Sunday, March 8, 2015

Kids Can Sew! Day Camp

It's that time of year again: time to start thinking of warmer days, and wearing shorts & flip flops. It's also time to start making plans for the summer, before everyone's schedules get totally jammed up.

With that in mind, Miss Ronnie and I have chosen two weeks to offer our Kids Can Sew! Day Camp. It will be the same projects both weeks, so you have your choice of which week works best for you.

Session I will be from July 27 through 31 (Tuesday through Friday) from 10 am to 12:30 pm each day.  The fee is $125, and includes all of your supplies. In order to reserve a space for your child, you MUST pay the fee in advance.  We can not hold spaces that have not been paid for.  You can pay by check, payable to Schoolhouse Enterprises, or we can accept credit cards (also through Schoolhouse Enterprises, which is Merry's business name).  (Cash is good, too!  Just be sure to ask us for a receipt.) 

If you need to purchase a sewing machine, Dollard Baker Sew & Vac is giving you a really great deal on a brand new Baby Lock BL-9 for only $100; our normal price is $149, so you'll save $49 right off the bat.  This is only for kids who are joining the Kids Can Sew! Day Camp or one of the bi-monthly groups that run during the school year. 

Before joining any of our Kids Can Sew! groups (camp or monthly), your child MUST take at least TWO private lessons with either Miss Ronnie or myself.  Private lessons are $20 per hour, and your child MUST have his or her own sewing machine and basic sewing supplies (see the list below for what this includes).

Session II runs from August 4 through 7 (Tuesday through Friday) from 10 am to 12:30 pm each day.  The fee is $125, and includes all of your supplies.  Same rules and projects as for Session I.

Sew . . . What are the Projects this year?  One of them is an adorable Monster Lunch Bag with a vinyl lining.  The kids will be able to customize their monsters, too, so there will be no monster arguments about whose bag is whose. Another is the Woven Tape Measure Zipper Bag, made with real tape measures!  The kids will learn how to weave, too, which is fun.  Don't worry, there's more! We're still figuring out all the details and making the samples for you to see. 

So, what exactly SHOULD be in a Basic Sewing Kit??? 
  • Scissors:  one "good" pair that is ONLY for cutting Fabric (these would be categorized as "shears"), and a second, smaller pair for trimming threads. If you'd like, you can actually have a third pair that are just for cutting paper & stuff.  We call these "junk" scissors.
  • Seam Ripper - unfortunately, this is a necessity when sewing.  We sometimes call it a "sewing eraser."
  • Pins:  good, sharp pins, preferably with heads (little round balls on the end).
  • Pin Cushion:  the kids really like the magnetic kind.  We have them here at the store in a variety of pretty colors. But we also have the old-fashioned Tomato pin cushions if that's more up your alley.
  • Something to carry your sewing supplies in.  Some people just use a large plastic leftover container (without the leftovers, of course!). It should have a tight fitting lid to keep things from escaping, too.
Keep in mind that we offer a 10% Discount on any Supplies you purchase from us if you are signing up for one (or more!) of our classes.  This applies to grown-ups as well. 10% may not sound like much, but it can add up pretty quickly!  It also saves you from running all over the place looking for stuff.

So, if your child is interested in attending one of our sewing day camps, please be sure to sign up soon!  Space is extremely limited because we can only take SIX kids each week.  But don't despair if you miss out on these two sessions:  we often will add a session, or maybe two, once the first sessions fill up.  Or if these two weeks don't work for you, let us know which weeks might work better, and we'll keep it in mind in case we end up adding more weeks.  And just FYI, we're trying to have some consistency to our camp schedule by choosing the last week of July and the first week of August from year to year as our starting point.  This might help you as you plan your camps and vacations for the future.

As always, if you have questions, please don't hesitate to call Miss Ronnie or myself. 
Miss Ronnie:  (609) 703-2051
Merry: (609) 457-8879

THANK YOU for your interest in our Kids Can Sew! Clubs.  We are delighted that so many kids are interested in learning how to sew.  We're also pleased and privileged to be able to help them learn. 





