Celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary in December!
Looking Forward to a Whole New Year!
Thank you everyone for yet another good year here at Thimbles and Acorns! As we celebrate our fourth year as a pattern publisher, a regular pattern has begun to take root in our year. Winter and Fall is when we spend the most time designing and producing new patterns. Both Eve and I are northern girls, so we seem to get our best work done when the temperature drops and the snow begins to blow. This is also when Frances starts working on the production of the newest A Girl for all Time dolls… it is always exciting to watch everything come together from behind the scenes! As spring comes, things begin to slow down in the studio as we get outside to enjoy the fresh sunshine and warm air. It is a great time to think and plan new projects. Towards the end of fall, as Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, business slows down as our customers focus on the Holidays. In the studio, however, we tend to experience a flurry of activity as the designs for the new A Girls for All Time dolls come due and we prepare for our annual Anniversary pattern giveaway! It has become one of my favorite times of year. January has arrived, our big projects are behind us, and we get to celebrate another wonderful year with all of you!
Celebrating Our Fourth Anniversary with another Brand New Pattern Giveaway!
This January marks Thimbles and Acorns patterns 4th anniversary and we are going to be celebrating it with Pixie Faire again this year. On January 22nd, 2016 we will be releasing a brand new pattern and it will be available for FREE at Pixie Faire on that day only. Be sure to mark your calendars! This year, we will be offering an 1830s era dress that we have named after a remarkable woman named Sarah Hale. While almost everyone is familiar with the nursery rhyme, Mary Had a Little Lamb, few people know is was written and published by Sara 1830. Sarah made her greatest impact, however, as the editor of Godey’s Ladies Book as a writer and advocate for the education of women and many other women’s issues. I don’t have a direct link to the listing yet, so follow us on Facebook or go to Pixie Faire on Friday to find it. Enjoy!
Pixie Packs
Be sure to check out our newest Pixie Packs at Pixie Faire. To coincide with the release or our Sarah Hale dress pattern, we will have a number in stock to make the Spice colored dress! We also have four kits for the green print dress, one will be set aside for a random random drawing on Saturday January 23rd… to be entered in the drawing, simply leave a comment below! The remaining three are listed in my Etsy shop. Click here to view them.
Sew Powerful
All three dresses featured on the Sarah Hale covers have been donated to Sew Powerful and will be auctioned off starting Friday, January 22, 2016. If you would like one of these original dresses, be sure to get in on the auction as all proceeds will go to support
this ministry. Click Here to find the auction. Click on the picture to learn more about Sew Powerful.
What’s coming up?
Both Eve and I have a number of patterns on the drawing board… Colonial, 1960s, 1830s, and Prairie! Sewing through History will be continuing with Ancient Empires followed by the Middle Ages.
Keepers Dolly Duds
I am always looking forward to your new patterns and especially your lessons on sewing history. Thank you for supplying this new pattern for free on Pixie Faire on Friday and many thanks for offering you dresses for auction. Sew Powerful is a wonderful organization.
I have been watching this pattern develop and cannot wait for it to come out!
Ooooh, I can’t wait for you to release a 1960’s pattern! So excited! And thank you for the pattern giveaway!
Thank you for the pattern giveaway. I have several of your patterns, and they are the most enjoyable things I have sewn in a number of years. The history behind the patterns is always the first thing I read when I buy a new pattern.
As usual your newsletter is a wonderful read.I love it that you have been so successful due to lots of hard work,I know.I also like that you are friends with Eve.It shows that one can make lasting friendships through our mutual loves and talents.I wish you both all the best with your businesses and it is a privelege to “know” you boith just a little bit through your wonderful patterns.
I love the way you are combining history with sewing. I had not heard of Sarah Hale, but as a little Mary, her poem was often quoted to me. Thank you for your pattern.
Just a gorgeous time period that will tie in beautifully with the PBS series “Victoria” that will be airing in 2017. It will start with Victoria’s teenage years and into her reign as Queen to the British Empire.
Strangely enough, just a few weeks ago I was reading about the “Mary Had a Little Lamb” story at Newspapers.com.
I love this pattern, and thank you so very much for offering it to us. We are expecting snow on Friday, so I’m planning to get up early to get my pattern and start sewing. Again, thanks.
Thank you so much for offering the free pattern through Pixie Faire! I love watching your work develop and am also very excited for Eve’s Colonial pattern she is working on!
Thank you for another wonderful and free pattern. Love all of your designs and patterns.
I love the pintuck detail on the bodice of the Sarah Hale dress – beautiful!
I love the new Sarah Hale pattern! Happy Anniversary????
Oh, wouldn’t my Elizabeth look glorious in this beautiful dress! It’s so gorgeous! I love all of my patterns from you. Thank you for being so generous!
Simply elegant and quite charming dresses. Good job! Looking forward to to making the dresses.
What a lovely pattern. I hope I win it, but if I don’t I’ll certainly buy it.
Thanks in advance for the upcoming free pattern. Looking forward to some 1960’s patterns! Also, thanks for taking the time to write the newsletter every month. I really enjoy it, and have kept them in my files.
Very pretty dress pattern.
I look forward to your newsletter each month. 🙂 Thank you so much for doing all the fun drawings and give always. Your patterns are so much fun to sew.
