Good Tools!

Thanks to Diane Winters and Andrew Buckingham for the wonderful Pfaff and Singer sewing machines that are now in our collection of machines for sewing classes!

Upcycling Workshop Saturday July 9th Noon - 2.

This Saturday July 9th is Yard Sale day at A Place for Sustainable Living, home to the Stitch Kitchen. Come from 9 am - 3 pm to donate* and shop. Donations are being taken on Friday July 8th all day.

In keeping with the sensibility of reuse, there will be two awesome workshops in recycling creativity: Bookmaking with Juliayn Coleman from 10 am - noon and Stitch Kitchen Clothes Upcycling with Nan Eastep and Ingrid Good from noon - 2. Sliding scale donation ($5-25).

*Donate to the Yard Sale: clean clothing, fabric, arts and crafts materials; working kitchen appliances, garden supplies,furniture, electronics; anything else you think will be a great item to sell! 1121 64th Street in North Oakland.

Recruiting Sewing and Apparel Manufacturing Teachers

The first Stitch Kitchen sewing class series was a great success. Ingrid and Nan integrated both class into one, with children ages 6-10, the younger ones with a parent, learning to use the sewing machine for the first time. Above is Josie Green-Lake transferring her manatee drawing to cloth to make a surface design using the machine to make the line drawing.

Students when on to made pillows, bags and skirts. By the end of the class they had gained facility with the machine, knew how to thread the top thread and bottom, troubleshoot problems, replace broken needles and oil their machines.

We are looking forward to offering more such classes, as well and advanced garment construction, garment upcycling and industrial machine maintenance and repair.

The Stitch Kitchen is a teacher's coop. For more information about classes and/or the cooperative model we are creating and how you can fit in as a teacher or a volunteer, please contact Ingrid (iggygoo@sbcglobal.net) or Nan (nan@bspoketailor.com).

East Bay Bike Party, Spokeland and Skirts!

Join the skirt ride in the next East Bay Bike Party, a benefit for Spokeland, on Friday June 12. Gather at the new Ashby BART Bike Station celebration, 7:30 pm, wearing your best bicycling skirt!

If you would like to make, alter, improve, or embellish a skirt for the ride, join us at the Stitch Kitchen Monday night open lab, this coming Monday from 6-9 pm. Same location as Spokeland, A Place for Sustainable Living, 1121 64th Street in North Oakland. Lab fees are $10-20, donation-based, no one turned away for lack of funds.

Note: Wearing a skirt on a bike is a great way to use clothing to maximize visibility to motorists (to the point of distraction?). The fuller and more colorful the better!

Sign up now for the June Saturdays Kids series!

Flyer design by Laurel Mahaffey

Welcome!

Welcome to the Stitch Kitchen!

We are Nan Eastep and Ingrid Good, seasoned designers, fiber artists, pattern-makers and sewing instructors. We met 10 years ago at Tinkers Workshop and are now happy to announce the launch of our new project, the Stitch Kitchen, in conjunction with A Place for Sustainable Living. Modeled loosely after bike kitchens, this space will provide mentoring and tools to promote DIY clothes making, recycling and repair for self-empowerment, community-building, artistic expression and a more sustainable local clothing economy.

Sign up now for this delectable series of sewing classes for kids. Appearing on the menu will be instruction in machine use, safety and maintenance, clothes recycling and repair, applique`, and basic sewing techniques.

Classes will be held on all 4 Saturdays in June. There is a minimum enrollment, and classes will be only be held if this goal is reached. Contact the teacher to book the series and to make payment arrangements. Here is the class schedule and information:

Beginning Stitchers, ages 7-11
June 4, 11, 18 and 25th, 1-3 pm
Cost: $30 = $120 for the series*
Teacher: Ingrid
Class size: 6-10

Parents and Kids, ages 6-8, parents can be any age
June 4, 11, 18 and 25th, 1-2:30
Cost: $20/class = $80 for the series*
Teacher: Nan
Class size: 4-6 (kids)

Supplies and materials:

• Bring your own machine if you have one. A few machines will be available to rent for students who need them on a first come first serve basis for $5/class.
• We will provide fabric, snips (which you can keep) for cutting threads, thread, needles, and scissors.
• Shop for free fabric in our take-what-you-need Stitch Kitchen sewing pantry. If you don't find what you want after the first day of class, you can shop for fabric for the last 3 classes.

Check out this blog for specifics on curriculum and updates.

Address: 1121 64th Street, 1 block west of San Pablo near Alcatraz

Contacts:
Nan Eastep, nan@bspoketailor.com
Ingrid Good, iggygoo@sbcglobal.net

*Class series must be paid for in advance. Payment will be fully refunded if the series is cancelled. Sorry no refunds for missed classes. Sliding scale offered.