Women's Initiative Honors Stitch Lounge

Women's Initiative for Self Employment honored Stitch Lounge owners, Hope Meng and Melissa Alvarado (both graduates of the WI program) as Entrepreneurs of the Year. Here they are giving a speech at the annual gala alongside very large projections of the cover of Sew Subversive! Congratulations Hope and Melissa!

Women's Initiative for Self Employment provides a one-stop shop where high-potential, lower-income women receive training to start and grow their business.

Get free time in the studio for sharing your opinions!

We were recently contacted by the sewing machine manufacturer, Bernina, to see how they could better serve YOU*, the hip, urban sewing market. :) Click here if you'd like to complete a short survey:

SURVEY

*And of course, there is something in it for you! In exchange for your time, Bernina will send you a a free Stitch card, good for 1.5 hours of free studio time at Stitch Lounge! What a deal!

Coupons for Local Designers @ Maker Faire

If you're heading to Bazaar Bizarre @ Maker Faire this upcoming weekend (and why wouldn't you -- it's only the coolest creative fair for all types of creative folks in the Bay Area!), you should know that when you make a purchase from any member of the San Francisco Craft Mafia, you'll get a sheet full of great discounts and offers from all of us members! Look for us in red. We'll be the ones with the cool stuff and great discounts!

Familia of SFCM:
Craft Gym
CraftyBitch
Feisty Elle
Future Momo
Maryjane's Attic
My Windup Bird
Saints & Sinners
Stitch Lounge

From Mom Jeans To Fab Skirt (a Sew Subversive Project)

Stacy, the self-proclaimed fabric junkie, (of stacysews.com) took a drab pair of tapered (gasp!) jeans and used Sew Subversive techniques to turn them into a really fabulous skirt!

Before:

After:

Great job, Stacy!

Sew Subversive Reader Project -- Honey I Shrunk The Shirt

Our friend, Campbell (a Subversive Sewer), received a really cool shirt from China that was too small for her. So, she (and her crafty mom) applied a Sew Subversive technique from "Honey, I Shrunk the Shirt" with great results!

Before:

After:

Great job, Campbell!

Modern Seamster - look it up!

Stitch's B*tches had dinner last night with the Ladies of Modern Seamster (Devi, Linda, and Tula). This new magazine due out in the summer is gonna rock your world! It picks up where all of the other sewing mags for our generation have left off and inlcudes more than just projects for your making. Modern Seamster is the magazine for, well, the modern seamster. We can look forward to reading about the lifestyle and cultural of today's sewer and if the product is even half as cool as the editors, then we are in for a treat! --MA

We wrote a book!

Our book is called: Sew Subversive: Down & Dirty DIY for the Fabulous Fashionista

The story is that we are three sew-positive ladies who want to spread the sewing gospel to the next generation of sewers. In our sewing lounge, we see lots of cases of potential new DIYers/seamsters completely intimidated by learning how to sew. No longer! Sew Subversive was conceived with the aspiring sewer/DIYer in mind. We break it down to the very basics of sewing (starting from the beginning with hand sewing) and provide a variety simple, low-risk projects using the clothes sitting in the back of your closet to encourage you to get out there and get your sew on!

Sew Subversive is not a book of fancy, precision sewing techniques or elaborate formal wear- quite the opposite! We encourage sewing in its easiest of form. You don't need to know your weft from your waft or how to make a perfect princess seam to start loving sewing. Mistakes are inevitable and imperfections will happen, but don't let that stop you! Grab a needle and thread and give it a whirl!

http://www.sewsubversive.com/