WIP Friday

After writing about Erica Wilson's Embroidery Book the other day, I finally marched myself over to ebay and bought a copy. I rarely buy craft books. I guess I'm too cheap and we don't have the space for many more books. With a book like The New Crewel, I would rather be inspired by it and then walk away and do my own thing. If I have reference book with information about the various types of stitches in crewel and embroidery work (like EW's book), I can make my own patterns and projects based on the stitches and instructions provided in the book.


Nevertheless, I still have some favorite project/pattern books: I've made many of the patterns in Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, and I'm looking forward to Joelle's upcoming patchwork/quilting book. But otherwise I'm not likely to purchase a craft book unless it's either a fantastic reference book or I like nearly every pattern in the book. I guess I'd rather own other types of inspirational books than a lot of crafting books. I'd be curious to hear what other people's favorite craft books are. Care to share?

Anyway, it's Work in Progress Friday, so here are a few shots of my WIP. Another dress for Bebe, which I drafted and cut out several months ago and am finally sewing. Can't wait to show you the results! And the other photo is the WIP box: a canvas storage box from The Container Store that houses all my smaller projects, each in its own ziplock bag. It's been a good system for me, but the box is ridiculously full right now. And there are many other projects on the shelves in the bedroom; they just don't fit into the box.



In other news, we found this rock sitting under a bench in our "back yard" (the playground outside our apartment). Initially I thought it was a neglected potato, sitting there all by itself. No matter; once we realized it was a rock, into the toy stroller it went, as does anything of interest these days, and it came along on our walk. That's one of the most amusing aspects of having a toddler: if something catches her attention it goes immediately into her stroller so she can look at it as she pushes it ahead of herself. Earlier this afternoon she was pushing a small wooden sailboat around the living room. I can't say I've ever seen a boat treated with such affection before.

Whew!

Never mind the heat and humidity outside, I am very happy today because I have a lovely pair of lacey socks to decorate my feet while I put them up for a while. Ok, my feet aren't really up, but the socks are really finished.


I think that probably I could have finished my sweater in the same amount of time it took to make the socks. Really! They took a long time. And although I enjoyed the project, I think maybe I'll take a break from making any more socks for a while, partially because I want to finish the Hourglass Sweater and knit the Kiddo's cardigan, but also because I can't believe how long it took to knit these socks. I feel like I've been dragging them around with me for months now, I guess because I have been!


Isn't that a weird angle for a photo? Emily was right about the yarn: it's fantastic. And Anna's pattern was really well-written. I learned a lot making these socks: magic circle (knitting in the round using a long circular needle), knitting lace, and short rows. The short rows weren't much fun, but I'm feeling more comfortable with the whole concept after this project.

And today I started dragging the Kiddo's cardigan around with me. I'm altering a Debbie Bliss pattern for a different gauge and a few design changes, and I'm hoping to finish before, say, October. The good news is that I'm using a size 4 needle instead of the size 0 that my socks were knitted on, and it's a lovely cotton yarn, which should be nice knitting in the summer. Oh, but the cardigan will be mostly stockinette stitch. Oh dear. I do get bored easily when I knit stockinette. I guess that's why I like to sew; the results are so much faster, aren't they?

Did you notice that I had enough leftover Japanese fabric from my skirt to make a pillow? It's a little weird to walk around in a skirt that matches your living room. I'm not sure I like the feeling.

Crewel intentions

(Sorry. I usually try to avoid really awful titles that contain puns. This one typed itself when I went into the other room.)


I picked up a copy of The New Crewel at the library last week. The New York Public Library doesn't generally have a strong selection of craft-type books in its lending selection, but somehow I managed to get myself on the list for this book just before it was put into circulation (much later than the actual publication date, mind you) and only waited a week or two for it to arrive. What a charming collection of contemporary designs! It's great to see a pastime like this come back into vogue. I'm finding inspiration in the simplicity and the spareness of the compositions and the shapes used in the designs.


When I finish my sock (ooh, I'm sooooo close! I can hardly stand to put it down long enough to write this!), I hope to do a little embroidery again in the evenings. I've been working on more baby gifts, and I've started experimenting with satin stitch initials on one drawstring bag for a baby who doesn't use his full name. But I have some tea towels that are waiting for embellishment.

Actually, some of the tea towels will be transformed, via embroidery, into large cloth napkins (er, "serviettes" to some of you not in the States) for casual dining, which is about as fancy as we get at our house lately. The others will be embroidered to become, yes, tea towels! Tremendously exciting, I know.

And I learned a couple of things from the book: first, I did not invent the idea of outlining in chain stitch before beginning to satin stitch a shape. Erica Wilson did it in her famous book, which I've been meaning to get for myself. And second, it really does help to use an embroidery hoop. I dislike hoops passionately, but as you can see from the disdressed banner above, a hoop can prevent you from pulling your stitches too tightly across your work and distorting the shape and the fabric. Someday I'll need to either fix that banner or make a new one. I'm voting for a new one.

