This Wednesday April 9th from 6pm-8pm, local fine artistJi Ahn Kang will be at the Gather Goods Co shop with a handful of her fine art pieces and prints. You can meet her and learn a little about her process which she will be demoing at this casual, laid back event. This is a perfect time to stop by the shop if our typical hours of Wednesday-Sunday 11am-5pm don’t allow you to come by due to work or other obligations. Feel free to stop by and let us know here if you’re coming.
I sat down with Ji Ahn and talked with her a little about how she came to this particular art style which looks like cake art but is actually made with a hard, resinous paint material. You can watch that video below:
You can also see a funny blooper reel here. Hope to see you at the shop on Wednesday evening!
I am so happy that spring has finally arrived. From this day forward until it gets too hot you will find me with the windows open, hands in the dirt, coaxing green things out of the ground and in pots. Here is a round-up of some spring-inspired things in the shop:
Today is the first day of early voting in Wake County, North Carolina. If you bring in your “I Voted” sticker between now and Tuesday November 5th to Gather Goods Co you’ll get 20% off your order, good for one transaction.
A round-up of summery items from the Gather Goods Co shop for relaxed, outdoor (or indoor near an air conditioner) celebrating. This week we are open Wed, Fri, Sat & Sun from 11am-5pm but will be closed Thursday for the 4th. Hope you are enjoying a little respite and a vacation state of mind this week.
I’ve pulled together some graduation gift ideas from the Gather Goods Co shop. Whether you are shopping for a recent high school graduate who will soon be decorating their dorm or a college graduate who has completed their school and is off to pursue a professional path, these items are sure to be a hit.
The Gather Goods Co online shop is open 24/7 and we ship everywhere. If you want to shop in person the Gather Goods Co gift shop is open Wed-Sun 11am-5pm at 417 Kildaire Farm Road in downtown Cary, North Carolina.
This past Monday and Tuesday night’s I taught a beginner embroidery class at Gather Goods Co. Students got to pick one of four of my designs that I assembled into kits for them. I assembled 26 kits over a few days. Kits included a #5 embroidery needle, a 3″ wooden hoop, a pre-printed piece of fabric with the design of their choice on it (either a hydrangea, zinnia or butterfly bush flower), the accompanying embroidery floss in the colors they would need for their design and a card with the corresponding embroidery floss numbers on them in case they need more – though they shouldn’t. I also included a take home guide with instructions and a picture guide with illustrations of a few additional stitches beyond the basic ones we learned in class: the satin and running stitches.
For all the classes I teach I am for them to be laid-back and accessible, relaxing and conversational but still walking away with a new project to grow into. What’s cool about embroidery is you can keep it as simple or make it as complicated as you want learning a myriad of complicated stitches if you chose to. I just enjoy it as a relaxing craft that keeps me off my phone in the evenings and allows my brain to relax and get into a flow state.
Because the gift shop is small and the front room that is usually merchandised with gift products also functions as the classroom I have to take down all the merchandise on the front table and bring in folding chairs and additional tables for the class. For each class I provide light snacks and drinks. At the beginning of each class we go around and share recommended books, shows and podcasts as an icebreaker and to get to know one another better. It feels wonderful to connect with others and have authentic conversations around a variety of topics, plus everyone leaves with new things to discover as well. At the end of the class everyone is able to shop the gift shop and they get 10% off items in the store if they purchase them at that time.
Here are some additional stitches that are good to know and practice for embroidery, though again, it doesn’t have to be complicated:
And some additional items I recommend for embroidery projects:
Last but not least, I’ll leave you with this pretty embroidery by Cristin Morgan. I love the organic squiggle shapes and the colors in this piece. It’s a perfect illustration of how a simple pattern with bold color can really make a stunning statement.