Friday, February 17, 2012

New Smocking and Sewing Shop in San Diego Area!


I've mentioned before that I used to shop at a lovely heirloom sewing and quilt shop in Vista, California, named Sew Special. It went out of business about three years ago when the owner decided to retire, but luckily, one of the employees has now opened her own shop. Lynn Postulka has opened her new shop, January Girls, at 1764 Montgomery Drive, Vista, CA  92084, 760-758-4692. I learned to smock from Lynn about eight years ago. See that pink and white quilt in the right front? I made one very similar to it for my granddaughter.


I think I've read somewhere how to smock this quilt with the lace up the front but I have no idea how. I might be able to figure it out, but my head hurts thinking about it.


A lovely christening gown next to a darling springtime dress.


Lynn is great at picture smocking. Look at those caterpillars!


I love this nightgown, so nice and cool for summer.


Another corner of the shop. Lynn is getting new heirloom fabrics and laces every day, and will soon have her website, JanuaryGirls.net, up and running. Remember the dot net address, that's very important. The dot com address is not for families. Can you see the tiny bit of green fabric on the right? You can also see it in the first photo. 


I bought some, along with this Primrose Lane pattern.  I'll make a dress for my granddaughter once I find some nice coordinating fabrics and trim. Notice the pattern is sized from 2 - 12. What a bargain!

I hope those of you in Southern California can make it to Lynn's shop! It is so fun to see a shop with these luscious fabrics and laces once again.




6 comments:

  1. What a gorgeous shop! Wish we had one too.

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  2. Thanks for this post. I have lived in San Diego and have found it very difficult to find smocking supplies and fellow-smockers. Do you know if there is a group that meets in this area?

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    1. There isn't one in San Diego, but our group in South Orange County has a few people from the San Diego area that sometimes drive up for a meeting or other event. If you send me your email address I can get you the information, my email address is on the personal profile page. Or look at the SAGA website, our group is called Pacific Waves. We are meeting on Tuesday May 8 at my house this month. We would love to meet you!

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  3. Thanks for posting. I had just discovered Sew Special before they went out of business. I will definitely follow up on January Girls.

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  4. Living in the Inland Empire area, I have despaired of finding heirloom sewing shops in CA. I did locate one in Northern CA (which shall be nameless) and, after ordering about a dozen smocking plates, the proprietor didn't send them for two months, then, claiming she was "sick" sent, out of 12, two wrong plates and two duplicates. No explanation, no apology, no follow up. I gave up and never purchased from her again. I find I have, now that Martha Pullen has retired, a few reliable places in the deep South for contacts when I have questions and eBay is far more reliable (and, if one shops carefully) far less expensive--especially when family members are ridding themselves of hoarded stashes as parents and grandparents downgrade to smaller homes. Hancock's has gone out of business (diaper flannel as well as batiste and a large selection of juvenile prints), Michael's only sells (for now) fabric online, Hobby Lobby is limited in its fabric department, and JoAnn's locally is a joke (dupioni silk--cheaply made stuff--at $40 a yard--sends me to Thai Silks outside of San Francisco).

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  5. My name is Carolynn. I am a retired teacher from East San Diego County. I taught adult school machine embroidery. My class became interested in smocking by machine and chipped in to buy a pleater from Martha Pullen. I retired in 2000, and my successor was not interested in smocking. So I have a practically new pleater that has been mounted on a board, lots of Martha Pullen's magazines, and a couple of sets of needles. I wonder if you might put me in touch with someone interested in buying my pleater. I'm thinking $50. plus shipping unless the person wants to come and pick it up.

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