Turning 15, Portland Textile Month, and Re-opening

Ace & Jig Community Quilts on display in our windows as part of Portland Textile Month. Come check them out!

Hi there!

I hope you all are doing ok out there. I’m happy to feel a little bit of chill in the air and loved putting on a sweater the other day! October brings with it both our anniversary and Portland Textile Month. We are really excited to be participating this year by “loaning out” our windows to show off the lovely Community Quilts from Ace & Jig, local fashion manufacturer. Portland Textile Month is a wonderful series of events, virtual, physical, time specific and running all month. There are a multitude of ways to enjoy and engage in the events. This year’s theme is Repair and Reuse, two practices we stand behind 100%! You can see all of the events on the PTM site. The exhibits and events are so varied, including a panel discussion on the Afro-American Heritage Bicentennial Commemorative Quilt. (Happening SOON, so hop on it!) Unfortunately, due to vandalism over the weekend, the quilt itself is not on display any longer. You can read more about that here.

My love of hand stitching, has me itching to swing by the Tiny Pricks Project exhibit, and there’s a panel discussion, “Stitching Justice: Social Justice and Textiles” with founders of the Tiny Pricks Project, Social Justice Sewing Academy and 25 Million Stitches coming up next week! (Can’t wait!) There are SO many great artists to learn about and from through PTM.

The end of this month marks 15 years since we opened up. Our first few days were filled with figuring out systems, having our credit card processor glitch (probably user error) and helping folks get last minute needs for their Halloween costumes. It’s funny to find ourselves in a similar position, scurrying around, straightening up, reorganizing the space and learning how to use a whole new sales / inventory system, including a glitchy credit card processor. We have appreciated your patience while we reorganize and figure out how to best open up for you all to come into our very tactile space. We will be offering both appointment times and drop in, with just a few folks allowed in at a time, and will continue to offer online order pick up at the door. Please stay tuned for more details as we get closer. We are aiming to be open in the coming week or two.

Lastly, I recently learned of a podcast I’m excited to dive into and want to share. It’s a five part series of the Conscious Chatter podcast on sustainable fashion. The series is “The Root: Decolonizing the Sustainable Fashion Agenda.” You can find it here. We’ll include a link on our site for future reference.

We look forward to seeing you, supporting your creativity and are always so appreciative of your support.

Take good care,
Gina