Tuesday, February 24, 2015

New Class List for Spring (if it ever gets here!)

Dollard Baker Dispatch - Early Spring 2015
Here is a link to our latest issue of the Dollard Baker Dispatch, our periodic newsletter.  Just click on the Button Heart above. 


Sunday, February 22, 2015

Is it Spring yet???

Good heavens, have we all had enough of this snow and bitter cold yet?  I know I have!  I keep looking in my yard for signs of crocus or snow drops, but so far the poor little things are still covered with snow and ice. We just looked out our front window to see a crazy bird taking a bath in an ice cold puddle!  Yikes!!  It would even sit all hunkered down like it was in a hot tub (we could almost hear it saying, "Ahhhh!" and not "AGGGHHH!") off and on, too.

Meanwhile, when we DO have snow days, I always remind everyone of my little mantra:  "A Snow Day is a Sew Day!"  Sometimes I'll even extend the interpretation to include cloudy days, rainy days, or just cold days.  Whatever the interpretation is ... it works for me!!

Once the rotten weather seems to be lifting a little, it's time to come out of hibernation and stop by the store to see what's up.  We have a few new bolts of flannel fabrics, and some new prints are coming in to get us going for the spring (if it ever gets here!).

While you're here, be sure to ask for the latest edition of our Dollard Baker Dispatch, which includes all the newest Classes and Clubs that will be starting up soon (OR, click on the DB Dispatch text above to download it yourself!).

If you know of any kids who are interested in learning how to sew, we're your place for that, too.  Contact myself or Miss Ronnie to schedule a private lesson or two ($20 per hour), and then your child will be able to join one of our Kids Can Sew! Club sessions.  Just check the photo below to see how happy some of our kids are with the hats they made back in late December!  (I'll bet the hats have come in handy this winter, too!)

Miss Ronnie and I will be getting together real soon to start planning our Kids Can Sew! Summer Day Camp sessions, so be sure to stay tuned for them.  We'll include the info in the next Dollard Baker email update.  If you haven't already signed up for our email blasts, please be sure to do so, so you won't miss anything. 

We are also in the process of planning a separate Kids Can Sew! Club group for our more experienced kids, who have been with us for awhile.  They are approaching, or already in the "Tween" age, and have indicated that they would like to do their own thing.  It looks like we will be offering a special monthly 2 1/2-hour session for them on a Saturday afternoon.  They will probably end up buying their own patterns & supplies for this, but we'll continue to try to keep our price as reasonable as we can. After all, we have kids, too, and we know how expensive they are!! Stay tuned for more details as we figure them all out!  

Within the next week or so we will be sending out a new Dollard Baker email blast to give you all the details about our St. Patty's Day Sale!  The bottom line is that you don't need to be Irish to be Lucky!  So here's another reason to sign up for our email blasts, don't you think???

Join us again soon for another exciting adventure into the blogosphere!  Meanwhile, keep warm and stay safe, will ya?  We want you to stay all in one piece if at all possible, OK?

Friday, November 21, 2014

Tomorrow is the one-day "Handmade in America" Professional Craft Show at the Upper Township Community Center at 1790 Route 50 in Tuckahoe (08270 for GPS). The show supports the Scholarship Funds administered by the Greater Tuckahoe Area Merchants' Association, Inc. (look for Tuckahoe NJ on Facebook, or www.TuckahoeNJ.com).  We have over 20 wonderful Crafters, plus some non-profit groups, a 50/50, a Vacuum Cleaner Raffle (partially donated by D-B Sew Vac!), a Kids' Corner with quick, easy little crafts, food, music and fun for all!  Don't miss it!  Admission is FREE!!

