As promised

It's sunny outside, and I remembered to take some photos before delivering this bag to Purl, where it will join it's sister. This is a fairly simple tote bag which I'll be teaching for the level 2 sewing class at Purl. I like it because the oval bottom and the seam-inserted handles make it easy to assemble, but the pattern still includes a zippered inside pocket, some topstitching, and a lining. That way we'll cover lots of ground without overwhelming anyone.


I'm happy with the purple and yellow color combination, and the big graphic polka dots combine nicely with the lining. But my favorite part is that purple zippered pocket inside the tote. It's an unexpected surprise.


And here are a few more photos, mostly because I don't have anything else to say.



The prototype turned out ok as well, which doesn't always happen.

Well, that was silly of me

I finished the backpack/tote bag and brought it to Purl without taking a photo! I seem to do things like that more and more frequently these days. If we get a little natural light sometime soon I'll try to take a few photos of the bag and several other things I've neglected to show you.


Instead, here is a photo of our latest toy, which probably excites me more than it does Tsia. It's a game in which you select a card and then reach into a muslin bag without looking and try to find the corresponding wooden shape by touch only. It sounds like fun for a two-year-old, but I can think of a million other ways to play with this toy, which is why I like it so much. In fact, some of the little shapes have joined me at the computer today. But I bought it for Tsia. Really.

And can you see that gorgeous linen on which our little friends are standing? It's not a good photo, but that's the REAL reason for the picture. I discovered a little shop in the garment district today. Read this carefully, now: I bought natural-colored, 100% linen handkerchief and mid-weight plainweaves for $7 a yard! Yes, you read that correctly. Last week I looked at a similar quality for which the price was $25 a yard. And, even better, the shop has a website from which you can order: Gray Line Linen Inc. The mid-weight that I bought is called the "Judy," and it's delicious. Expect a bit of embroidery soon.



Here's another bag in progress. I promise I'll take photos of this one. Maybe tomorrow, if we can rustle up a little sunshine in these parts.

P.S. Let me just add, for those of you who may not know, that $7 a yard is approximately the equivalent of a wholesale price for someone who might be buying hundreds of yards. When I was in the design business the really high-end European linens started at about $7. Gray Line is a European importer and converter, and the linen is a fantastic quality. Enjoy!

Our to do list for today

We're headed to Princeton, NJ, to visit my sister and her kids for the day. Lots of train rides on our To Do list and no errands, cleaning, etc. And I'll be able to cross off everything on the list for a change. Hurray!

Things that make me happy

I'm feeling a bit like a girl running in circles over here during the past few days. I guess I'm trying to do too many things in not very much time and not accomplishing much of anything as a result. But rather than whine, here are a few things to keep you occupied until I pull myself together a bit:

*Thanks to several of you who commented, I have now officially switched my book log to Library Thing. Funny, I had signed up for it earlier and couldn't remember what it was called. Now I won't forget! Follow along with me if you like.

*I had to watch this video several times, I think it's so fascinating: how to fold a t-shirt (in Japanese). It seems almost like magic origami, the way they do it. It looks like so much fun, maybe now I'll stop folding everything in half and start folding like a pro.

*The Sartorialist for Cookie magazine. Scott and I traded email regarding dressing while working as a stay-at-home parent, so I've been looking forward to this launch for a little while. I'm hoping mostly for inspiration for myself, and maybe a little for Tsia as well.

*Celebrating the second birthday of my Tsia. Can it really be today already?

Will be back soon. My old boss used to say, "Come tomorrow. It'll be fun!"

And it was.

It's catching

I think I've caught whatever Hillary has.


No, I'm not pregnant. I'm talking about her doll quilt decorating idea. I've already told Hillary I may have to copy her. Now that Little isn't so little and has lost her tiny dog-filled room, I've been looking for a clever way to decorate her new space. Little toddler bed, big empty wall above it: what could be better than to cover it with small quilts!


But this quilt isn't meant to hang on the wall; it's exclusively for use with dolls, dogs, and a cat or two. A little valentine for my little valentine. She calls herself "Tsia" (pronounced tSEE-ah) now. Which isn't her name, but I like it and use it frequently myself.


We dug into the scrap bin for this quilt. Any piece that was large enough (2" square) was used, with no discrimination whatsoever regarding pattern, color, etc.. I was a little worried about the results with such a willy-nilly selection, but I think it's ok. And true to the quick, simple nature of doll quilts as per the Alex Anderson podcast, I didn't worry too much about matching corners and such. In the end, it was lots of fun and quick to make.

I like the way it looks when the sun shines through, too.

I'm in looooooove

Ok. First of all, it's impossible to take a decent photo inside our apartment unless it's mid-afternoon and the sun is shining very brightly outside. And even then it's tricky. But the sun certainly isn't shining right now. So my photos really aren't going to do justice, but I'm powering through nonetheless.


Second, happy Valentine's Day! I love February (sorry, February haters) because we almost always get some sort of snow (which is why the sun isn't shining right now) and because it's a month full of family birthdays.

So having said that, look what arrived in the mail (for my birthday)!