Small assistants and other little packages

Does anyone want to borrow my stylist/photography assistant? She has strong opinions about how our photos should be set up and insists on making changes at the very last microsecond. The photos wouldn't be nearly as interesting without her involvement, of course. But the sessions would also be much shorter and would involve less setting up and re-setting up, I think.


We decided that Sooz's wonderful finger puppets needed a home, so an empty milk carton has undergone massive renovation. We still need to plant flowers in the windowboxes, and the door needs a window and a doorknob. I also wish the roofer had done a better job and had wrapped the roof tiles around the edges of the roof. But I'm pleased with the siding and with the lace curtains.



I've been suffering some nasty sinus headaches this week, so we've been spending more time than usual indoors. Yesterday I happened to turn on the TV while we were eating lunch and found a terrific show called Flea Market Documentary on PBS. Does everyone already know about this program? Check your local listings; I really enjoyed it.


And tonight I had the pleasure of meeting the fabulous Nicky Epstein at the Museum of Art and Design, where she did a presentation and fashion show featuring her work. We saw a few previews of her next book and of some patterns in Vogue Knitting. Really lovely work. But I swear I will not start any more knitting projects until I finish my sock, my Hourglass Sweater, and the cardigan I'm planning for The Photography Assistant. However, I do hope to use one of Nicky's edgings on the cardigan, so at least there's that.

And speaking of Sooz and new projects, look what arrived in the mail a while ago: this little coinpurse with the most adorable little wrapped packages of beads inside. I hated to open them, they were so cute. The beads are all lovely and will certainly become something beautiful someday. Thank you, Suzie!

Renegades

We hit the Renegade Craft Fair on Saturday, and I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah from The Small Object as well as Diana of make workshop. I was a little too shy to introduce myself to some of the other vendors like Aimee of Sew Betsy Ross and the people from Reprodepot, who were selling fabric remnants and things. One of my favorite new finds was Marcie McGoldrick, who had adorable ceramic dishes and disc earrings for sale. Her booth was jammed, but I hope her website goes up soon because I'm still thinking about how cute those earrings were.


I must be getting old. That whole hipster DIY rough-around-the-edges Williamsburg (Brooklyn) aesthetic just doesn't appeal to me. Thank goodness many of the vendors (see above) don't subscribe to that look, but there were plenty who did.

Anyway, speaking of hipsters, here's our little hipster in her new dress. You didn't think I forgot about it, did you? View number 3 won the most votes, so your wish is my command. I'm happy with the changes and with the yellow piping (is it called piping when it's flat?) at the seams. This time I also cut a separate piece of fabric for the hem. It contours to the same shape as the skirt hem and made finishing the dress a breeze, especially with all the layers of fabric at the piped seams.


My friend Jim gave me a bunch of vintage buttons a while ago (he works at Housing Works during the weekends and finds great stuff there) and I found these two matching yellow ones in the bunch. Perfect!

Diagnosis: Crafter's ADHD

I don't need a doctor to tell me I have a problem; I've known it for years. I have two sewing machines (they're both hand-me-downs: I know how to make buttonholes on one, and the other sews more nicely without causing me tantrums over the tension), a dress form, a knitting machine that hasn't seen the light of day for at least two years, loads of jewelry-making tools (all small tools, but they add up), beads, a table loom, piles of knitting needles, and ridiculous stashes of yarn, fabric, embroidery floss, and the like. There are craft books, sewing patterns, binders full of tearsheets, saved issues of Threads and Marie Claire Idees, and my binders full of MSL articles. And I still have all my notes and books from design school, which I use frequently.


Now I'm considering dyeing fabrics using natural dyes. And I'd like to try spinning sometime. Plus my Grandma has a fantastic floor loom I'd love to have someday, but when would I use it? And where would I store it? And what about that serger I'd love to buy?

So with all these projects and craft types, what have I been doing with myself lately? Well, not sewing the baby dress, making baby gifts, finishing my sock, or sewing any of the other piles of cut-out clothing on my sewing machine. No, not me. I decided I just had to make myself a t-shirt. Why, I don't know. But I liked the silhouette of a shirt I bought at Anthropologie a while ago and decided that two XL t-shirts which were destined for the thrift shop or the garbage just had to become a little fitted t-shirt. I've never sewn knit fabric before, but it was easier than I thought. Still, I don't like the neckline or the sleeve cap or the shape of the armholes and will almost certainly never wear it. And the fabric was a bit stiff and heavy for this particular style, I think. Those Beefy T's weren't meant for Anthropologie styling.


It was an interesting experiment, and I'd like to say that I've gotten it out of my system and can return to the previously planned projects. But something tells me that there will be more t-shirts in further attempts to solve the fit issues I had with this one.


