Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Last Semester for Classes at Stonemountain & Daughter

20 years ago I dreamed of teaching classes here at Stonemountain & Daughter in our upstairs discount fabric room. 1996 was a sewing school desert in the bay area. Since we began our school, I have been blessed to see it grow into one of the most successful in-store sewing schools in the country: a place to come and learn how to sew, design and play with our amazing fabric while growing our sewing community. Our classes have helped Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics survive by teaching the next generations how to create and use the fabric they love!

It is with mixed feelings that I announce, for a variety of important reasons; we will not be offering classes after the end of June 2016. I have so much gratitude for the sewing community that has grown with us at Stonemountain & Daughter. Please join me in thanking and showing gratitude for all the instructors, past and present, who have inspired us and shared their gifts with you all. I want to thank my amazing staff for all their support to the teachers, the students, our classrooms and me. It has truly taken a village to provide our community with top notch sewing classes!
It’s been a great ride for 19 years and such an honor to do this school with you! We have taught many thousands of sewists of all ages. Currently, we have 1 – 3 classes each day of the year and have reached an unsurpassed quality level. Now it is time to pass this legacy onto other teachers and businesses in our sewing community. We will have a handout for you to find local places where you can continue to advance your skills and get the sewing support you need.
I’m excited about dreaming into what more is possible for Stonemountain & Daughter and me! We are also thrilled to find a new focus for our upstairs and transform it into a complete designer fabric discount space!
Our heart and primary mission is to provide the highest quality fabric, independent patterns and quality notions at the best prices. This decision will help us survive in this economy and stay focused on serving the community’s fabric needs.
With so much gratitude and hope,
Suzan Steinberg
Owner, Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics

Since 1981 in Berkeley

31 comments:

  1. Noo! Stone Mountain classes really transformed my sewing from novice to great! Thank you for providing them for so long and thank you to Terry McClintock for the great instruction!

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    1. Ah Thanks Meg! I am so glad to hear how your sewing was transformed! It's been such an honor and privilege to be able to give this gift to the community! Yes Terry McClintock will also be teaching at other places and I will let you know where! Stay tuned for what' next!

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  2. So sorry. I have taken (and am signed up for one more) classes and they have always been great! Good luck in your next upstairs venture.

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    1. Thanks Amy! I am so glad that you will be able to take some of our last classes! We are so successful with all of them and it is with a mixed emotions that this decision was made. Thanks for the support!

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  3. I am so sad to hear this. I have taken a handful of classes and I loved getting in-person instruction.

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    1. Hi Juniper, Thanks so much for supporting our classes and our store! We have been blessed to do this level of education and service for over 20 years. Our instructors and students are the very best! Stay tuned for many great suggestions to continue your in-person instruction. We hope that you will continue to buy fabric, patterns and notions from us! Thanks, Suzan

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    2. I will definitely continue to come by for fabric, haha! And buttons - I love your selection of buttons!

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  4. Hi Juniper, I am so glad you have enjoyed our in person instruction! It has been one of my life's great achievements to offer these classes to our customers for 20 years. We will still have lots of classes until June, so maybe come by for one or two! Also stay tuned for my incredible list of other places to take sewing classes!

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  5. What a shame! I learned how to sew from Barbara and Terry. Any chance that you would be willing to give advice on starting a community sewing lab in the area?

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    1. Hi Iris, Yes I am giving advise to all the local teachers and schools. If you would like to meet with me, just call me or email me at fabriclady3@gmail.com
      We will have a place for all our instructors and wonderful classes to refer our current students to! It's going to be all right! Talk soon, Suzan

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  6. Hi Iris! I so appreciate on how much you have valued your classes with us. Yes both Terry, Barbara and all our instructors will still be teaching in the area. As soon as we all figure out where, I will let you know through my blog here and also in our newsletter and website for Stonemountain. If you have anything specific you have in mind, please email me at fabriclady3@gmail.com and I am happy to give lots of advice and mentoring.

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    1. Also, please take a look at our schedule as both are teaching their full set of classes until the end of June!

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    2. Thank you SuZan, I will get in touch.

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  8. I am even sad and I have never taken a class. I actually live in Hawaii. I visited your store for the first time last October. I think I am sad because I know how magical hands on classes can be. I am sure you are making this decision for important reasons. Aloha.

