what we're doing

Here's what's happening at our house these days:

Being inspired


all of us: The Bauhaus show at MoMA. Two visits and two books later, we're all still talking and thinking about the show.

Reading


Me: The Pushcart War, by Jean Merrill: Remember this book? I'm enjoying re-reading it and catching the vocal inflections of the characters this time around. I keep thinking about the Essex Street Market in our neighborhood, which was apparently started when the pushcarts were moved to a permanent location to get them out of the way on the streets. It's still a great place to shop.

Tsia: Socks, the last of our lengthy Beverly Clearly list. Now that we've reached the end, can anyone suggest other books for us? We prefer non-scary books that a four-year-old can relate to.

Todd: catching up on old issues of The New Yorker, which is also next on my to-read list.

Listening


Tsia: They Might Be Giants, No! This is a fun CD, in part, because she can play it on our computer and enjoy little games while she listens. I keep singing the little ditties to myself, too.


Todd and me: Radiolab. So interesting and thought-provoking. But we're public-radio geeks, I guess. Musically, Miriam Makeba is currently at the top of my want-to-hear list. Can anyone suggest a favorite album to try?

Watching


Doc Martin on Hulu.com. We want to visit the little fishing town in Cornwall where this British TV series is filmed. Gorgeous. And a very funny show in that wonderful understated British manner. If there were more programs like this, we'd probably get a TV!

Helvetica documentary. I've been meaning to see this for quite a while.

Answering

Lots of questions (sewing-related and other) on formspring. Anything you want to know?

post

My friend Michelle has been doing a lot of letterpress printing for some of her recent art projects, and she clued me in to these fantastic deckle-edge cards by Fabriano. They're inexpensive and support all sorts of media gracefully. Tsia and I have been using them to make our own Thank You cards with watercolor, pen and ink, and whatever else we have on hand. I love the texture and weight of the paper. It feels very luxurious.



I should point out that the cards are a rather unusual size, and it isn't easy to find matching envelopes. Believe me, I tried. I thought I'd find some fun colors to pair them with, but it wasn't meant to be, despite trying our fantastic local paper and envelope supply shop. So the coordinating envelopes are well worth the additional cost. Just keep that in mind...

handmade #4

For Tsia: new flannel PJs. Size 5 so they're extra long to account for the way flannel continues to shrink for a few washings and because she just keeps growing. Made with my favorite print from Sandi Henderson's first fabric collection.


An extra pair of PJ pants were made because, well, accidents happen. The ability to make more than one pair of matching PJ pants is certainly another advantage of sewing them yourself, yes?

something in the genes

No kidding, we measured Tsia the other day and she's grown an inch in the last two months! So this dress hem is just basted (and rather sloppily, at that) because there's an extra three inches in there, just waiting to be let out.

Ok, so let's just preface this post by saying that the love of pink or of sparkles was not genetically handed down through me or Todd. Or not directly, anyway. It didn't manifest itself in Tsia until preschool when she started playing with other girls who love pink, so maybe it's a passing fancy? I can only hope so, but a sparkly princess dress has been frequently and strongly requested, so Mom and I got busy during my visit home during the holidays. I thought I might get away with a more sophisticated selection of fabric, and I had almost successfully placed a lavender and gold sari-printed satin in our shopping cart when Tsia revolted. She wanted the pink with sparkles. And not just one pink fabric with sparkles; both the dress and the sheer accent fabrics needed to match! Yikes.


We used a McCall's pattern that I can't seem to find online, but it was in the pattern book the other day so I know it's still in print. There were about 18 views, which made the sewing seem more complicated than it actually was. I did make some adjustments to the bodice since I could tell from the measurement chart (and the photo on the envelope) that it would be too wide on her. Then I did the cutting, pressing and pinning, and Mom did almost all the sewing so it went really quickly. We returned home a few days later with a nearly finished dress; it just needed to be hemmed.

That, of course, took me another two weeks.

Mom found a matching veil in her stash of dress-up clothing for grandchildren (I love that she has this--we all got dressed up one night and had a blast!). And now what a happy kid we have, prancing around in her princess dress!

But here is the funny part, the part that makes my simultaneously proud and cringe. Turns out there was a vision for the pink dress. It wasn't just about any pink dress. She wanted a pink dress like her doll's! I get it, the designer vision thing. She's got the dress, she's happy, and I feel better for letting her have her way.

