Sew Red Spectacular!

We've had some really awesome feedback for the newest Stitch Red book, Sew Red!  The feedback we love best is when somebody sends us pictures of a project they created from a pattern in the book.  Recently, we've received quite a few really awesome ones, and I wanted to share those with you!

First up is Kirsten Aufderheide, a cosmetologist and quilting instructor from Santa Cruz, CA.  Funny story about how she came across her first copy of Sew Red: her mother, Annie Smith of the podcast and blog Annie's Quilting Stash (http://simplearts.com/blogs/) had a copy for review.  Kirsten saw it and liked it so much, she carried it home with her without realizing it was her mom's review copy!  She decided to make the  "You Are So Loved" quilt by Vanessa Christenson for a friend who recently had a baby, and it came out beautifully!  

Adorable!

She used Bears in the Woods fabric by David Walker to go along with the teddy bear nursery theme.  Cutest of all: her husband helped her cut out all the fabric!

Laurie of the House of 34 do-it-yourself website/blog made the Sonoma Purse by Patty Young.  She used gorgeous batik fabrics from her stash and did a wonderful job!

Gorgeous!

She even did a nice review of the book at the same time.  Thanks, Laurie!

Check back next time for more great Sew Red projects and happy sewing!

~Heather

Witness the Fitness, Part 2!

Welcome back, friends!

We're in full swing with our Jimmy Beans Wool Fitness Challenge, and I must say I am SO proud of all of the employees participating.  Whether they're walking, biking, swimming, or just moving around more, everybody has made a great effort and we're all keeping up with our goals.  In fact, after two weeks, we have a 92% completion rate for our fitness goals!

Many of the Beans chose walking as their fitness activity!

For several reasons, many of us chose to walk for exercise.  It's easy to do, can be done almost anywhere, and does not require special equipment or preparation other than comfortable shoes.  We have even started a lunchtime walking brigade: several of us walk twice around our block of warehouses together, which takes about 25 minutes and covers about a mile and a half!  It's a convenient way to get that daily exercise in and enjoy some sunshine at the same time.

Walking provides many health benefits, such as strengthening bones and muscles - including your heart! - burning calories, and improving your mood.  You don't have to walk for long periods to gain results; you can even split up your walking routine into segments of shorter duration (say, 3 different periods of 10 minutes each) and reap the same benefits as if you'd walked the total time all at once!  That means those short walks - taking the dog out in the morning, walking down to the mailbox, taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work - really add up!

We use a low-tech board at work to keep track of our progress.  It's not beautiful, but it's effective!  We keep it at the front of the warehouse where we hold our morning meetings each day so that we can all see it and be motivated by everybody's progress.  So far, it's really working and as you can see, almost all the boxes have been checked!

Way to go, Beans!  Keep up the good work!

~Heather

Witness the Fitness!

The time for New Year's Resolutions may be past, but really, who gets started in January, anyway?  It's dark, cold, and dreary in most places (and that's certainly the case here in Reno, Nevada!) and it takes twice as much willpower to get moving under those conditions.  In May, however, the weather is perfect - sunny and warm outside, but not hot, with inviting breezes and blooming flowers all around...who wouldn't want to be doing something outdoors?  It's inspired us here at Jimmy Beans Wool to start what we hope will become a yearly tradition: our very own Fitness Challenge!

Now, we all know that most activities (especially ones that may require extra motivation) are best done with a partner, so that was our first step: we teamed up with workmates to make sure each of us had support, accountability, and continual motivation toward our goals.  We discussed what might be reasonable goals for a one-month period, and how best to track our progress.  Some of us wanted to be more active, others to improve our diets.  Along with our partners, we wrote our goals on a board so we can track our progress - and we're expecting big results!

Some of the biking gals...now, Jeanne, your bike doesn't exactly count as exercise...

For our first partner feature, let's check in with Bethany and Rachel.  Since they both love to cycle and don't live too far from work, they decided to make it a goal to bike to work two or three days every week.  So far, they've made good on their goal and we are all proud of them!  They keep each other motivated by checking in with each other every day, bringing each other healthy snacks and treats, and sending short messages or texts to encourage each other to get on those bikes!  Great job, gals - you're an inspiration to us all!

Happy Crafting...and Fitnessing!

~Heather

Don't Sleep Your Life Away...Just Your Stress!

We've been talking a lot about that ugly word - stress - and how to combat it.  I don't know about all of you, but I have always thought the winter holiday season was pretty stressful - traveling, eating poorly, remembering gifts for everyone, combined with our busiest season at work - until now, that is.  It almost seems like I'm busier and more stressed out right now than I was during the holidays!

Well, if you haven't started on your New Year's Resolutions yet, I have a new one to add to your list: reduce stress by getting more sleep!  A new survey by Huffington Post revealed that lack of sleep was the number-one cause of stress among survey participants, and getting more sleep - even a short nap - helped alleviate that stress.

But how much sleep do you really need?  Sleeping too much can cause almost as many problems as too little, and is a major sign of depression.  Check out this article from The National Sleep Foundation to help you gauge how much is beneficial for you - you might be surprised to find you should be aiming for more hours per night.  I know I was!  I've decided that from now on, I'm going to set an alarm for 9:00 pm to remind me to start getting ready for bed.  That might be a good trick for you to use as well!

