There are certain times of the year at Needle ‘n Thread when we tend to take a breather – a couple days around Thanksgiving, a few days around Christmas, a few days around Easter. The rest of the year, we pretty much work in a frenzy, except for summer. In the summer, we usually go into a calmer, looser mode of work, where we get in more time with planned stitching on upcoming projects and the like.

When you’re stitching, everything slows down. Everything becomes more relaxed. It’s quieter. Calmer. Perfect for summer.

So in the summer, we’ve always been a bit looser with the work schedule. We stitch a lot, yes. We do some production, yes. But it’s pretty looser and more flexible than the rest of the year. The kids pop in. We do impromptu activities with family. Things like that.

This is the time of year when I can usually take a scheduled vacation for a week while Anna covers for me. And visa-versa. (Technically, we can do that any time of the year, but summer always seems to be when it actually happens. The other times of the year are just too crowded.)

But this year has been different. It started off in a royal mess, with my house problem right as we were just settling into the new studio for work. And it never really improved – we’ve been chasing the proverbial tail all year long.

Although summer has finally come, there is definitely something different about it this year. Now, we are in full production mode on every single front. With an extra part-time set of hands, we’ve been working full days and then some, with little variation except for personal appointments and the Life Things that still pop up.

I’ll show you some of the things we’re working on so you can get a taste of Studio Life!