Thanks, Mom. That over-skirt construction was really weird, but it totally worked out.

handmade #3

For Todd: a rice neckwarmer/stress reliever. I saw something like this recently and thought he might like it, so I borrowed one of his shirts one night while he was sleeping, took a few measurements, and sewed a muslin U with channels to hold the rice. You just pop it into the microwave for a couple of minutes and the rice grains gets warm. I think Todd was more amused than impressed with it. We'll see if he ever actually uses it. Note that he is not wearing it in the photograph?



I made the slipcover with a print from Denyse Schmidt's Hope Valley so it looks nice and sort of masculine, I think. I also mixed some essential oils into the rice a few days before filling the neckwarmer so it smells good (like oranges and bay, because I didn't think he's like patchouli and lime so much) when the rice warms up. It stays warm for quite a while, and the weight of the rice combined with the heat is soothing after a long, stressful day.

I should have used this myself today, come to think of it.

handmade #2

For Tsia: A Traveling Art Show case for her sketchbook and pencils. Todd found this free pattern from Mr. Monkeysuit and wanted me to make it for her (and here I didn't even know he reads craft blogs!), so I slapped it together the night before we met Heather at the Met. Take my advice and slow down a bit when you make it: I managed to sew one of the ribbons to ALL the stitched channels that make the individual pencil compartments. Smooth move that gave me lots of time to reflect on my rushed actions, seam ripper in hand.



I used one of Heather Ross's fabrics from Rabbits and Race Cars, since Tsia loves Heather's prints. (Who doesn't?) In fact, the other night when she was waiting for her bedtime story, Tsia casually told me, "I'll just look at this book of Heather's fabrics while I wait for you, Mommy." The kid has saved the Kokka catalog on her bookcase for about a year now since I brought it home from Quilt Market! What does this mean, I wonder...

handmade #1

Handmade gifts for Tsia's teacher and grandparents: felt glasses cases from Kata Golda's book, Hand-Stitched Felt. These are fun and fast to make. Unfortunately, the ones we mailed to my parents (the two on the far left) were lost in the mail, darned post office. They have a terrible track record with me, no matter how I insure or track my packages. We'll have to make more cases to replace them.


I used wool felt and a few pieces of overdyed felt from Weeks Dye Works for the cases themselves, and the embellishments are from felted sweaters and wool felt. Stitched with Valdani embroidery thread because I like thicker thread for sewing on felt.

and marshmallows for all

You might remember our family Christmas tradition of mailing a sort of care package to each family outpost. (Don't worry--I don't really expect you to remember this.) We all wait, if we can remember, to open our respective packages on Christmas day to see what sorts of fun or useful gifts have been included. Sorry I couldn't send one to you too, but I thought you might enjoy seeing this year's contents all the same. Todd wrote it, so I can't take any credit:

And a Merry Marshmallow Christmas to you!

This year’s Christmas package contains items of just one kind—marshmallows in all their glorious variety! Each type of marshmallow has been selected specifically for you by one of us. Here’s what we’ve each chosen.

1. Tsia: Japanese marshmallow treats.

These are one of Tsia’s favorite treats. She says, “You have to come to New York to buy them. [Editor’s note: We get them at our local Japanese grocery store.] Only eat them after dinner because they have a lot of sugar. They are so good. I like apple and strawberry inside.” Tsia picked out some bags of each kind, so your package will have either the apple- or the strawberry-filled kind.

2. Todd: marshmallow snowmen.

You may already be familiar with Todd’s addiction to the wonderful Easter candy known as Peeps. He was extra excited this year to discover that we can make them a central part of our family’s Christmas celebration, too! Todd has some very specific instructions for “ripening” the peeps. “Some people like their Peeps fresh and chewy. I don’t. A Peep doesn’t truly reach its Platonic form of true Peepness until it’s perfectly ripened. Here’s what you need to do to encourage these little gems along. Make a long slit on the top of the package. Allow the package to sit open, but untouched for 7-10 days. Then enjoy!” A ripened peep develops a crunchy, hard crust and a slightly more chewy center.

3. Liesl: homemade vanilla and peppermint marshmallows.

Years ago, Liesl saw an article in Martha Stewart Living about making your own marshmallows. She thought, “Oh, please, Martha. Like anyone has time to actually make marshmallows. Why would you bother?” Then, a few years ago, she decided to give it a try. The result? Heavenly flavored cubes of gelatin and corn syrup filled goodness! These homemade marshmallow are flavored especially for the holiday season. Enjoy them with a cup of hot chocolate for a warm holiday treat on a cold night. But be careful. They are sweet. So sweet, in fact, that they recently beat our ultra-sweet tooth of a kid. She couldn’t finish one and was so ashamed of her defeat that she tried to hide the leftover in the garbage, not being able to admit that she wasn’t up to the challenge of eating a whole one.

