It's 2017 and we've just finished a 16 day break from school which means that I've had both camp for my kids' classes as well as down time at home with my family (13 year old daughter, Husband Mark, Dog Magic and mom Sheila).  I spent the first week of it very sick. UGH!  Not how I wanted to end my year, but in the end, it forced me to be still and rest, which was, ultimately, what I really needed.

Since my last post (and because it was the end of the year) we've been cleaning up a bit and getting ready for new things. We've had a build up of projects left behind at the shop (see bag photo above) and I just could not imagine throwing them away.  And when I say left behind, I'm referring to students who came for a few classes and then never returned (for a year or more).  Additionally, I've had many people donate unfinished projects in the hope that someone else will finish them.  Yikes, all of these things add up, as I have my own projects to do. 

Out with the old and in with the new...right??

We've just got to make some space in our back room (more on the why in later posts) and it feels so good to finish projects.  I encourage you all to take a look at that pile of things you have to do, be it mending, knitting, sewing, or any other kind of left behind craft.  And if you find yourself completely uninspired, PURGE!.  You can always donate your supplies to places like Scrap in SF, The East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse or even The Sewing Room (Fabric and sewing supplies only please). Additionally, you can re-sell your supplies at The Recrafting Company, which is one of my favorite spots for buying and selling of supplies. 

This is only a sampling of the projects we've unearthed.  Yikes!

What will we do with these projects, you ask?  Well, at the end of the month, we will likely have a sample sale.  We've also replaced all our mismatched sewing machines with new Baby Lock Anna machines (That's part of the "in with the new") and will be letting go of the old ones.  It's just so much nicer to have everyone sewing on the same machines.  We love the Baby Lock Anna machines.  Very easy to use and solid machines that can handle some abuse (20+ students working on them every day of the week).  We get ours from the Dublin Sewing Center.  They've been a great partner and offer excellent service.  I highly recommend going there if you are looking for a new machine.

I would love to hear more about what you do to celebrate and embrace the start of the NEW YEAR!  Let us know what you do by commenting on this post. 

To a wonderful 2017!

Yours,

Jennifer