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    1. Thanks Mary, I am so glad to hear from you and to know you love our store. Yes these classes upstairs has been such a blessing. I am so grateful for these 20 years of service. Hope to see you on your next trip. Aloha, Suzan

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  9. I live in Modesto and have never been able to squeeze in a class partially do to the long distance travel involved. I have felt a little uncomfortable when I have shopped (often on Sunday afternoons) upstairs during a class. I have "found" so many fun and remarkable markdown fabrics there that it was worth the discomfort. For my own selfish reasons, I look forward to your plans for the future!

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    1. Yay! It's going to be amazing! The classes have been a service to teach generations to sew over these last 20 years, but we are so excited about M O R E fabric upstairs!!! Hope to see you soon on your next trip Louise! thanks, Suzan

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  10. The classes I've taken there were wonderful- sad to see them go, but excited to see what you do next! And an extra yay for discounted designer fabrics! :D

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    1. Thanks Emily! We are also sad to see them go, but it's been such a journey to this level of service and education! Thousands of students know how to sew! Thanks for your support and added excitement for more discounted designer fabrics!!!!!!!!!! Cheers, Suzan

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  11. Change is hard for many of us. Thanks for taking a step in a new direction. Discounted designer goods will add a fabric opportunity for us that we don't currently have in the East Bay. I'm excited to see what you will be offering. Mary Jo Sherman Nelson, Benicia

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    1. So true about change, Mary Jo. It's so vital for each of us to make courageous decisions based on our own inner knowing. The outer world can offer us support and clues, but ultimately it is my own inner compare which guides my path and decisions. This one is lit up with lightness and ease - a sure sign that more smiles are ahead. Thanks for adding in your excitement for what is new and on the horizon! Hugs, Suzan

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  12. Change is hard for many of us. Thanks for taking a step in a new direction. Discounted designer goods will add a fabric opportunity for us that we don't currently have in the East Bay. I'm excited to see what you will be offering. Mary Jo Sherman Nelson, Benicia

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    1. See my response in the above post…The East Bay is a wonderful place to visit and Stonemountain & Daughter is a true treasure trove from the old world for the new age!

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  13. How sad, I was looking forward to signing my niece up for your children's classes. I have enjoyed the all too few classes I've taken at SM. It was always a comfort to know classes were offered even though I may not have time to take them. Thank you so much for being there.

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  14. I really understand your sadness and so appreciate you reaching out to share your thoughts with me. We will still have some of our special camps in June - so take a look and sign her up quickly! After that our wonderful Stonemountain instructors, Barbara Beccio and Mary Patrone will be local and will be teaching in our familiar format as they have done for years - close by! I will be posting all the referrals when things are finalized in the next month or so.

    I am glad you got the chance to take classes with us! What we have been doing here for 19 + years is truly special and unique and I realize what a loss it will be to many. Out of this "letting go", we will be embracing a strong future for us selling much needed quality fabric along with kind and excellent customer service. We so love being here and working closely with you and our community. Hope to see you soon, Suzan

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  15. This is so sad! Will you be posting the information about classes that will be offered on your website as well, or just if you stop in the store to pick it up.
    I am in the East Bay, but it takes me a half hour (on a good day with traffic) to get to the store, but I was wanting to take a class this summer. Thank you for the wonderful service you provide to the whole area. You fill a very important need, and I for one really appreciate that you are here and staying!

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    1. We strive so hard to fill so many needs in our creative community - thanks for your support and seeing this! We are doing everything we can to stay and thrive. This is a huge decision and not one that we are taking lightly, but we do see it as an essential change. We will have a handout for alternative sewing classes and we will also post it on our Stonemountain & Daughter website along with a mention here on my blog. We will probably have a printable PDF, once everything is settled in the next month or so! Cheers to sewing and loving fabric! ~ Suzan

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    2. Thank you for responding! I am glad you are growing and will be continuing to offer quality fabrics. That is very heartening! I cannot wait to see what you will offer upstairs!

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  16. So sad! Thanks for providing classes all these years. I'm sad I'll be missing out on any more :(

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  17. Hi Kim, I hope that you will have time to take them before the end of June - we still have a few more months of awesome classes. Thanks for taking some with us in the past and hope you will stop by and see what's new in the store soon. It's been so much fun to share all these classes with our student base for 20 years now. As much as we will all miss them, I am super excited to see what new inspiration we will focus on with all our time :) - Suzan

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