The Quilt shown here will be available for purchase in Merry May's "Schoolhouse Enterprises" booth at the Show.  It was 100% made by Merry ("Merry May'd It!"), and is done with Civil War reproduction fabrics.  
Don't worry - she'll have other, more affordable items as well! (And she DOES take credit cards!)

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Classes!

OK, Folks.  You asked for Classes, and here they are.  Click on the link below to download the latest update, which includes a few newsworthy items about such important things as our Thanksgiving Weekend Hours.  

Click Here for the D-B Fall Update 2014

Meanwhile, back at the ranch (so to speak), here are a few highlights in case you are unable to open the attachment.

Coming Up This Week (November 16 - 22):

First of all, November 16 is BUTTON DAY!!  If you have noticed our big bin of "Fresh Buttons," you can be assured that there really IS a story behind them.  To find out what the story is, CLICK HERE! 

Wednesday, November 19 is Kids Can Sew! Club from 4 to 5:30 pm. $15 includes supplies. We will make a Microwave Bowl Hot Pad. Put your bowl in the hot pad, then put them both in your microwave; heat your bowl, then use the hot pad to pull your hot bowl out of the microwave. Call us to sign up! (609) 390-0343. Space is limited, so don't delay!

If you are into the "Made in America" movement, there is a special Handmade in America Professional Craft Show that will be on Saturday, November 22 from 9 am to 3:30 pm at the Upper Township Community Center, 1790 Route 50, Tuckahoe, NJ 08270. It features both veteran and emerging crafters from the tri-county region of Cape May, Atlantic and Cumberland Counties who were all hand-picked for this show. Proceeds benefit the Scholarship Funds of the Greater Tuckahoe Area Merchants' Association. Since 1998 this small group has awarded over $150,000 to local students. As part of the show, there will be a Riccar RSL-4 USA Model Vacuum Cleaner that will be raffled off. It features a custom red, white and blue paint job. And yes, it is made in the USA! It was partially donated by us, and we also have tickets available ($1 each) in case you are unable to make it to the craft show. Suggested Retail price of the vacuum is $569. Wouldn't THAT look nice under your Christmas Tree??? It comes with a nice, big, red bow, too! One of the crafters (and also the show coordinator) is our very own Merry May who will have Quilts, Button Jewelry, Fabric Gifts, and Other Fun Stuff! There will be a Kids' Corner where the kids can keep busy with small crafts as the grown-ups do a little shopping. Food will be available, and there will be music to keep everyone in the Holiday mood. Don't miss it, and Thank You for your Support of this worthy cause!


Our Thanksgiving Hours are:  Closed on Thursday and (Black) Friday, but we will be OPEN on Small Business Saturday!  John, Tommy & Christina will all be out of town visiting family, so Merry and Carlos will be on deck for Small Business Saturday.  Stop by and do some shopping, and they just might give you some Real Bargains on Vacuum Cleaners and Sewing Machines.

As always, we appreciate your support, your friendship and especially your business.  Please let us know how we can be of service to you.  We are all very Thankful for YOU.

Have a Blessed, Peaceful and Happy Thanksgiving.

John, Christina, Merry, Tommy, Carlos & Miss Ronnie



Sunday, December 1, 2013

New Year, New Look, New Blog!

Dollard Baker Sew 'n Vac in Upper Township, Marmora is happy to announce that we have a new web site, a new blog and great new products in our store! Come by for a visit and to test drive our latest models of sewing, embroidery and quilting machines. Or suck up the fun with brand new models of Riccar, Dyson and Sebo vacuums!

Here at our blog Merry May, seamstress extraordinaire, will divulge tips and techniques for sewing and quilting. You can visit her awesome website at www.merrymayhem.com to learn more about Merry and her exciting projects. Merry teaches classes at our shop several nights each week. Sign up now!

Did we mention that we can also repair just about ANY machine that needs fixing? Find us here:

Dollard Baker Sew Vac
232 S. Shore Road (Rt. 9)
Marmora, NJ 08232
(609) 390-0343