tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-156399622024-03-13T06:04:02.679-04:00 disdressedLiesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.comBlogger611125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-67124946198316976222012-11-30T22:57:00.003-05:002012-11-30T22:57:56.465-05:00a long timeIt's been a while, hasn't it? Truthfully, I've been focusing on quality of life lately. I'm concentrating on enjoying family, keeping business where it should be (i.e., between breakfast and dinner, Mondays through Fridays), and slowing things down a bit so I can enjoy them as they happen. I'm not always being successful at the slowing part, but I'm trying.<br />
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In the meantime, how wonderful is <a href="http://instagram.com/lieslgibson/">Instagram</a>!? You can find me there almost every day. Not so many words, but lots of pictures. And really, the pictures are the best part of blogging anyway, right?<br />
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<br />I'll still be here periodically. I'm just taking a little time to catch my breath. Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-49937289150051882932012-07-24T22:43:00.003-04:002012-07-24T22:43:50.478-04:00awayI miss my kid! She's been visiting grandparents for a few weeks now, and I can't wait to go retrieve her on Saturday. Meanwhile, she's having such a great time, she's admitted she doesn't miss me at all.<br />
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That's ok. I've enjoyed a little break too.<br />
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We took this photo at the studio after shooting the new <a href="http://oliverands.com/blog/2012/07/oliver-s-singles-new-digital-patterns-available.html" target="_blank">summer Oliver + S styles</a> and just before she left for her trip. When we're finished shooting "official" shots she always gets some time to play with the camera set-up. Usually she has a still life that she wants to shoot, but sometimes she has other ideas. We've gotten some wonderful shots as a result. This time she wanted action shots involving lots of jumping. This photo makes me smile when I look at it because I think I miss her great sense of humor and energy most of all! It will be good to have her back again.<br />
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I hope you're finding time to enjoy your loved ones this summer!<br />
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<br />Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-71500037377011599062012-06-20T16:44:00.000-04:002012-06-22T07:53:56.179-04:00catching upIt would be completely impossible to catch up on all that's happened in the lengthy gap between posts lately, but here are a few things I'm loving these days:<br />
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S's back-of-the bike video from the Five Borough Bike Tour. She and Todd had a great time, as can be witnessed <a href="http://youtu.be/8SQlnToFzlM" target="_blank">here</a>. Now they're planning a five borough bike tour of their own, with the express purpose of visiting a carousel in each borough. Should be fun!<br />
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We launched our latest baby, <a href="http://straightstitchsociety.com/" target="_blank">Straight Stitch Society</a>, a couple of months ago. If you haven't heard about it, check out our <a href="http://straightstitchsociety.com/manifesto/" target="_blank">silly manifesto</a>. And I gave it a proper introduction over at the Oliver + S blog if you want to <a href="http://oliverands.com/blog/2012/04/introducing-straight-stitch-society.html" target="_blank">read more</a>.<br />
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I've been using <a href="http://www.ziplist.com/" target="_blank">Ziplist</a> for mealplanning for a few weeks now and really like it. I've only been cooking from <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/food" target="_blank">Martha Stewart recipes</a>, and we've been consistently pleased with the results. Even Tsia has been happy, and that's saying something when the world's pickiest eater tells you she wants more.<br />
