Wow! We had such great first day at the Renegade Holiday Sale here in San Francisco. So, for all of you Bay Area, East Bay, South Bay, etc. folks who haven’t come down to Fort Mason yet, you *need* to come by today! You wouldn’t believe how much cool stuff there is - a definite one-stop shopping mecca!

Stop by and say hello!

In our families, the stockings are always the first things to get torn into on Christmas morning, so I thought we’d start our Gift Guide series out with some fun stocking stuffer ideas!

Girls and boys at my daughter’s elementary school are obsessively collecting and trading Japanese erasers. These are fun, inexpensive, and small - perfect for stuffing into a stocking or advent calendar!

Re-ment miniatures are incredible! Not only can they be used in dollhouses, but they are also great as stand-alone imaginary play toys. State a fantastic scene with a doll or animal friends, host an elaborate tea party or meal, and stock that kitchen with every imaginable type of food and kitchen gadget!

Our stationery category is brimming with great stocking stuffers! Pick up a sweet stationery set to ensure you get sweet notes in the mail. Have you seen the adorable and tiny puzzle point markers? They are perfect to use as bookmarks, or mark pages in a magazine… Our new Rilakkuma scented pens are a great gift for the budding artist - get the full rainbow of colors!

Stay organized at home with unique Japanese magnets and clips. They’re perfect for keeping things handy on a magnetic board, or for keeping paperwork from getting scattered all about.

Have someone who loves the cutest hair accessories? In our Toys & Fun Stuff category you’ll find adorable barrettes and hair bands that add that extra bit of cute!

And, of course, for the crafter who needs a stocking filled, we have lots of smaller items that are the perfect fit! How about a ball or two of wonderful Japanese yarn, or a crafty kit for someone who’d like to learn a new craft, or even a sweet addition of some special buttons, adorable patches, and bits of trim for that person who loves to embellish!

I hope this has given you some fun stocking stuffer ideas! Stay tuned for more themed gift guides in the days to come.

Note: due to our holiday show schedule and our own family time, we will not be shipping orders placed December 18th-27th until the week of December 28th. So, please place your orders prior to December 18th if you need it sooner. Please contact us with any questions. Happy Holidays!

Wow… it’s been such a crazy (but fun!) week! The fall 2009 Echino collection arrived Monday afternoon, and we burned the midnight oil getting it all scanned and ready to go in the shop on Tuesday. Some of you were speedy and have already claimed your stake on the first few cuts, and I anticipate we’ll be cutting a lot of these new designs in the next week or two.

Why is that? Well, let’s just say that the designs are incredible, to say the least. Designer Etsuko Furuya has a remarkable creative vision, and I never fail to get excited about each new print. She obviously takes a great deal of inspiration from nature, but her designs go much further with their edgy (and sometimes psychedelic!) themes and stunning color combinations.

I was honored and excited to meet Etsuko san for the first time at Quilt Market this past October, and I found her to be wonderfully generous with her time and thoughts. She sat patiently while we oohhed and ahhed over the new line and quizzed her on everything we could think of. (After all, when might we have another opportunity like this?!?)

The new line is all printed on a wonderful 55% linen/45% cotton fabric. The beauty of this fabric is it’s versatility. It is heavy enough to use for bags, draperies, and light-use home dec projects, but is also lightweight enough to be perfect for garment sewing. Plus, that linen content gives the fabric a fantastic drape and weight that you won’t find in a 100% cotton fabric. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the new line, and to see what you stitch up!

As you may have noticed, we’ve also got loads of other new products filling our virtual shelves these days… from new fabrics to fun Shinzi Katoh items to holiday kits galore, chances are good there’s something here for everyone.

To make room for all the new goodies, we’ve added new items to our sale categories, and deepened discounts on others. This is a great opportunity to snatch up some great crafty goodness at an amazing price! With the holidays looming, now is the time to get supplies for handmade gifts, or to find unique gift items straight from Japan. We’ll be following up soon with some gift giving ideas, so let us know if there’s an idea you’d like to share!

Here’s hoping lots of fun tricks and delicious treats come your way!

I feel as if I’m about to break major news. It may not involve national security, a solution for world hunger, or the solution to the chicken or egg conundrum, but in the microcosm of the fabric world, this is big! Behold, a sneak peek of the new Echino line of fabrics by designer Etsuko Furuya!

