We are so proud to have had Elizabeth Layton as part of our team this past year!

Liz graduated in December from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Communications major in Business Ag. She is currently back home in Santa Rosa looking for new opportunities to spread her talents. We loved having her as part of team Rosie and wish her
the best in all her future adventures!
We know that for us she will always take her Rosies spirit with her.  Thanks for all that you did Liz, you will be missed! 

Liz  is being replaced by Katie Crawford. Katie has been a part of Rosies for 10 years, she has been a Rosies model, helped create product ideas, worked at road shows selling and now we get to have her use her unique talent for writing by taking over the blog , newsletter and face book posting. Rosies has a lot planned for 2012 and we welcome Katie’s voice to keep the Rosies community connected.
 
-Sharon Moore (Rosie’s founder)

New Year brings a new contest for Rosies! Get ready to pose for the camera and bring out those maps, to win lots of Rosies gear in 2012! 

Here is how you play:

1. Have someone take a picture of you in your favorite Rosies gear in front of a fun location (ex. a popular landmark)

HINT: we are looking for backgrounds that provide good clues without giving the location away! So, don’t stand in front of a sign telling what the location is! Also, the location should be something other Rosies can figure out, so a picture in front of your personal farm would not be as good of a choice as a picture in front of a hometown landmark.

2. Email the photo to us at info@rosiesworkwear.com Each month we will select one picture to post on our webpage. If your photo is selected you will WIN A PRIZE!!

3. Go to our webpage to try and guess the location of the selected photo. The first one to correctly respond will WIN A PRIZE!!

This past weekend Rosies Workwear headed down to the Rosebowl flea market in Pasadena to be a part of the 2,500 vendors featured every month.  Celebrating over 40 years of business, this was like no other flea market we had ever been to.

After checking in around 6am (flea markets open early!) we set up our booth and patiently waited for the gates to open to buyers at 9am.  We had the opportunity to talk to many different people and promote the Rosies overalls and coveralls – we had such a great time (and even did a little shopping ourselves!)

It was wonderful to hear how many women appreciate workwear designed to specifically fit them.  We were also able to inform women how convenient overalls and coveralls can be for many activities some normally wouldn’t think of.  Workwear doesn’t just have to be “at work”.  Gardening, home repairs, and do-it-yourself projects are all great times to wear your Rosies.

If you find yourself in the Pasadena area on the second Sunday of each month, this is definitely a flea market you should check out.  For more information on the Rosebowl flea market, visit their website at http://rgcshows.com/RoseBowl.aspx.

by Elizabeth Layton

Fall is out in full force and winter is on its’ way!  For those of us with horses, this means “clipping season”.  Clipping your horse is a common occurrence in the winter for equine lovers because, when riding your horse, they get sweaty.  During the warm summer months this doesn’t create any problem; simply take your horse to the wash racks and hose them off (hose yourself off, too, depending on how hot out it is).  However, in the colder fall and winter this isn’t possible, because it gets too cold out to hose your horse off and they can very likely become sick.

For myself, that “clipping day” came last week.  I could see it in my horses eyes every time I hopped off after a ride.  He was saying “Mom, it’s starting to get cold when are you going to bring out that warm and fuzzy blanket you bought me last year that I love to bite and roll around in the mud in?”  I could see it every time I brushed him and clumps of hair came out because he was shedding so uncontrollably.  Fact: I personally do not enjoy clipping.  Of course I do it – I don’t want my adored horse to be cold – but I do not enjoy those tiny, fine hairs that find their way in to every crevice of my clothes, my eyes, my hair, (you get the picture).  BUT WAIT.  As I sat at Rosies Workwear last week I realized I have been looking at my attire for clipping the entirely wrong way.  Why have I been wearing jeans and sweatshirts when I can wear coveralls?

Last week when I clipped my horse it was a magical experience.  I threw my coveralls on over my clothes and buttoned those babies all the way to the top.  After I was done clipping I brushed my horse, gave him a carrot for being such a good boy and shed myself of my hairy coveralls to find that my clothes underneath were still clean.  I also wore a pair of our Rosies safety glasses, which kept my eyes from becoming red and agitated.  All in all, this years clipping experience was a success.  I will absolutely never clip my horse again without my coveralls.

P.S. I think this would be great for clipping any animal; my personal experience just happens to be with horses!

by Elizabeth Layton, Rosies Intern

Last Friday we left rainy California and made our way to hot and sunny Puyallup, Washington for the Mother Earth News Fair!  (We thought the weather was strange, too!)  Expecting to head over to the show and set up our booth on Friday, we were surprised and disappointed (to say the least) when we received an email telling us that the truck our shipment should have been arriving in was involved in a hazmat spill.  The truck wouldn’t be able to get to the show until Saturday evening, leaving us Rosie-less for one full day at the fair.  Not letting this new information get us down, we followed our own “Rosies can do it” advice, put on our overalls and acted as our own booth on Saturday.  We met many amazing women and wound up almost selling out of our overalls on Sunday alone!  We really enjoyed getting to meet some of our Rosies girls in person and hearing all of the wonderful stories they all have to share!  Seeing the great turnout at this Mother Earth Fair got us excited for the one in Marin, California in September.  Anyone who couldn’t make it to the one in Washington – we hope to see you in Marin!

While getting dirty is fun, getting the stains out of your Rosies isn’t. We have had many of you ask us what’s the best way to clean your workwear so we decided to give you some tips and tricks we have learned:

Sherri Gamble, winner of the Dirtiest Rosies Contest, shows off her paint stains.