We hope that you enjoy our package full of marshmallowy happiness and that you have a merry Christmas!

Love,

Liesl, Todd, and Tsia

favorite memories of our break

A list of things I want to remember from our Christmas break:

Sketching at the Metropolitan Museum with Tsia and Heather. Tsia and I officially declared it "frilly girly day" but neglected to warn Heather that tutus were involved, so we'll have to re-schedule another sketching event soon so Heather can wear her yellow bumblebee tutu.




Celebrating a low-key Christmas with dear friends. An icy walk along the East River on Christmas afternoon, building a tiny snow bunny (not the blonde skiing kind, mind you), waving Merry Christmas to a friendly tugboat as it passed us. Later, lobster, steak au poivre, and flying bunnies (a long tradition I'll explain sometime) at the apartment of more close friends. There's nothing like Christmas in New York, and I mean it.





Watching Tsia do a "flamingo dance" (costume found in my parents' admirable collection of dress-up clothes) after we attended a performance by Noche Flamenca the other day. Really breathtaking. (Noche Flamenca, that is. Tsia's dancing was more amusing than breathtaking, I'll admit. It involved lots of bottom-wiggling.) If you get a chance to see this group, I highly recommend it. I'm entranced by the way the performers watch each other so intently (much of flamenco is improvisation, so they need to be closely in tune), and I admire the tremendous physicality of the dancing. The singing always vaguely reminds me of one of my favorite musicians, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, which may seem far-fetched, but apparently the roots of Flamenco do have some ties to that part of the world. We'll have another opportunity to watch flamenco at Tsia's school tomorrow.


Travel with my little one, who is really a wonderful kid. I'm lucky to spend time with her and her sweet disposition. We have fun together.



Spending time with my family, particularly my two youngest sisters, one new brother-in-law, and my parents. 2009 was quite a year for our family in many different ways. I'm glad we had a chance to spend some quiet time together to close out the old year and look forward to a new year.




Meeting the editor of an upcoming digital fiber-craft magazine at a terrific yarn store/cafe near my parents' home. Nothing like wielding pointy tools for change, and the yarns look as scrumptuous as the food!


Paying a nostalgic visit to Dad's office, which was always an adventure when I was little and got to play with the drafting supplies.





Admiring the architecture at the University of Wisconsin. Many of the older buildings are so beautiful and grand.




Dropping by to see where our favorite Babcock Hall ice cream is made. Saying hi to the friendly cows (I had no idea a single cow can give 5 gallons of milk in one milking, and here's the proof that I don't make this stuff up.





Returning home to one adorable husband and furry cat.

* * * * * * *

I have one resolution for 2010: I want to celebrate spontaneous ordinary events. Calendar holidays have always felt too forced and stressful to me, so this year I will celebrate the everyday, the little events, and the uneventful. And I plan to make them into events of their own. So here's to the new year!

starting the year

A little over ten years ago, my parents sold our tiny suburban childhood house and moved out to the countryside. We girls, frankly, thought they were a little crazy to be moving so far away from the community. But once all their kids were grown, it was only fair that they live how and where they wanted to live, and Dad has always wanted to live out in the country, closer to the land.

The "new" house (it's still seems new to me, since I've never lived there) is an open contemporary style, with plenty of woods around it for privacy, set in an older development near farms and down the road from some wonderful small towns.

So Tsia and I are visiting my parents and enjoying some time in the country. Over the years that I lived in Wisconsin (from age 6 until I left for college) and since I've returned to visit my parents, I've grown to love the landscape around Madison, especially in the fall and winter. I love the soft, rolling hills of the farms and the barren winter woods. I find the subtle neutral earth palette to be inspiring: the shades of brown and beige in the dried grasses and plants, the grey and soft blue of the sky, the darker brown and grey and black of the trees and old barns, the whites and blues of the snow and the cast shadows, and the way the colors all work together in the landscape. Today the subtle colors felt to me like starting the year with a clean palette, ready for new adventures and new colors to layer on top.

These photos were snapped out the window of the car this morning on our way downtown. Pretty, yes?






And when you're in Wisconsin and find yourself in need of bright colors and lights, you sometimes need to find them indoors! Until today I had never ice skated on an indoor rink; we grew up with a terrific skating pond just down the street from our house. But when the weather is as cold as it's been (mostly in the single digits, which is well below freezing for those of you who measure in celsius) you take your winter sports where you can find them. It took me a few minutes to find my "ice legs," but they're still there! Tsia is working to develop hers, and the rink provides chairs for kids to push around to offer a little assistance. She'll be a steady Wisconsin skater in no time!