 14: 2:30-5:30
Saturday, December 20: 12- 5:30
Sunday, December 21: 2:30-5:30
Saturday, December 27: 12-5:30
Sunday, December 28: 12- 5:30

See you soon!

Triloquist

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Our sister store, Loop, is always having amazing guest teachers come to visit. With Loop Friday the 13th Part III download being a yarn shop, these classes involve knitting. No surprise there, right? Well, get this – Leigh Radford, author of One Skein, Alterknits Horrible dvd , and now Alterknits Felt, will be teaching a class at Loop with no knitting skills required! Her Felted Ornament and Jewelry Workshop is perfect for the non-knitting, yet super crafty fiber lover. Sound like anyone you know? I thought it might! Leigh was the Art Director for Interweave Knits for many years, where her designs were regularly published. Now she writes, designs, and teaches across the country. This is a rare opportunity to learn from someone whose interdisciplinary approach to crafts is inspiring, beautiful, and incredibly creative. Check out this class description:

Felted Ornaments/Jewelry Workshop $70

Session 1: Friday, October 31 from 6 to 9 PM
Session 2: Sunday, November 2 from 2 to 5 PM

Learn to transform colored roving into beautiful felted balls that can be joined together to create one-of-a-kind ornaments, garland, jewelry or perhaps a pincushion. Students will also learn needle felting techniques to embellish felted balls with contrasting colors. Alternatives for incorporating beads and/or embroidery will also be covered. Class materials are included.

So fun! Acquiring a new technique can bring a whole new dimension to your crafting. I know I’ll be there Friday night, and if you want to be too, please call Loop at 215-893-9939 to reserve your space. Leigh will be with us all weekend and you can see her full class offerings here. See you soon!

With this chill in the air, it’s no secret that summer is over. Awww, sad! The upside is that our summer hours are over too. Spool is back to being open 7 days a week, from 11-6. We’ve just added new sessions at our class page

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, giving you sewing options nearly every day in November. As always, we welcome you to use our spacious studio, big cutting tables and sewing machines during our Open Sewing Sessions. Explore your creativity and come sew with us!

Jill handquilted this beautiful pillow cover! Isn’t it fantastic? She has been a wonderful student at many of our sewing classes. I love it that she took what she learned from her beginner’s quilt and made something so lovely and all her own. This is exactly what I hope will happen when people take our classes. You can see another (slightly blurrier) photo I took of the whole cover here. Kudos, Jill! Thank you for sharing this with us.

If you want to learn to handquilt, new sessions of Beginning Quilting are starting in the next few weeks. New Learn to Sew dates have also been added to the schedule. Classes are a fun way to expand your skills and meet other crafters. See you there!

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Market is one of the best new collections this Fall. This line has a lovely vintage feel so, with that in mind, we made this fun retro-style apron in super cute apple fabric! Aprons are a great way to use wild fabrics that you might not wear everyday, and make great gifts. In our apron class, starting next weekend, you will learn your way around gathering, making pockets and applying binding. Plus, it will put a smile on your face every time you wear it!