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Ok, I swear I won't let things languish quite so long between posts. Especially since it's summer now! <br />
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<br />Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-59493442868454263212012-03-15T22:54:00.001-04:002012-03-15T22:55:39.370-04:00missing snacksS handed me this note the other day after school. Apparently she didn't hear me that morning when I told her I was putting her snack in the small pocket of her backpack. I'm framing this note, I love it so much. (Click to enlarge--it's worth a read, and I adore the illustrations.)<br />
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Poor thing. The day before that I accidentally put her homework in my backpack instead of hers.<br />
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Last night she told me she learned how to say "hello" in Pork-and-cheese. It took me a minute to realize she meant Portuguese. <br />
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All I can say is that it's been nice to have a little laughter in our week. We've been really busy! But have you seen the new <a href="http://oliverands.com/">Oliver + S website</a>? It just launched last night. I'm pretty excited about it. Todd <a href="http://oliverands.com/blog/2012/03/welcome-to-the-new-oliver-s.html">posted some details</a>, like how you can purchase all our products in one place now, and how it re-sizes itself for various screen sizes (hello, ipad!), and how you can <a href="http://oliverands.com/play/">play with the paper dolls</a>. Try it! It's really fun.Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-34384346866911329602012-03-03T19:01:00.004-05:002012-03-03T20:30:00.119-05:00sevenA certain someone turned seven the other day. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Seven seems so big to me, and this milestone hits me on so many levels that it's a good thing we took the week off (S's birthday always fall on a school vacation week) because it gave me a little time to contemplate all the implications, including the fact that I started this blog six and a half years ago, and this blog was the start of my company, which is truly a family business. I never could have imagined we would be where we are now when we decided to have a child. Or to start a little company. <br />
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Or the fact that S fits into this dress my mom made me back in first grade. My sisters all wore it, too. It's in really good shape considering that it's already been worn by at least five girls.<br />
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Anyway, this photo is mostly for my Mom. To thank her for all that sewing she did for me. And for handling all my special sewing requests. She sewed everything: school dresses, church dresses, prom dresses, blue jeans, quilts, doll clothes, and knock-offs of the Esprit dresses I wanted so desperately and couldn't afford. The list is really endless. She is an excellent sewist and a gentle, generous, and loving mom.<br />
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And she also knew when to say no to my sewing requests. Like the day before high school graduation, when I decided I needed a new outfit and came home from the store, fabric and pattern in hand. Saying no helped me to appreciate all the time and effort that goes into sewing. And it gave me the little push I needed to start sewing, myself.<br />
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All the dresses my mom made and saved are so precious to me. I just boxed up a whole bunch of them and shipped them back to her because I don't have space for them. But I photographed them, and I know they'll be waiting for my sisters when they have kids(?). Plus, I added a bunch of my own sewing to the box. Nothing like adding to the tradition, right?<br />
