I, like Karen, have a Janome machine. I do really like it. I bought it mainly because it makes great buttonholes! All other machines i have and in the past just don't make great buttonholes, and I like to make tops with cute buttons. Another one of my passions is to buy really cute buttons when they are on sale at Joann Fabrics. Yesterday they were having a 50% off sale on their buttons and the notion wall! It was like Christmas! Anyway, Janome makes a very smooth running machine and handles machine quilting pretty well.

My perfect day would be the house to myself with a good movie and my sewing machine and delicious fabric to work on! I, (Tina), have never taken a formal sewing class except for a quilting class i took with Karen. From there, we started making beautiful quilts to give to all our family and friends.. but when we ran out of giftee's, we had to figure out something else that would incorporate our overabundance of material! So the tote bag business was born. Karen is very artistic and is branching out creating her own patterns. I am still too unsure and need the crutch of a pattern. I have always looked at the main staples (McCalls, Butterick, Simplicity and Vogue). But i started looking at some independent pattern makers for tote and purse patterns. I just feel a bit safer knowing that someone of some authority has made the item before and tested it out! I may be a bit too old and settled in my ways to take an actual sewing class to learn the right way to do things. Maybe one day I will!

my sewing machine only came with a few bobbins. it is a janome and you can't just go to the local fabic store and get the correct bobbin (i know, i tried). so i went to a place that shipped them to me called sewingmachinesplus.com. it is so much better to have a bobbin for every thread color! it saves time and i can match the thread to the project rather than just get close.

i forgot to tell you that tina and i love to shop for fabric. but we really are very cautious now about going to sales to make sure we get the best value for our dollar. we went to downtown los angeles about a month ago to michael levine's and we really got some great stuff. we also shop at joann's alot because they have great sales on cotton fabrics we use in our hats and totes. when we quilt we go to patches which is a small mom and pop store we like alot. the only problem is that their fabric is really expensive and would make the hats/totes too expensive. but if you need fabric for a special quilt they are the best. they have gorgeous, high quality fabric and really unusual prints you won't find elsewhere. we have also shopped online at equilter.com and we like their stuff but it is getting expensive so we shop their sales too. hope that helps people with fabric options!

hi everybody - i am so into the sewing thing now that tina and i started our own business. i used to make quilts by hand quilting which i liked alot because i could transport it wherever i went (except when i tried taking it to the courthouse during jury duty - they don't allow scissors!) but now i am really into the sewing machine. i love making hats and totes! i love to mix the fabrics together. my most favorite part is when i choose two fabrics that have something that appeals to me about them and put them together to create something new. i really, really love to make hats. i have created my own pattern and i think it is really cute. i have to wear hats, so perhaps that is why i have such an affinity to them. i am going to go make a rosette for my step- niece's hat now. let you know how it goes!

Hi Everyone! I wanted to talk a little about my sewing background. My sister and I learned how to sew when we were very young from our grandmother who was born in France. She went to a school where the nuns taught the girls all types of needlecraft such as sewing, knitting, crochet, etc. I feel very fortunate that i learned so young. I absolutely adore sewing! I also adore fabric of all types! When my kids were little i made shorts and shirts for the boys, and dresses for my daughter. This lasted until the boys got to the age that mom-made clothes were not acceptable to wear! My daughter turned into a dress-hater (probably because i made her wear so many when she was young)! Anyway, I make the majority of my own clothes and now with our business, (thisandthatbykandt), I have found a new reason to buy fabric and sew! The best is that I met Karen and we both love to sew and buy fabric! I was a little sad when my kids were young that nobody seemed to know how to sew anymore. But i think that shows like "Project Runway" have inspired people, especially the young, to start sewing again. A Lot of my 20-year old son's friend now sew and are excited to create things! Now if we can get the manufacturer's to get real with their prices again so people can actually buy the fabric! I am so angry about how high the price of cotton has become. I am starting my very own boycott and I refuse to pay $9.75 for one yard of cotton! It is unbelievable! Anyway, I know Karen and I share with lots of sewers out there our love for making unique creations with our own hands! Please visit our shop on Etsy!