What other stress-relieving tips do you have?

~Heather

Stitch Red at Sun City Roseville Needle Arts Club!

A few weeks ago, Laura and Stitch Red visited The Sun City Roseville Needle Arts Club and we could not have had more fun!  Not only did we get to meet tons of cool people, we also got to see their fantastic projects they made from the Stitch Red books!  Check out these photos of some of the beautiful things we got to see!

The whole crew with Laura in their wonderful creations!

Many of the ladies made the gorgeous Slip Stitch Beret by Ysolda Teague from the Knit Red book, and it was so interesting to see all the different variations!

Donna made the Red Roses Shrug by Nicky Epstein, and Sharon made the Slip Stitch Beret by Ysolda Teague!

All in all, it was a fun day and a memorable one!  Thanks again to the Sun City Roseville Needle Arts Club for hosting the luncheon and making us feel so welcome!

~Heather

Craft to Save Your Life!

You all may remember when Stitch Red visited The Today Show to raise awareness about the campaign and spread the word about using crafting - knitting, sewing, crochet, macrame, whatever is your passion! - to reduce stress and lower blood pressure, which helps to keep your heart healthy.  It's a win-win!  Along with wearing everything we could find in the color red, we made a bunch of signs to hold up for the cameras to identify our group and get our slogans out there - messages like "Knit more, stress less!" and "Red wine is good for your heart - just ask Kathie Lee and Hoda!".  They made a fantastic impression, so since then, we have been taking them to trade shows with us to decorate the Stitch Red booth.

But one of those signs hit very close to home for one crafter we recently met.  Zoe Brown, who stopped by the Stitch Red booth last weekend at Vogue Knitting Live in Seattle, immediately grew excited when she saw the "Quit Smoking & Start Knitting" sign on the wall of our booth - you see, Zoe has done just that!

A smoker for 30 years, Zoe knew she needed a little help to kick the habit - more specifically, she needed something to keep her hands busy and take her mind off her cravings.  That's where knitting came in; she took up the craft and formed a brand-new habit: a creative one!  Zoe also started spinning her own fibers into yarn - she knit the shawl she's wearing in the photo with yarn she spun herself!  

But Zoe gets much more from knitting and spinning than just something to do with her hands: she says it relaxes her, almost like a form of meditation.  That's something we've heard from other knitters and crafters as well - practicing a repetitive motion helps the mind relax into an almost Zen-like state. 

As one more added benefit, Zoe says the money she used to spend on cigarettes is now available to spend on spinning and knitting - her healthy habit :) .  With all of these great side-effects combined, Zoe has stayed away from cigarettes for five months!

Congratulations, Zoe - we are SO proud of you and your accomplishments and we hope your story inspires others to give up unhealthy habits for heart-healthy ones!

What habits do you have that you'd like to trade?

~Heather

What is stress doing to your heart?

We all know the mantra for staying healthy: eat right and exercise regularly.  But what about adding "manage stress" to that list?  Several studies have recently shown that stress (and the hormones released by your body when you're feeling stressed out) can increase your risk for heart disease.  One study in particular found that stress, especially when related to the workplace, can lead to Coronary Heart Disease - an actual buildup of plaque in the arteries.  That's serious!

So what can you do to manage your stress and reduce your risk?  Well, one company President, after undergoing heart surgery at age 38 (which he attributes to a high-paced, extremely stressful career), decided to start a campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of maintaining a stressful lifestyle.  In the linked article, Flip Flop Shops President Brian Curin offers several tips to manage stress, mostly centered around his personal motto: pace, not race!  We agree with that sentiment wholeheartedly, and wanted to add a couple of our own suggestions to that list:

 - Get involved in a creative endeavor.  Multiple studies (including one by Harvard Medical School) have shown that knitting, crocheting, or doing other creative activities can relieve stress by invoking what's known as the relaxation response - the same reaction many people have to proven relaxation techniques like meditation.  You can engage in any creative act to relieve stress - choose your favorite and get crafting!

 - Get involved in your community.  Finding and strengthening connections with others in your community leads to a sense of purpose and necessity, and contributing your time and energy to a worthy cause with others you care about can take your mind off other stress factors in your life.  You can start a crafting group to make items for the homeless, volunteer at a local animal shelter, or simply host a get-together with friends to relax and enjoy time together.

Whatever you do, remember this: you only have one body, one heart, and one lifetime - so take care of it!

~Heather

Sew Red Blog Tour - Kaari Meng & French General

Kaari Meng is the creative force behind French General and the designer of the fabulous Chateau Necklace from Sew Red.  Thanks for contributing to the Blog Tour, Kaari!

Read Kaari's post here.

~Heather

Sew Red Blog Tour - Anna Maria Horner

Anna Maria Horner is our contributor to the Blog Tour today!  We loved her Target Practice Belt, a stunning combination of patchwork and embroidery.  You can read more here!

~Heather

Sew Red Blog Tour - Vanessa Christenson

Please welcome Vanessa Christenson of V and Co. to the Blog Tour!

Vanessa created the adorable You Are So Loved baby quilt for the Sew Red book.  Take a look at Vanessa's blog for more details!

~Heather