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Thanks, Mom. And happy birthday, S!Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-58897714951902143142012-02-10T08:28:00.044-05:002012-02-10T08:29:53.240-05:00scenes from last weekendDisdressed is finally getting a little upgrade! Things are progressing slowly around here, but already I think it's a bit easier to navigate and I'm liking the cleaned-up appearance. Do you agree?<br />
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Here are a few scenes from last weekend. S learned to ice skate and loved it so much that we're going again tomorrow. The the rink is located right in our apartment complex this year, and the neighborhood kids all love it and are quickly becoming fantastic skaters.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I took these photos early Sunday morning before New York was awake. I love exploring the city when it's so quiet, like on Christmas day when no one is around, and the West Village is especially fun for window shopping and discovering adorable little hidden cafes and restaurants when you're the only one out.<br />
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In other news:<br />
<ul><li>My dad called yesterday, on his way back to Antarctica after coming home for two days between trips there. Believe it or not, it was easier to come home (even for just that long) than to get from New Zealand (the end of his first trip) to South America (where he leaves for his next trip). He departed for the first trip before Christmas and won't be back from the second one until sometime in April. That's a lot of travel, even for my dad.</li>
<li>S is fascinated with magic right now, and we're up to our elbows in magic shows. Would you like to see a box of crayons disappear? Please??</li>
<li>Todd and I went to see <a href="http://sleepnomorenyc.com/" target="_blank">this</a> with some friends last night and had a terrific time. I highly recommend it if you come to New York for a visit. I loved everything about it and couldn't begin to do justice to the production. The sets, the sounds, even the smells. Or the bizarre sense of isolation one gets from wearing and being surrounded by other audience members in masks. It was all very sexy and thrilling, and I'd go again in a heartbeat. (Although it couldn't possibly be the same experience the second time around.)</li>
<li>I really need to stop watching TV shows about teenagers. I obsessed my way through all the seasons of Gossip Girl (the fashion!) and then Friday Night Lights (the writing!). Someone move me along with a grown-up selection? Please? </li>
<li>It's <a href="http://www.mbfashionweek.com/" target="_blank">fashion week</a>! </li>
</ul><br />
Have a wonderful weekend.Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-55923245830799162322012-01-27T23:30:00.010-05:002012-02-01T20:55:09.445-05:00year of the dragonIf you've noticed that I've been absent even more than usual you've probably guessed that my schedule has been a little busy. We've been working on developing a new brand that we'll be launching later this spring, and it's kept me even more occupied than anticipated. I had good blogging intentions, and I've been carrying the camera along with me but somehow never using it. I hauled it all the way to Palm Springs a couple of weeks ago and took only three quick photos. Which makes it even more ironic that when I finally had a chance to photograph something (and time to stand still, no less) I had only the ipod with me. But it was Chinese New Year, and S and her friend were thrilled by the popping firecrackers and the confetti and the many, many dragons. I thought I'd share it with you.