I'm in awe. Grandma said this type of embroidery is called "hen scratching," if she recalls correctly. The gingham pattern determines the placement of the stitches, as you can see. And in true Grandma style, look how beautifully the gingham matches at the pockets. It's perfect. You can't even tell it's a patch pocket unless you look very closely.


Grandma didn't stitch this: a friend of hers embroidered it many years ago, and Grandma put it together. I love everything about it: the pink is a soft non-bubble-gum-pink-but-still-certainly-pink pink and the white is more of a creme. But don't get me started on the color names again. I also adore the combination of pink and white with a touch of black. It feels sophisticated, feminine and elegant. And maybe a little dangerous.

This is an occasion apron. One that you keep carefully folded in tissue paper in a dresser drawer and wear only on, say, Valentine's Day. But I still haven't decided what one wears underneath an apron like this.


Unless, maybe, something in black lace? Hmmm.

Cutting it close with two days to go

Our Valentines are finally in the mail, hopefully to arrive by the big day. Mail service to and from the mid-west seems to take about five days, so I'm cutting it a bit close by posting our cards only today. But how is that different from any other deadlines at our house? Suffice to say, we're generally satisfied if our birthday cards arrive within the same week as the birthday. And on many occasions I've sent a New Year's card instead of a Christmas card. This year the holiday card didn't happen at all despite my best intentions.


I think we both enjoyed getting our fingers all covered with purple glue stick, and the Kiddo really spent much of the time marching around the apartment chanting "Haat, haat, haat!" (which is Toddler for "heart").


We started with pages from an ancient, brittle-paged, yellowed paperback thesaurus and a collection of Australian poems (I found them in the book exchange down in our laundry room), clippings from magazines, pages from an old atlas, lots of odds and ends I've saved, and all our goodies from Papier Valise. Most of the cards are mounted on scraps of heavy mat board, and we used lots of layers: vellum, onion skin paper, transparent film, colored papers. More photos of the cards can be seen here.


Sadly, I still haven't made the annual edition of cupcake-themed birthday cards. Since my Mom's birthday is one day after Valentine's Day, we'll certainly be keeping with tradition: I'd better get moving so she'll receive her card sometime this month!

Caution: girl at work

Hard at work on a fun project over here. I'm designing a bag and pattern to use for teaching an advanced-level sewing class at Purl. We picked out these two Etsuko Furuya fabrics for the sample, and I'm really excited to start sewing them. (Still feeling that olive love, obviously.)


On a completely unrelated note, I've been wanting to keep track of the books I read, since the New York Public Library doesn't keep records (something about the Freedom of Information Act, I believe). One of my sisters uses bibliophil.org to track and record her own reading. (Although I still wish she would have kept blogging. Subtle hint. Ahem.) I've joined now as well. Follow along with me if you wish. And I'm always looking for suggestions, by the way.

Corners of my home

Here's a corner that evokes both guilt and excitement for me. Several times a day I walk in just to flip the dimmer switch and grin with a shiver of excitement. I have my very own new workroom!

Until recently this closet in the corner of our bedroom was the Kiddo's room. We kept the blue ceiling and wall as well as the green floor, area rug, and shelving from this closet's previous life. Just two coats of creamy white paint, some shelving, and a little wooden stool and I now have a cozy corner in which to do my sewing and a place to store a lot of craft materials. I couldn't bear to watch while Todd painted over our beloved dogs, but the result was worth the pain.

Our apartment is about 750 square foot (that's a generous estimate, mind you), and I've just claimed almost 25 square feet as my very own. Wow, that sounds like a lot. It doesn't feel like much space when you step inside, but it's bright, happy, neat, and out of the way. Aside from the guilt, I couldn't be more excited about it.

I'm still hoping to find a local retailer for Homosote so I can make a big bulletin board on the left wall a la Martha Stewart, and then I'll be all set!

Ummm, yeah.

Huh. We've been back for nearly a week now, but somehow it's taken me six days to sit down at the computer. Why? Not sure, but here are the highlights of my week since our return:

*searching for the cordless phone one day and finally discovering it underneath the cat.

*dinner on Saturday, during which the Kiddo would eat only barbecue sauce. With nothing else. Just the sauce.

*throwing a baby shower for a friend and discovering that it was her very first shower. This is her third child.

*learning that the Scalloped hem skirt class for April at Purl is already filled. Don't worry: we'll offer it again soon. There are still lots of other classes on the schedule, particularly the Insider's shopping tour of the garment district at the end of March. See the Purl Bee for a details and a schedule. Come! We'll have lunch together!

*finishing my new work space. Photos to come. I can't believe I have my own little (tiny) place to sew!

Anyway, we enjoyed our trip to Dallas. Thanks for your comments and suggestions regarding places to visit. We saw lots of great art and architecture, and we enjoyed a chance to get away for a while. I did get a little peak at the Balenciaga exhibit during installation. Looks like it's spectacular! If you see it, please drop me a line and tell me about it.

When Todd asks the Kiddo if we messed with Texas, she gives an emphatic "NO!" Smart kid.