Food stuff

My new favorite breakfast. Delicious, and it reminds me of visits to our friends who live in the Netherlands. I'm a serious yogurt snob, and I only buy plain Greek-style yogurt because it's closest to European yogurt (the only real yogurt, in my opinion). This muesli is amazing with that yogurt and apples or halved grapes, a few dried cranberries, etc. You could probably use regular or flavored yogurt as well.


Agave nectar. We've tried it in my favorite cookies now, as well as Nigella's banana bread. Fantastic. I recommend it, but be sure to watch your cooking times and add about 30% less than the sugar usually used in the recipe you're making. It's so much healthier for you and doesn't really alter the taste at all, in my opinion. You can find it in natural food stores as well as Trader Joe's and even some local groceries.


Alice Waters' newest cookbook, The Art of Simple Food. This one I'll be adding to my bookshelf. I love it because it explains each step in detail so you know what to expect and why the process works. I'm much more confident about making souffles, salad dressings, and other "basics" of cooking now that I've read this book. Plus, there are a bunch more recipes in the second half of the book that build on those fundamentals. I couldn't renew this book from the library any more and was really sorry to return it.

The Slow Cooker book was interesting, too. I had never considered making fondue in our crockpot, but we certainly don't have room for other contraptions in our small kitchen, and the fondue is really quite tasty and easy to make. I don't recommend the ice cream recipe, however. It was odd, to say the least. I think we made a few other recipes from this book as well, but the fondue was by far my favorite.

Happy Easter!

I needed to run some errands in the garment district yesterday, and Tsia came along so we made a detour to the carrousel at Bryant Park. It seemed like a nice way to celebrate the coming of spring, and I think it would be a great tradition. My favorite part of the carrousel is the ticket booth, which is about as adorable as can be. That and the fabulous French music that accompanies the trip. Bryant Park gives a wonderful flavor of Paris; very refreshing, especially in the spring.

Other Easter stuff:

Peep diorama contest sponsored by the Washington Post

Slow crafting

Natalie Chanin is one of my heroes.


In 2001, when I was working as a designer for Ralph Lauren, I would often run across the street to Barney's during lunch just to ogle the Project Alabama t-shirts. They were like nothing I had ever seen before: a sort of shabby couture garment made from recycled vintage t-shirts that had been cut up, painted, re-assembled, appliqued and embroidered entirely by hand, one by one, by quilters in Alabama. They were gorgeous. And they sold for something in the $200+ range, as I recall. For a t-shirt. But a t-shirt like nothing you've ever seen before.


Flash forward a few years to the Project Alabama runway collection. Also gorgeous, and also made using the same hand-sewn, distressed (see? I do know how to spell it!) techniques. But this time it was more than t-shirts; it was dresses and skirts made using those same labor-intensive, hand-crafted techniques.


And then they went out of business. Or that's what I thought, anyway.

Actually Chanin, the founder of PA, and the organization itself parted ways. A difference in philosophy, apparently. Chanin soon resurfaced as Alabama Chanin, but I wasn't sure where that was going. I was certainly waiting to find out, however.


Ok, flash all the way forward to last week. I opened the apartment door the other day to find a WHAT!?!? book by the founder of Project Alabama. About WHAT?!?! the same techniques and projects I've been drooling over for seven years now!?!


Well. Knock me over.

And the book is amazing. Gorgeous. Beautifully photographed by fellow Alabaman (is that the right term?) Robert Rausch, with a thoughtful and clean page design and attractive handwritten elements included among the type. Plus, all those lovely construction details are fully explained. The techniques and steps are detailed in areas I would never expect them to be explained: the philosophy and history that drew Chanin to start the company, an explanation of how to select the best materials for the project, what sort of stitching and knotting to use (and why), what materials the "Alabama" stencils are made from (felt!), how to prepare your thread before you start hand stitching (you "love" it, of course!).


