House of Windsor
Today, Kate shares a great lead for fledgling and experienced crafters:
My mother was once a knitter and a sewer, as were my grandmothers. I dabbled in both a bit as a child and young adult, but I lacked the creativity and patience to give myself the time to let the skills grow and become something more interesting and more meaningful. I'd get interested, buy the supplies, work on a few projects that were over my head, get frustrated with my mistakes, and drop it all, once again convinced of my own inability to make anything beautiful or useful with my own hands. But I retained the familial sense that fabric crafts could be something ennobling and meditative, something worth pursuing if I could ever get myself into the right frame of mind for them.
Things changed this past year when I again took up knitting -- inspired to complete a blanket for my daughter and a scarf for a friend -- and then began to tentatively experiment with sewing and quilting. For both skills, I'm still only standing on the shoreline dipping my toe in, but I have passed an important threshold: I'm sticking with it, and I'm loving it. And in my fledgling efforts, I have been greatly assisted by the grande dame of Boston sewing and knitting stores: Windsor Button, on Temple Place. Although it does indeed carry a mind-boggling large and diverse selection of buttons, Windsor Button also offers an unpretentious and quite comprehensive array of knitting and sewing supplies. The store isn't chic -- it doesn't offer a fireplace and wine bar, like a lovely knitting store I recently discovered in Brooklyn -- but it's affordable and quirky and the staff is both happy to help and happy to let one wander the aisles without being bothered.
First opened in 1936, Windsor Button also feels like a step back in time. Whether you are experienced with threads and yarns or just starting, Windsor Button is a wonderful resource and a charming taste of old Boston.
Windsor Button, 35 Temple Place, Boston; 617-482-4969
Comments
Hello
I am new to yr site which I love and has lots of great information & resources.
I particulary love this article and want to see how we can get some exposure from this site. We just started a new business(website in progress) its called Hipstitch.net we will be offering sewing classes for kids(little stitchers, Hipstitchers and Fashionistas!!) ages 5-18. We eventually want to do mothers & daughters but for now just kids. They do cool simple projects to make it fun and creative and retain there interest, i.e reversible headbands,reversibile belts,for oder kids, flipflop pillow, swim bags for camp and water holders that velcro to there bikes!! So now how do we go about getting our info out to yr site. We are located in Newton Ma. I have a studio in my house currently doing pilot classes with classes starting in September! We hoping to open a sewing lounge if have enough demand!( it seems like there is!) We hope to sell patterns and fabric as well as birthday parties!! plse email me my hipstitch email is not yet fully active! Any help you can give us would be great! We would throw in a free class if we can arouse some interest! Thanks Nicola Day
Posted by: Nicola Day | April 12, 2010 11:06 PM | Reply to this comment