<br /><br />We admired the beautiful women on decorated floats:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OXEPCNyQGFkChzY_B2S9LfBRHKHfJNpaVH2oO8ggYhReaScwMfyCJd8lxtYqABgnqAxpUXCLCnTKCtaBmkTxl_vwNKcAe0d4l0HoTmmOFJGQNBTFQosavcya4fwWplZl1UkE/s1600/IMG_1124a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OXEPCNyQGFkChzY_B2S9LfBRHKHfJNpaVH2oO8ggYhReaScwMfyCJd8lxtYqABgnqAxpUXCLCnTKCtaBmkTxl_vwNKcAe0d4l0HoTmmOFJGQNBTFQosavcya4fwWplZl1UkE/s400/IMG_1124a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703974045481919586" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicm5YkJ5gRBePgHhJT2NIibwEcaXgG2hyphenhyphenxtWN2M7mtylhMnhYjaaJNE2rBQZZ1E3UTjeP_PRZRLV7eu1_SLLpnj_M0g1e6wlZegiaI8fJ3NKMzP05FDtn1E2XoFhyphenhyphenTMzWLA-MY/s1600/IMG_1120a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicm5YkJ5gRBePgHhJT2NIibwEcaXgG2hyphenhyphenxtWN2M7mtylhMnhYjaaJNE2rBQZZ1E3UTjeP_PRZRLV7eu1_SLLpnj_M0g1e6wlZegiaI8fJ3NKMzP05FDtn1E2XoFhyphenhyphenTMzWLA-MY/s400/IMG_1120a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703974047913126354" border="0" /></a><br />I liked the home-made dragons:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYJt6RIWMIhTT-rdK7utllgo3vbqWUxT-3WxQwtZ5G3Gc3H3esdfkTNXq_Ev1aGpRtwCr8nXAMoYQI17puOdTJCma797JAw-xNYpnBYkMz-5xPnm7HzlSfXa8CIBBn_9MOxp9/s1600/IMG_1104a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYJt6RIWMIhTT-rdK7utllgo3vbqWUxT-3WxQwtZ5G3Gc3H3esdfkTNXq_Ev1aGpRtwCr8nXAMoYQI17puOdTJCma797JAw-xNYpnBYkMz-5xPnm7HzlSfXa8CIBBn_9MOxp9/s400/IMG_1104a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703973832275119986" border="0" /></a><br />and the more elaborate dragons:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielaHYoPLzVouyNH2rywP4FG0OdjiSiOpbQV8Vx_V2geDRRVmdcqxddolj5_-GdOzjLI0A2PENKWAk6sBTptsY1KngaZGhpDIEZ3jkQjV2N3lZzkSKq4HHVEkxPE8AvPFmQoVv/s1600/IMG_1082a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielaHYoPLzVouyNH2rywP4FG0OdjiSiOpbQV8Vx_V2geDRRVmdcqxddolj5_-GdOzjLI0A2PENKWAk6sBTptsY1KngaZGhpDIEZ3jkQjV2N3lZzkSKq4HHVEkxPE8AvPFmQoVv/s400/IMG_1082a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703973419675055586" border="0" /></a><br />the drum carts:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2s6yyMb-1pgsTRkgYjr7vkpY8C1huuOtRhpPCAag6v9uBz0JmZ_6NKsHjBzua4d8nBffLDzhbPkHzgicjGDQOL7eFJPO3JEKanNReTMZSIl2HMZZXLzHbDXDjlrTqKRKDnkJ/s1600/IMG_1092a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2s6yyMb-1pgsTRkgYjr7vkpY8C1huuOtRhpPCAag6v9uBz0JmZ_6NKsHjBzua4d8nBffLDzhbPkHzgicjGDQOL7eFJPO3JEKanNReTMZSIl2HMZZXLzHbDXDjlrTqKRKDnkJ/s400/IMG_1092a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703973815074098578" border="0" /></a><br />the delegations meeting mid-parade:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgplnC_f1SPcrf0vvd5RXGtrQ4oPqWAjNfLk32t6QlP__hZXMa3SSM9ZoKg0FU4H12Osljk-wwR_88H8wZ5UhmLi15VH5moTpq3SeIPDw1ZPLjFQUhh4IOaQz_hZQWcL_7f08wQ/s1600/IMG_1116a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgplnC_f1SPcrf0vvd5RXGtrQ4oPqWAjNfLk32t6QlP__hZXMa3SSM9ZoKg0FU4H12Osljk-wwR_88H8wZ5UhmLi15VH5moTpq3SeIPDw1ZPLjFQUhh4IOaQz_hZQWcL_7f08wQ/s400/IMG_1116a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703973841743632690" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggu9OYAhw3pF8TWICeKyFEm_ys0hAbCHgUo4Iymo1t9q2Ie8ZMlH7P1o6o_iveBADe5jCrDkXhNzT4bg5ByYD8knVnxM2JE15GZj1KAxHvXETQ315M3BkbyUNz9fi34qSOYK9v/s1600/IMG_1080a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggu9OYAhw3pF8TWICeKyFEm_ys0hAbCHgUo4Iymo1t9q2Ie8ZMlH7P1o6o_iveBADe5jCrDkXhNzT4bg5ByYD8knVnxM2JE15GZj1KAxHvXETQ315M3BkbyUNz9fi34qSOYK9v/s400/IMG_1080a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703973397404460850" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifuxUK_10Td-ZAp6tV4euLqqn3JmuudqqKse0E5PY8lwJvpdU3VBHVnDGQuwmVaSrhE-6YSe0AdhdxOH70V5lNGcJuI3sQdTiQ1tp9aa-w-X6DD7mToY7lZKOXTDLw3lIWZJlq/s1600/IMG_1074a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifuxUK_10Td-ZAp6tV4euLqqn3JmuudqqKse0E5PY8lwJvpdU3VBHVnDGQuwmVaSrhE-6YSe0AdhdxOH70V5lNGcJuI3sQdTiQ1tp9aa-w-X6DD7mToY7lZKOXTDLw3lIWZJlq/s400/IMG_1074a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