Also included are two pull-out pattern pages in the back so you can make your very own corset t-shirt (one of those original Project Alabama styles I admired so readily as an aspiring designer) or skirt. It also includes a perforated postcard with instructions for beading it; a stencil for making the reverse applique that I love, love, love (I really love it, can you tell?); and instructions for projects big and small, quick (relatively speaking, that is) and time-consuming: an applique tablecloth, sweet stuffed bunny, deconstructed quilt, bookcover, headband, any size project you want to try. It's a book filled with useful information, detailed instructions, and inspiring ideas.

Have I told you how much I love this book?


Chanin appreciates the process and history of crafting. Her philosophy is similar to that of the slow food movement, which emphasizes quality and sustainability. I think it's wonderful that she's written this book to pass along the history, techniques and appreciation of hand-made. And to show us how to make them ourselves, even if we can't afford to buy that fabulous t-shirt in Barney's. We can certainly afford to participate in the traditions and to make them our own.


See? My hero.

Today is the day!

DRESS ME!

Oliver + S is open for business! The patterns have all arrived, and we've spent the past several days feverishly filling wholesale orders and getting everything ready to start taking orders on the website.

I hope you'll love the patterns. I'm pleased with how they turned out, if I do say so myself.

While you're at the website, be sure to check out the new O+S blog as well. And of course there's a flickr group, too, where everyone can share photos of their creations.

There's lots of new stuff in the pipeline, and I'll try to post a little bit about it here as well as on the new blog.

Nearly extinct birds not found in the Audubon guide

Family: Small Red-Breasted Bushsitter
Genus: Cottonus Handstitchedus

The Small Red-Breasted Bushsetter is not abundant, even in New York. It is found mostly between 16th Street and 13th Street in Manhattan's East Village but occasionally makes its way to New Jersey via post.

Its food consists primarily of organic CSA produce and home-cooked meals. Although not shy with respect to people, it takes particular notice of children and short-tempered cats.

The flight of the Small Red-Breasted Bushsitter is performed by short falling spells, mostly off tables and counters, followed by the piercing cry of "Mom!!!"

(sent to my sister in New Jersey)

Family: Short-Billed City Wren
Genus: Linenus Floralus-Bellyus

This tiny bird makes its nest in messy, over-crowded sewing workrooms where its occasional mating call sounds a suspiciously like a wail of frustration. It prefers to make its nest from scraps of fabric and knotted threads, and it tends to be a bit of a night-owl since that's the most efficient time for working. The short-billed city wren is always in a hurry, often forgets to eat lunch, and doesn't have time to get its eyebrows waxed for months in a row. This is a water bird that seldom sees time in the pool due to it's overbooked work load.

The short-billed city wren tends to overcommit itself, is far too enthusiastic about too many ideas and projects than the actual time availabile to follow up, and tends to overwhelm its spouse with ideas and requests for help.

(awaiting a home while perched temporarily in my studio)

Genus: Tuquoise-bellied Jay
Family: Piratus painterus

This unusal bird is rumored to enjoy the scent of acrylic paint and occasionally takes up residence near computers and in home offices. It enjoys contemporary art and appreciates minimalist design, and it loves to cook delicious meals while listening to public radio. It's flight is restricted exclusively to short bicycle rides. The subsists exclusively on Artisinal cheese and an occasional bit of trotter at the famous St. John in London.

(given to my studio-mate, Michelle)


(Bird pattern from Joelle's book. Fast and fun to make, especially when hand-sewn.)

Okay, then!

The A Day in the Park convertible backpack tote pattern is now available for purchase! And since it can be difficult to find the necessary hardware for this bag, I've assemble the various elements in handy little kits (available in silver and in antique gold) to save you the trouble.

Please let me know if you have any problems with checkout, and be sure to add your photos of finished backpacks to the Flickr group. And thanks! Many of you have waited a long time for this pattern, and I appreciate your enthusiasm for it.