Great. One more new craft direction. Now I suppose I'll be building a stash of knit fabrics or old t-shirts? There must be a cure for this illness, and I'm sure I'm not the only one with the problem. Perhaps we should start a support group for Multi-Crafting Disorder? We could call eachother when the urge to try a new craft hits and talk eachother down. But knowing you crafty types, you'd just encourage me, wouldn't you? Some help you are. Enablers is what you are, the whole lot of you. Humph.


Oh, and regarding those natural dyes? Cristina sent me the Martha article and lots of information regarding the dyes and the dyeing process. She really knows what she's doing and was extremely generous with her expertise. Thank you so much, Cristina! Are these colors just screaming "YOU MUST DYE YOUR OWN FABRIC...NOW!" or is it just me?

City baby

We seem to be raising a little gourmet.


Yesterday Kiddo ate sushi and Greek yogurt for lunch, then gravlax and carrot ginger soup for dinner. She loves cocktail olives, purple onions, goats' milk, and gorgonzola cheese. She positions herself in front of the refrigerator so she can select her favorite foods when I open the door, and she's quite opinionated about her choices.



This is the offspring of two midwestern-reared adults who grew up eating Jello salad, grilled chicken, hamburgers. La Choy chow mein was exotic ethnic food to us, back in the olden days.

We've obviously expanded our palettes, as has much of the population, it seems. And I think it would be fun to grow up eating foods from a variety of cultures and backgrounds, so I try to feed her a diverse, healthy selection. But the fact that she's actually selecting these foods for herself surprises me: she prefers goat cheese over cheddar, gravlax over chicken, sushi over sandwiches. I don't know whether I would have been making those same choices as a child. I wonder what's next on her plate?

Last night, after she went to bed, I sewed her a little pocket with a ribbon strap. I thought she might enjoy having a place to keep her little treasures. You know: pick up a stick and put it in your pocket, that sort of thing. We discovered later this afternoon that it works better when worn across her chest like a messenger bag, but she's not really putting anything into it. So much for that toy. Instead, the current fascination is to find garbage on the sidewalks and throw it into the nearest trash can.


She looks so proud of herself, doesn't she?

Sunday Sunday Sunday!

Poor Todd, home less than 24 hours this weekend before heading off on another business trip. We wanted to make the most of an afternoon together, so we strapped the baby into the backpack and headed to midtown for a change. First a stop at the Pierpont Morgan Library to see the new Renzo Piano addition:




Then a jaunt over to Bryant Park. A ticket at the booth


for a trip on the carousel,



then a short sit-down to enjoy the weather and the Parisian atmosphere.


A stop at Beard Papa for a treat,


and a drop-in at the Whitney at Altria to see the other Andrea Zittel show.


And then we headed home again via the East River, where we watched the tug boats and sailboats on our way downtown. All in all, a pleasant afternoon with a few photographic memories.

Weary, happy eyes

We've been busy over here organizing the linen closet, weeding through some old clothes, and emptying a bookcase we're eliminating to clear some space. The bedroom has become a staging ground for bags of clothing and books, but it feels good to rid the apartment of some clutter. And it was a good week to be indoors, with all that rain we had. I also made three bistro aprons a la Martha, using that amazingly luxurious French baker's linen she recommended oh so long ago (that price she gave for the linen: very outdated). I had so much fun folding and tucking the ribbons into place and pulling threads in order to turn the hems perfectly. I just love how they turned out; I may not ever take mine off. In fact, I just listed two of the aprons at my Etsy shop, if anyone else is interested.


But let's get to the interesting stuff: I wish you had come with me on Friday! I had to run to the trim stores, and my errand turned into a visual binge. M&J was virtually empty, so I had the racks of trim all to myself. What a treat to stand back and admire the rows of ribbon and cording, all without being jostled or feeling rushed to make a decision. Next stop was Tinsel Trading, which was all decked out to shoot the Christmas issue of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion magazine. It looked just like something Alicia would style, with cute little vintage decorations arranged just perfectly inside an antique china cabinet. I wished I could have taken a photo of it myself, just to show you.


Speaking of Alicia, have you read her posts about Anthropologie and the article in the New York Times? I weirdly ended up in two Anthropologie shops on Friday. I needed to return a dress at the shop on Fifth Avenue, and who could resist stopping by the new Rockefeller Center store when I went to Kinokuniya? Rockefeller Center should now be high on the list of Important Crafter's Destinations in New York, with the Japanese bookstore and the new Anthropologie shop just across the plaza from each other. Put it right underneath Sullivan Street (Purl and Purl Patchwork) and 38th Street (see Tinsel Trading, above) on the priority list for your next visit.