703973126650419442" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOadQ5_m69fOh1Ylgo6Yg5G-daNOAu6lq_qXwpbZcS1uxaCFMbBT0Ub9YUf_ElrCjE0jRQrnkxdZEEQLJ3qrDVfAcMUxB65q72bkXN_jejyOzF4dj2j_f6bDOq9vgoMfdwSLZo/s1600/IMG_1069a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOadQ5_m69fOh1Ylgo6Yg5G-daNOAu6lq_qXwpbZcS1uxaCFMbBT0Ub9YUf_ElrCjE0jRQrnkxdZEEQLJ3qrDVfAcMUxB65q72bkXN_jejyOzF4dj2j_f6bDOq9vgoMfdwSLZo/s400/IMG_1069a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703973120138899410" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC7g5Gd54D6Os_xGU1Jz7atpZq9rXX6Waeye37QJZEXC44kboRf5Ab4UBYSMT6QTL19rDq7fjSSBcpWinIeXXIoS3nTOg6jVZT2TKsFqj_X9H1_qhUsoojOPxgSLX3xWPpRnu3/s1600/IMG_1067a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC7g5Gd54D6Os_xGU1Jz7atpZq9rXX6Waeye37QJZEXC44kboRf5Ab4UBYSMT6QTL19rDq7fjSSBcpWinIeXXIoS3nTOg6jVZT2TKsFqj_X9H1_qhUsoojOPxgSLX3xWPpRnu3/s400/IMG_1067a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703973092295576562" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fOF3UNnWxpvAIF_Y7r4JW4lZuMc1e4SQ8Qk1t7wT0tMlM6NRQCJ2zNH6d-ZjDGV63Tvbsi6Jd-JCoSgFxp3ddWD5vdsVm5_PtpOrzTxHPZ-X4QYa3GUiXrcepZq5Z7hdbpRQ/s1600/IMG_1065a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 321px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fOF3UNnWxpvAIF_Y7r4JW4lZuMc1e4SQ8Qk1t7wT0tMlM6NRQCJ2zNH6d-ZjDGV63Tvbsi6Jd-JCoSgFxp3ddWD5vdsVm5_PtpOrzTxHPZ-X4QYa3GUiXrcepZq5Z7hdbpRQ/s400/IMG_1065a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703973084748544146" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFtgcMbdWrRqaA3IxJBzXCZIFslHx9GVfYIUn5T2af7xUEY2Vtqv4oLXPhQ6vkDFEKXhQUGnob7qlaCCOCdGUSgX1F1kf1YOAGemQXm9S1QxYp3j3IOq0HYqlgVJ5FoqtNcrm4/s1600/IMG_1079a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFtgcMbdWrRqaA3IxJBzXCZIFslHx9GVfYIUn5T2af7xUEY2Vtqv4oLXPhQ6vkDFEKXhQUGnob7qlaCCOCdGUSgX1F1kf1YOAGemQXm9S1QxYp3j3IOq0HYqlgVJ5FoqtNcrm4/s400/IMG_1079a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703973132379098818" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXD-cAKfsz2nxxCZ6KbhsAC_MZtSah5c-ahnqUEG8-WauXYMgNplwVYYBtcmczePesx1mp_lYwcnV2fkpxe0Alo4HSoeEyM8zbR3FWn8vSE8Tb10Pg3IrZWyfKJkQpuoXVWYb/s1600/IMG_1054a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXD-cAKfsz2nxxCZ6KbhsAC_MZtSah5c-ahnqUEG8-WauXYMgNplwVYYBtcmczePesx1mp_lYwcnV2fkpxe0Alo4HSoeEyM8zbR3FWn8vSE8Tb10Pg3IrZWyfKJkQpuoXVWYb/s400/IMG_1054a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703972839106715746" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8rAK5kfYToQKWvaJo6ZypJK1xTEPuOgX14QWChAlbhrOcGFqUgEeWTG-s1WtcnpA6AcRMgGyv86gn528O1LcVwcux9mYtkVXDdKOwWdXCeA5rul2YYCNfw13dXUQdsUgbH7s/s1600/IMG_1053a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8rAK5kfYToQKWvaJo6ZypJK1xTEPuOgX14QWChAlbhrOcGFqUgEeWTG-s1WtcnpA6AcRMgGyv86gn528O1LcVwcux9mYtkVXDdKOwWdXCeA5rul2YYCNfw13dXUQdsUgbH7s/s400/IMG_1053a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703972827909729298" border="0" /></a>and especially the little dragons-in-training:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhotuehocQ3g6b1x2aKwbrgd0R5ZQ_cEJgi6Ik-O2uWC5o7CXsW9Z4ZR83F0uwVe-b94w_9-zjpHclZIXsrLd306rFXtjdx_oVbrKO8KOo3RhhYh09QDRt_rHg-nOJRqiA_4r38/s1600/IMG_1052a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhotuehocQ3g6b1x2aKwbrgd0R5ZQ_cEJgi6Ik-O2uWC5o7CXsW9Z4ZR83F0uwVe-b94w_9-zjpHclZIXsrLd306rFXtjdx_oVbrKO8KOo3RhhYh09QDRt_rHg-nOJRqiA_4r38/s400/IMG_1052a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703972822262606290" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsB4s5Id1q35lJ5A1smKQVQ_olEDWkQoe90gbBvd-AmwtLZ4W6MCaKq9tkgksdJ3sZs4lkt7zGVmHxlWrU8d-4bfUQ2Ofyr3UCIoe2PR-JcA4rZMfXqeQi60R59rZceU7eRDh/s1600/IMG_1064a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsB4s5Id1q35lJ5A1smKQVQ_olEDWkQoe90gbBvd-AmwtLZ4W6MCaKq9tkgksdJ3sZs4lkt7zGVmHxlWrU8d-4bfUQ2Ofyr3UCIoe2PR-JcA4rZMfXqeQi60R59rZceU7eRDh/s400/IMG_1064a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703972844959220050" border="0" /></a><br />So happy year of the dragon! I missed wishing you a happy 2012, so let's throw that in as well, shall we? I'm hoping to manage a little blog re-design and a lot more blogging very soon. And of course I'll let you know when our new project is up and ready for its reveal, too.Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-37902876748454148392011-11-16T00:49:00.002-05:002011-11-16T13:20:23.401-05:00sweet, againS and I have a little tradition when we play our favorite <a href="http://disdressed.blogspot.com/2009/03/sweet.html">matching game</a>. Whenever one of us turns over the bear on a bicycle card, we both do a little freak-out and holler "Bear on a Bicycle!" And of course whoever finds the match does a mini dance. I've got no idea why we do this. Maybe just because we love the illustration so much.<div><br /></div><div>So when Heather Ross told me that <a href="http://melissasweet.net/">Melissa Sweet</a>, the illustrator of our beloved game, would be attending Heather's Weekend Sewing retreat last weekend, I did a larger version of my mini freak-out. I love Melissa's work, and she would be there in person, sewing with us! (And not only was she sewing with us, she was even making up my Lisette <a href="http://www.sewlisette.com/AP/OLV-U02209.html">Passport Jacket</a>.)</div><div><br />So that was fun. But what we even <b>more </b>fun was learning that Melissa has just published a new children's book, <a href="http://www.hmhbooks.com/hmh/site/hmhbooks/bookdetails?isbn=9780547199450&srch=true">Balloons Over Broadway</a>, which is a story about the man who made the very first balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVDa36Rx8Q1TcPItukrrEVxiaqFevgmjYfVoJM6OrplkZVo2SN0su9lpWrKoKHvXRvlIJiQCWzy2oNbXJlNiZ-gfbYqOWYe0jj1N5qq3DgqkqxSTNuEr_qu5iy8QU51i_sqKX-/s1600/BALLOONSOVERBROADWAY.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 329px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVDa36Rx8Q1TcPItukrrEVxiaqFevgmjYfVoJM6OrplkZVo2SN0su9lpWrKoKHvXRvlIJiQCWzy2oNbXJlNiZ-gfbYqOWYe0jj1N5qq3DgqkqxSTNuEr_qu5iy8QU51i_sqKX-/s400/BALLOONSOVERBROADWAY.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675455929485519666" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>As it happens, we were having dinner just around the corner from Macy's one night during the workshop, so a few of us dropped in afterwards to see if we could find the poster and the Macy's shopping bags (!) featuring Melissa's illustrations.</div><div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPmw3Ch7XB88lFtZBd7Qj-I7dXJryIY5Qleu1Kx1Xn_JA3uqNka3S3rxUWg63Yd6D9HQDFVsTS8NWQtAxVJnysfMwOY7xXMjynXItfCD7LOQG_xwUix26LVSsBdKqgatPNRfzx/s1600/MACYS-poster.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 330px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPmw3Ch7XB88lFtZBd7Qj-I7dXJryIY5Qleu1Kx1Xn_JA3uqNka3S3rxUWg63Yd6D9HQDFVsTS8NWQtAxVJnysfMwOY7xXMjynXItfCD7LOQG_xwUix26LVSsBdKqgatPNRfzx/s400/MACYS-poster.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675455930115745634" /></a><br /></div><div>It wasn't an entirely fruitful search. No sign of the shopping bags, but we located a poster before returning to the sewing lab for the evening. I'll go back in a week or so to see if I can find the shopping bags.</div><div><br /></div><div>S was beyond thrilled to get a signed copy of the book, and she spent yesterday afternoon and evening (parent-teacher conferences--half day of school) happily working away on the fantastic <a href="http://www.hmhbooks.com/kids/resources/BalloonsOverBroadway_ActivityKit.pdf">activity pages</a> that Melissa and her publisher assembled. They're amazing! S spent loads of time designing her own Thanksgiving Day balloon, assembling a balloon hat (it turns out she moves quite well like a balloon when she's wearing her hat, thank you very much), and finding the best parade route through the maze. She was busy taping together the finger puppets while I assembled the adorable finger puppet storage box (I'll be making another one for myself, I love it so much). The activities are brilliant and would be a wonderful way to keep excited kids busy while they're awaiting Thanksgiving dinner.