Yesterday was kind of amazing. We received two emails from people from out of town asking about classes. Way out of town. One would really like to take Maya*Made's Rope Basket class and said she would plan a field trip when we reschedule as she lives in Ohio. The other will be in town with her husband on a particular series of dates, and is looking for classes to take.

At the time these communiques came through, I was worrying over all those other things that we worry about - bills and peeling paint and what to have for dinner. In fact, it wasn't until I sat down to write this that I realized how monumental this is for our little business that opened its doors in March.

I took several classes last week. Kumihimo weaving was a surprisingly meditative craft, and Phyllis Smith-Hansen's tips (culled from her own experiences) meant that we got to skip some of the beginner mistakes. We all laughed a lot once we got into the rhythm and everyone seemed keen to work on new projects. Phyllis will be teaching a more complex Kumihimo class when she returns from her journey south, so look for it on the schedule. We'll also get her to offer this beginner class again.

Making pasta from scratch turned out to be much easier than anticipated (flour, eggs, olive oil, and a willingness to get your hands messy), and combining dinner prep with cocktails made for a very pleasurable evening. Tony and his assistant Emily did a great job of corralling our enthusiasm over ingredients by creating some scrumptious sauces to go along with our pasta. We even made ravioli, which is a personal favorite!

Marianne, visiting from South Africa, created a beautiful set of blocks for her fabric.

Marianne's finished piece - four different blocks make up the repeat.

Sunday's block printing class on fabric was fantastic! So many clever and creative people with their own unique vision for their print! The one guy in the class, Sam, had a plan to print the canvas he will be stretching over the canoe he built in his garage, a plan he executed on Monday at Drop In hours as he needed the big tables to spread out.

Whenever I get a little frustrated at the pace of building a business, I should just sit in and take a class. The reasons for taking classes vary as much as their creative vision. Some have practical applications in mind, others are looking for inspiration. We meet people who might have never crossed our path otherwise. And it looks like they might be coming from far away!

Upcoming:

Friday, June 12 Introduction to Bookbinding

Saturday, June 13 Summer Skirt with Maya*Made

Tuesday, June 16 Learn to Crochet (second class is June 23)

Wednesday, June 17 Papercraft - Card making

Friday, June 19 Cake Toppers with Rebecca Barry

Come make stuff with us!

-Robin

So Excited....