So anyway, the visual treats continued: Kinokuniya has rearranged their craft book section and added lots of new titles. And the new Anthropologie flagship is enormous and beautifully done. They employ the most talented visual display people, don't you think? I love looking at the walls and windows in the store even more than I like looking at the merchandise itself. This location even has a sort of gallery space where an artist's work is displayed (the art is for sale, of course). Really, you must see it. I was completely overwhelmed by the scale of the store and by the number of ideas I got from my visit. Between the trim shops, the Japanese craft books, and two Anthropologie stores it felt almost like I had eaten too much Halloween candy. I should have gone home to read some annual reports or something, just to steady my breathing and heartrate again. (Incidentally, I do know how to read an annual report, but it's been a long time since I actually last did so.)

Oh, and this photo is for Alicia: my very own Peter Pan collar, very similar to hers. Mom made that dress for me and added the collar after I sketched my request. I loved that dress. Who knows why I looked so stressed in the photo; it was taken just after our college graduation ceremony, so maybe we were wondering what to do with our lives?

Ok, I'm off to do the dishes. In my new apron, of course.

Everybody's doing it

Well, you may not have noticed my absence, but I've been missing you all. The kiddo and I are recovering from another nasty stomach bug we had over the weekend. Between that, a trip to the dentist to fill a little cavity, and four nasty blisters I got today from wearing my high-heeled sandals (I knew I would be walking all the way across town - what was I thinking?), just a normal day (Tomorrow? Please?) will feel like a lovely vacation for us.


So let's get to the interesting things first: Caroline sent photos of her scalloped hem skirt. Isn't it terrific? I love her fabric choices, and I can't begin to tell you how thrilled I am that some of you are actually using the tutorial.

Oh, did you notice those gorgeous shoes? I'll bet Caroline doesn't go traipsing off to the dentist in them, unlike some of us.


And now shall I show you how I wasted time this weekend? [insert yawn here] I'm embarrassed. But let me tell you how it all started:

When Joelle opened Purl Patchwork, she had a terrific little window display featuring wooden spools of thread. I thought it was charming and took some photos of it.


And then I found all those wooden spools at Grandma's apartment.


And finally, the new copy of the Garment Hill catalog arrived. That did it. My little spools needed some camera time too, just because I like them so much.


So there you have it. My record of time poorly spent. Maybe tomorrow I'll have some real content, or at least something interesting, to blog about. Until then, I'm planning to watch Memoirs of a Geisha and work on my sock tonight. I promise, it's going to feel like a night on the town, comparatively speaking.

And still more Martha

Ok, you all are too much. Somehow I didn't know about Marthadex: very cool! I will continue to search for the article, this time looking for September 1997. And thanks for the offers to scan it for me; I may just take one of you up on it if the search continues to be unfruitful.


By the way, if you were to subscribe to just one Martha magazine, which would it be? I haven't had much success with the recipes in Everyday Food (I frankly prefer the recipes in Real Simple, but I need to borrow my Mom's magazines when I go home because I really can't be subscribing to that magazine as well), but I can't decide between MSL and Blueprint. It's sort of hard to tell what Blueprint will be like based on just one issue, isn't it? I think I'm leaning toward MSL. I guess I'm not totally clear what the difference between the two magazines is. Maybe MSL is targeted more toward women in their 30's and 40's and Blueprint is targeted toward people in their 20's and early 30's? That's just a guess, but the magazines seem to have similar focuses on home, decorating, and the like. MSL has projects, however, and I don't recall seeing any in Blueprint. But like I said, there's only been one issue so far.

All this washing of linens has inspired me to start washing each one of Todd's sweaters by hand before putting them away for the summer. I really dislike drycleaning chemicals, and it's a lot cheaper to hand wash the sweaters anyway. I started today with his ivory- and camel-colored cashmere sweaters. He has a lot of beautiful cashmere sweaters from back when I was designing for Ralph Lauren and could attend the employee-only days at the sample sales. Like he said, too bad that gravy train left the station when I left the company. I enjoyed working at Tommy Hilfiger a lot more, but the sweaters just weren't of the same quality as Ralph's.

Alright, on to more interesting things. Two items found via Swissmiss:

Photography by Jan Von Holleben - you must see all the photos in the series; they're so clever and amusing.


A small swimming pool sculpture by Maria Bussmann. Maybe I'm just missing my local pool, but this is awfully cute.



This lovely Denyse Schmidt quilt at Velocity, found via Shelterrific. What a great price for such a beautiful piece! You can see many more fabulous quilts on Denyse's website.


And speaking of Denyse-style quilts, have you seen Blair's gorgeous quilt? Somewhere in my stash of fabrics are the yards I purchased with this same pattern in mind; perhaps I should get busy while I'm so inspired by her gorgeous results.

You must also see Suzie's backtack rabbit and it's adorable coat and shoes. I love how the embroidered motif carries across both sides of the vest front.

That's it for me.