Urban Threads

dirtsa, the little online business I share with my mom, really got started a couple of years ago when madre decided to invest in a new sewing machine. She went for the grand-daddy of machines and got one with a USB port, so you can download stuff off the internet and the machine will embroider it up for you.

But we've discovered a problem. A big problem. A lot of the embroidery designs out there seem to cater to old ladies with bad bad taste. Here are some prime examples:

The one on the top is really a goldmine of cliched embroidery motifs...angel + heart + american flag + statue of liberty + rosey-cheeked doll face. If only she had a flower between her toes and a cheesy quote about "home" floating overhead, then she'd be the queen bee of embroidery designs. Underneath is the perennial teddy bear who, in this instance, appears to be embroidering his own head. Hmm, I'll have to keep that neat and not at all creepy idea in mind for myself...

With such ridiculous designs out there, you can understand why we were so psyched when we recently discovered Urban Threads, a website offering funky and modern embroidery designs. One of our absolute favorites was this one, of peanut butter & jelly falling in love:

Can you even stand how cute they are? I mean, seriously, they are a match made in heaven. We decided they would be perfect to include in our new line of lunch bags. I myself am a grape jelly girl, but my mom likes to mix it up, so in the shop you can personalize your bag by choosing grape jelly, strawberry jelly, or even fluffernutter (if jelly ain't yo' thang). We've also got a couple of different color options for the bag itself. Click on the pic below and check it out; what sandwich would *you* choose?