My home sewing machine was acting up so I decided it was the perfect excuse to do some work at Common Thread Studio in my hometown, South Pasadena.

It was my first time using the work spaces and I will definitely be going back. Seriously fell in love with the character of the place: creative, hip, clean, stylish, personal, and fun.

The owner, Jin, was awesome and brings a lot of design experience and enthusiasm to her space. I spent a good three hours there so I was thankful that she was blasting the likes of Beck, Kings of Leon (their old stuff), and Arcade Fire on the iPod. Made me feel like I was working from home.

If only this place had been around when I was in High School! She has classes for all levels of sewing and also offers a screen printing area, how cool is that?

WARNING: chances are that you WILL buy something from her shop area. It's curated with great gift items for babies, crafters, and even the most discerning creative and stylish people in your life.