Are you as excited as I am?!? Rest assured, superbuzzy will get the full line as quickly as possible. Stay tuned for updates!

Getting new product is always exciting, but something about a package from Oliver + S is particularly fun. Liesl has a way with making classic lines look modern and fun, and easily customizable by the home stitcher. For fall, Oliver + S has released 2 new patterns: the Jump Rope Dress and the School Days Jacket & Coat.

The Jump Rope Dress is a sweet shirtwaist design, with either short- or long-sleeves.

This dress is so versatile… it can be stitched up with any number of fabrics, including quilting weight cottons, lightweight twills, cotton lawn, lightweight corduroy, and more. Have fun and use a coordinating fabric for the waist sash, patch pockets, and sleeve tab!

And, I know that everyone is going to be thrilled with the School Days Jacket & Coat…

Not only is the pattern perfect for boys and girls, but you can have loads of fun with fabric and lining. I’m particularly excited about the possibilities for using our fun laminated fabrics. We don’t get a lot of rain here in Ventura, but I think my little one may have to have a new raincoat for those just-in-case days.

As always, I would love to hear (and see!) your sewing projects! Upload your Oliver + S sewing projects to the superbuzzy Flickr group, and don’t forget to also check out the Oliver + S Flickr group for loads of inspiration.

Howdy, and happy weekend to you! Are you in the Los Angeles area? Looking for something fun to do this weekend? How about attending a screening of Faythe Levine’s fantastic documentary, Handmade Nation?

Not only can you see the film, but if you attend the premiere on Saturday afternoon, you will get a super cool goodie bag, get to participate in a Q&A with Ms. Levine herself, as well as check out a fun, mini craft fair from 2-6pm. Get all the information and buy your ticket now! I will be helping out on Saturday, so please say hello! This is your one chance to see the film on the big screen in the LA area, so don’t miss it!

Are you too far to make the LA screening, but interested in seeing the film in your neck of the woods? Keep up with the latest news, and find out about screenings in other parts of the world on the Handmade Nation blog.

Receiving new shipments from Japan is always fun, but we were particularly excited to open Friday’s shipment brimming with Etsuko Furuya’s latest Echino fabrics: Chelsea. The new line is surprising in that it includes the first selection of quilting weight fabrics, Lizard and Cobweb:

as well as some incredibly soft double gauzes: Lion, Leaf, and Bird & Berry:

I’m super excited to see how all of you use these incredible new fabrics! Please, don’t be shy about sharing your creations through our superbuzzy Flickr group!

My goodness, have we been busy! We’re still on a high from the wonderful Renegade Craft Fairs in Los Angeles and San Francisco. It was fantastic to meet so many of our west coast friends, chat about their favorite Japanese fabrics, and learn what they are making with them. Huge thanks and kudos to the behind-the-scenes folks at Renegade who helped to make everything run so smoothly. We’re definitely hooked!

Check out the Fat Quarters & Bundles category as we add the new fat quarters and charm packs that we debuted at the Renegade Craft Fairs. These cuts are a great size for patchwork or smaller items. Plus, we’ve already done all the work to match fabrics!

I’ve returned to the warehouse with loads of new product arriving by the truckload! It’s going to take some time, but keep your eyes peeled on our New Products category - it’s going to be brimming with tons of amazing goodies for the next month or so! Just yesterday I added some incredible Halloween and Christmas cuteness - in plenty of time for your holiday crafting!

I’m a bit slow on the uptake here, but superbuzzy is now on Twitter! I’ll be using twitter to announce restocked and new items, as well as other shop news. So, if you’d like to be among the first to get the announcements, follow us!

We are getting ready to head to downtown Los Angeles for our second day at the Renegade Craft Fair! We had a great day yesterday, meeting lots of old and new friends of superbuzzy. The venue is enormous, and filled with the most amazing artisans of handmade goods. If you are in the Southern California area today, I recommend you head down to the California Market Center in the fashion district to see what Renegade is all about.

Are you a bit too far north to make the drive? Superbuzzy will also be at the San Francisco Renegade Craft Fair next weekend at Fort Mason! Hope to see you there!