Creating the world around us, one stitch at a time

We added ten new laces last week, including Balmoral (pictured at left). Whenever I look at the laces, I have so much fun thinking about ways I could use them -- and there are so many! From the simplest accents (trimming a gift bag, using lace as a ribbon/tie, making quick and easy scrunchies) to the more involved (bedding with inset lace, wedding and christening gowns, etc), the uses are endless and so very much fun to consider!

One of our favorite customers, Gentian, who lives in Alaska, sent pictures of some of the things she and her sister have made lately. They're absolutely amazing, folks, and I anticipate at least a few posts showing them over the next couple of weeks. (I need to process the pictures and write some text first. Oh, and quit drooling over the craftswomanship.)

Bad news: BCI Labels, about whom I wrote in an earlier post, apparently aren't making organic cotton labels right now. They're having trouble sourcing the cloth tape. Thanks to Willow, of Holy Lamb Organics, for letting us know.

The Organic Consumers Association, to which I personally belong, is calling for a boycott of Walmart for degrading organic standards and labeling non-organic stuff as organic. Read more about the boycott here. Here's more about factory farming organic milk, too, as well as information about producers to avoid when possible.

We're working on adding some fun new fabrics this week; I'll let you know once they're up.

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Because we've added several new pink fabrics (including Pink Moon, the latest Harmony Art wide-width sateen). Some people claim spring is on its way, but I'm not fully convinced -- I'm quite happy to dream about sewing with our beautiful new hemp velour. (We've also added a sweet avocado and a creamy white rib knit -- don't miss them!)

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Many of you have probably seen Amy's name on filled orders, admired the rag doll we featured earlier this year, or heard us rave about her over the phone. I've included a picture of the rag doll at right, just to remind everyone how cute it is. Since Amy's snowed out (the road to the headquarters is so bad that she can't get there today), she decided to take the opportunity to write a blog post for us instead. So here goes:

I've had the pleasure of working for Nearsea for almost two years now, and this message is long overdue. I don't spend much time with the computer, though I often thought about communicating with Nearsea's customers because working here is truly a unique and priceless experience.
Finding Winnie again (she and my sister were friends in high school) was the first pleasant suprise; learning about her business was the second. I work there two days a week, largely filling orders. I have loved cloth as long as I can remember, and as an adult made clothes for my family. I used a treadle machine for many years as I share with Winnie having made a challenging decision with endless effects: that of living and raising families far off the "grid". It is uncommon to find others who carried out this choice, and I believe it has added a dimension to our relationship.
But, to the point: the cloth, buttons, yarns, patterns, the swatches, boxes, and the company. (I'm not sure that's a sentence!) Every day we spend some or much time carrying rolls of cloth to the cutting table to get the pieces our customers want, thus I have the pleasure of handling these many and various examples of the mill industry. I have favorites of course, and we have in-house jokes, such as the word gravel applied to the amazingly tough (yet supple, how's that?) hemp cloths we cut. I have been given some very beautiful pieces of different kinds, and bought a few, like the blush jersey I used for my mother's nightgown. I've taken home many very small scraps I use to make dolls. During the holiday I made a hemp horse. I'll take him to work next week to get a picture for this site.
Winnie gave me a sewing machine, and I have a project going of course, to which I'd better return. The road to Nearsea headquarters is quite formidable and after the snow (34" here), well, this is the third week I've been unable to go in. There is also wood to fetch and guinea pigs to feed, but I thank you for the opportunity to express some of the pleasure I have in being a small part of this family business.
Sincerely, Amy Caldwell

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Yesterday morning Winnie made it out her very very long driveway, so we're now all officially un-snowbound. (If that's not a word, it should be!) It's funny - three feet of snow, plus a few inches here and there, wouldn't be much in some places, but New Mexico is simply not used to or prepared for it. We all had plenty of food, of course, so that wasn't an issue. But it still got a bit stircrazy after a week, especially for my two smallish kids.

We did add some new fabrics over the holidays; I love the knit herringbones especially. They're beautiful, unique fabrics that we're proud to offer. Orders will start going out today, and should arrive soon depending on the shipping method you chose.

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