It is always so much fun to read your newsletter and find out what is happening. I love the bodice tucks – so pretty – in the spice dress. I love all of your patterns. It will be such a thrill to receive the pattern on your anniversary – congratulations! It is a wonderful way to start the year 🙂 Many thanks!
As a lover of history and dolls; this newsletter is just serendipity for me! Thank you
I’m very excited about the Sarah Hale dress. You are so kind to share the pattern with us through Pixie Faire. Once again, I thank you for your wonderful patterns. They are one of the main reasons I began to sew again.
As always, I learned something I didn’t know from your historical research! Thanks for developing and sharing the lovely pattern.
I so look forward to Shari’s new patterns. I love the time and care she puts into making them work just right and the fact she is always only a message away if you run into trouble. A very helpful caring person and fellow sewer that cares about her customers. Thanks so much and hope you develop many more.
This new pattern looks beautiful, and it was great to learn about the life of Sarah Hale. The desing of the dress is exquisite and I love the details on the bodice, as well as the sleeves. Thank you so much for featuring it for free on Friday at Pixie Faire! It is very generous!
Good luck with the auction! Sew Powerful is a great cause!
I’m looking forward to your next “Sewing through History” article! It is always so interresting!
Congratulations on your fourth anniversary! And thank you for the Sarah Hale free dress pattern on Friday!
THANK YOU! I just love the spice color dress and that you will be giving it away-I am so grateful.
Congratulations on your fourth year publishing patterns! Best wishes for continued success, and thank-you for your generosity. =) Looking forward to Friday, now.
This is one of my favorite eras. You do such a fabulous job with the historical patterns.
I cannot wait to get this pattern! Thanks you so much for your generosity.
Beautiful dress!!! I love the detail on the bodice
Love the historical patterns. Please enter me in the drawing.
This is such a cool pattern! Thank you for sharing!
Gorgeous new pattern! I truly love your historical designs. Thanks for hosting a giveaway–I can’t wait to try the newest T&A pattern!
I love all of your authentic, reproduction designs! This upcoming new pattern has some lovely details. I’m totally wild about the diagonal pleats! Congratulations on your 4-year anniversary. Thank you very much for sharing your free pattern this week at Pixie Faire. May God bless you with continued success and joy in the lovely work you do.
So interesting to read about Sara Hale. I look forward to sharing her story when I make the dress for my daughter.
I really like your new pattern. Thank you for another free pattern on Friday!
I love this style dress. While I rarely use patterns I find this one should be added to my collection.
I love the new pattern and the story behind the pattern name. Thank you for the free pattern.
Thank you so much! Your patterns are always a great adventure to sew. I love the newsletters. The history is amazing. I have started to copy and paste them so I can go back and read them again. Bye the way…..Happy Anniversary! It just gets better every year!
Thank you for the time and effort you put into your designs. It is a delight to order on and consider all the fabric and color possibilities. Keep up the good work.
Thank you for the time and effort you put into your designs. It is a delight to order one and consider all the fabric and color possibilities. Keep up the good work.
I love your patterns more than any other designer. Can’t wait to see what is in store for this year!
I adore the cross over detail and choice of fabrics.
Congratulations on your fourth anniversary!! Thank you for the free pattern! I’m excited to see the 1960s pattern you have in the works!
Congratulations on 4 years! I’m looking forward to the middle ages…Katherine, wife of Martin Luther, has always been a hero of mine.
I truly enjoy reading your informative newsletter – so much history to be learned! Your patterns are a wonder as well! Congratulations on four years of amazing work.
Thanks for offering such a lovely pattern for free! Congratulations on 4 years. You are awesome!
I love the Sarah Hale dress! Thank you for your generosity
Love your newsletter and info about upcoming patterns…..a ray of sunshine during the overcast, snowy days of winter!
I always look for your new history patterns. I have never gone wrong with any of your patterns. I always win a ribbon at the state fair with your patterns. Keep up the good work.
The detail in these dresses is fantastic. You’ve done a great job.
I love this pattern and thank you for offering it free this Friday. I am looking forward to see what you and Eve come up with next, especially the 60’s.
I’m so excited for your anniversary pattern!! Thank you for keeping this awesome tradition going!!
I am looking forward to Friday, Jan 22, to get you pattern. I have several of you patterns, though I haven’t had time to make them up. I also really like the Keepers Dolly Duds patterns. I have been sewing doll clothes a bunch since I got my first American Girl doll 20 years ago. It is so exciting to see so many new patterns, both period & modern. Check out my doll videos on YouTube – Lorine Taylor. I am working on putting together a winter scene right now.
SQUEAL!!! I love the anniversary giveaway! 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing your AWESOME historical patterns…I hardly sew anything but historical now. Would love to tackle this during the snowy days of Michigan’s U.P. 🙂 I sympathize with your winter hybernation. 😉
How startling to realize I have made a similar human-sized dress for my daughter when she played Blanche Ingram in the musical Jane Eyre! (Butterick 5832) We can’t wait to get this pattern and make a doll sized version out of the leftover fabric! Coincidentally, Jane Eyre’s dress for the show was in a green fabric somewhat similar to the Pixie Pack.
Your Sarah Hale design is exquisite! Thanks for your generosity in sharing it with us.
I’ve only recently been introduced to your patterns. I love the 1800’s historical clothing for the 18″ AG doll! Thank you for your wonderful designs!
Congrats on reaching for years! I love all your patterns and am excited for the Sarah Hale dress. Thank you for your generosity in offering in for free.