• For all stains: We have found that using good old Spray n’ Wash and Oxyclean work well. You can use stain removers as well, but you should test it on your Rosies first before applying.

• For grass stains: We blogged about this a while back, but this remedy is an easy homemade solution from Mrs. Clean. “Pre-treat the grass stain with warm water and vinegar (no fruit vinegar) or water and rubbing alcohol. You can then rub the mixture directly into the stain and then wash it as you normally would. This mixture is known to get out the stain. Another option is to take some ammonia and mix it with one teaspoon of vinegar and then repeat the above steps. All of these methods work great at removing stains.”

• For grease and oil stains: Rubbing lard/shortening on the spots, then washing them as you would normally. This may take a few tries, but it should eventually start to work its way out. Or, spray some WD-40 on the stain and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Then rub some dish detergent onto the stain. Rinse the area, apply more dish detergent onto the stain and wash as usual.

These Rosies have been used for three years and still look like new.

• For paint stains: Pour warm water and rubbing alcohol (generous amount) onto stain and work stain out with toothbrush. Or, spray the stain with some hairspray and rub with toothbrush. Wash as you would regularly. To remove oil-based paint, apply paint thinner onto spot with sponge, rubbing as much of the paint off as you can. Then rub liquid detergent and wash in hot water.

*Remember to test any cleaning solution you use before using it.

If stains don’t come out, wear your Rosies with pride! Stained workwear shows that you like getting dirty, plus they give your Rosies a little personality.

It’s that time of year again! Time for our Dirtiest Rosies Contest! Think you are the dirtiest Rosie? Submit a photo of yourself to info@rosiesworkwear.com and a short description of why you are the dirtiest Rosie. Each week we will post the submissions on our Facebook page. The winner will receive a new pair of  Rosies’ overalls, gloves and the title of Dirtiest Rosie. The contest goes from now until the end of May and the winner will be announced June 1st. Spread the dirt!

Rosies founder, Sharon Moore

It was about 7 years ago when Rosies’ founder, Sharon Moore, enrolled in her first welding class.  It was in this class that she got the idea for Rosies Workwear. When she went looking to buy coveralls to wear in class, all she found were ones designed for men. They were big and bulky and not in the least bit feminine. As they say necessity is the mother of invention, so Sharon created Rosies Workwear.  Since then other women welders as well as women mechanics, builders, painters, DIYers, farmers and gardeners have discovered the tough, durable and stylish overalls and coveralls that is Rosies. While we are thrilled to share with so many “can do” women, it’s welding that holds a special place in our heart.

Unfortunately, we are in a small minority. It was mentioned on carmenelectrode.com, a blog for women welders, that according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics the percentage of women working in the welding industry has actually declined – it is now LOWER than 6%. The news isn’t all doom and gloom. Check out this video we found on Carmen’s website. It’s of a girl’s summer day camp which is called coincidentally, Rosies Girls.  As the blog says, “It’s a place to learn skills (carpentry, welding, etc) that build confidence…This is an awesome way to introduce girls to career options that even today don’t seem accessible to women.” We couldn’t agree more.

From time to time, Rosies features a guest blogger. Below is a post by Nicky Warner. Nicky frequently contributes to blogs, specifically ones about womens workwear.If you would like to contribute to Rosies blog, please let us know.

During the 1940’s, the Second World War revolutionised the role of women in the workplace as former housewives took up positions in munitions factories, exchanging seamed stockings for industrial workwear clothing and replacing their high heels with a sturdy pair of protective boots. The working woman grew to be represented by the iconic image of Rosie the Riveter, the famous lady in protective workwear and a bandanna who proclaims “We Can Do It!”

While some women returned to their old way of life at the end of the war, the era paved the way for those who weren’t afraid to roll up the sleeves of their workwear uniforms and get their hands dirty. Since then, countless women have stepped into mens work boots to continue Rosie’s legacy.

While working in a wartime factory must have been a trying and tiring experience, many women today find fulfilment in  jobs that were first considered to be traditionally male occupations. Real-life Rosies are everywhere; they strut proudly in their workwear trousers and heavy boots, embodying the spirit of that cultural icon who effortlessly combined mascara and red lipstick with denim workwear overalls and toned biceps. Women in workwear scale construction scaffolding, brandish welding tools and emerge from under the bonnets of newly-repaired cars with grease-smeared, smiling faces. Even ladies who prefer a less physical occupation will don workwear overalls to tend to their gardens, paint their homes or tackle DIY renovation projects. All are labors of love.

The reward of hard work and fully throwing yourself into a physically demanding project is undeniable. And of course, every hard-working lady wants to look her best while going about her day. Womens workwear design has come a long way since the 40’s, and ladies in stylish, feminine workwear are a common sight.

What is your labour of love? Are you a welder or mechanic, or do you slip into your workwear clothes to enjoy a day of gardening? Share your story with Rosies and tell us what tasks bring joy to your day!

From time to time, we will share a more in-depth Rosie story that exemplifies our can do spirit. Please enjoy this feature of Wind Dance Farm on this holiday where we celebrate our independence.

Tucked amongst rolling green hills and beautiful homes you will find the elegant yet charming Wind Dance Farm. The 40 acres is home to budding olive trees, organic, sustainable gardens, a herd of alpacas, a brood of chickens, a breathtaking home and grounds, a lavender paradise in the making and a three-generational family working together to breathe life into this lifelong dream. There is richness and something very pure found on this beautiful farm hidden in the hills of Avila, CA, and beyond its gates is the story of one family’s dream becoming a reality.

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