January Love Letter: Life Outside the Studio
A little update on what I've been up to lately.
I wanted to take a break from product updates and share a little bit of what's been bringing me joy outside of work.
In December, I took a three-week sewing class at Cut and Sew Studios in Morningside with my dear friend Rebekah from Flux Bene. A few friends took the class too, which made it feel more like a shared project than a class—in the best way.
Sewing is something I've wanted to feel more comfortable with for a long time. I'm still very much figuring it out, but this class helped me get out of my head and just try. I've admired Rebekah's work for years, so learning directly from her—especially as a fellow Pittsburgh-based maker—felt especially meaningful.
By the way, she also sells her patterns online if you're looking for a new creative project to try at home: Our class was the Trail Jacket with Radiating Warmth Pocket & Back Quilt Sewing Pattern.
I didn't finish my trail jacket during the class, but I wrapped it up last week at home. My finished jacket isn't perfect, but I'm really happy with it and already thinking about what I want to make next. It was a good reminder of how grounding it can be to be a beginner again.
As if this project couldn't have been any more special: I made the pockets using scraps from my dear friend Rona at Otto Finn. She makes beautiful coats and goods using kantha quilts and sells her scraps as mending bundles, which felt like the perfect way to carry another local connection into the piece.
As I reread this, I realize it might sound a bit like an advertisement—but it's really a love letter to Pittsburgh.
To getting to learn from a dear friend, to learning alongside other friends, to spending time in a beautiful studio space, and to weaving scraps from another local business into something new.
This kind of layered, interconnected experience is something I feel grateful for here all the time.
(Side note: the studio at Cut and Sew is truly amazing. The machines are great, the work tables feel downright luxurious, and everything is so well organized with tons of tools to use. It was such a pleasure to work out of that space—highly recommend taking a class there.)
I'd love to hear from you—have you picked up any new hobbies lately? Or maybe returned to an old one you used to love?
Warmly,
Maia