</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgBNxDrB5lUaJsNJ19oJwcWsOEzoZDi5Gt5JILrcq00hNyeedLI43dQypOTCdCOQICk87BH3UXmriVQCZ42crh0dDxqcpGKYvQ8aXa77mQLR39N_EFlaELJtQWGfht2hXBdBWN/s1600/dragon+balloon.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 269px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgBNxDrB5lUaJsNJ19oJwcWsOEzoZDi5Gt5JILrcq00hNyeedLI43dQypOTCdCOQICk87BH3UXmriVQCZ42crh0dDxqcpGKYvQ8aXa77mQLR39N_EFlaELJtQWGfht2hXBdBWN/s400/dragon+balloon.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675658334654946946" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">By the way, Melissa will be on <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/856066/martha-stewart-show">The Martha Stewart Show</a> later this week demonstrating what Heather says is "the best project" she's seen for kids in a long time. Guess what we'll be doing on Thanksgiving Day before dinner?</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Sweet. </div><div><br /></div><div>(All these images are from <a href="http://melissasweet.net/">Melissa's website</a>. She's got a great blog, too!)</div>Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-93153537138217502011-11-07T10:41:00.011-05:002011-11-08T23:21:28.990-05:00orangeLast weekend S picked out a new hat on our way to Christie's for the contemporary art auction preview. As soon as we arrived at the galleries we noticed that she coordinated with the Mark Rothko--so well, in fact, that she had to stand to one side so we could see the top of her head!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiqDCo5O4pYZO0aWhhqw5IFtMw1Ebgk6On3ywUm3etsRZsEg_Pd0n8XGpBxmt_2L4uGnqYH9yPIfpUvsOkCQhvGITMR7Py_aCaZtViNzoK0pumlPHnzFaK9I-jkFMLdcDp7_r3/s1600/orange1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 358px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiqDCo5O4pYZO0aWhhqw5IFtMw1Ebgk6On3ywUm3etsRZsEg_Pd0n8XGpBxmt_2L4uGnqYH9yPIfpUvsOkCQhvGITMR7Py_aCaZtViNzoK0pumlPHnzFaK9I-jkFMLdcDp7_r3/s400/orange1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672842412337593538" /></a><div><div style="text-align: center;">Then we noticed orange everywhere we looked.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOV_HegKRqq-iCe7rpyVNWp3ECPL_gixlrYuc9lZiekteg0fi6rz3_60-iftQjBt53jTf5DMp74NquWpDCWjPNLbFtubzK-3qKMw_Exp72DaUJjUwsy-wqt7XM8269c20BX6fJ/s1600/orange2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOV_HegKRqq-iCe7rpyVNWp3ECPL_gixlrYuc9lZiekteg0fi6rz3_60-iftQjBt53jTf5DMp74NquWpDCWjPNLbFtubzK-3qKMw_Exp72DaUJjUwsy-wqt7XM8269c20BX6fJ/s400/orange2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672842407354123538" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5FmiH4hihvRz3c5ZN3RqtZWrCuc_qg9W9sstGP2CRtQPu2sRADQju2LFZ7qwUUgIO2cxIL0fv61ropiKDgmbF685T08CHgLhkkOf9682d9BQawAQp3-lHCCCxQzpg_DDcmPS/s1600/orange3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 316px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5FmiH4hihvRz3c5ZN3RqtZWrCuc_qg9W9sstGP2CRtQPu2sRADQju2LFZ7qwUUgIO2cxIL0fv61ropiKDgmbF685T08CHgLhkkOf9682d9BQawAQp3-lHCCCxQzpg_DDcmPS/s400/orange3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672841875189460978" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gq17oPj0c610nC3PF-mCuWVKNXIG41UXRWhi-FabdmWXzKMZFev7fL91VXKkUSDJe8HATDgmW-TbY8kLyAGmGK6yIPJ_MJeVKA9eVmwdUolUmnnTIno0gQZdjMvXImh_S3lj/s1600/orange4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 292px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gq17oPj0c610nC3PF-mCuWVKNXIG41UXRWhi-FabdmWXzKMZFev7fL91VXKkUSDJe8HATDgmW-TbY8kLyAGmGK6yIPJ_MJeVKA9eVmwdUolUmnnTIno0gQZdjMvXImh_S3lj/s400/orange4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672841882888160498" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDci66fOx8gAc-t60Ox8gnM4RfsmyvgaZQxWj_OHJ3PRHSF6Si3GP36azkZ6OPZHFclQHsN4dxuustJsWopziwByPkzFyr-HvpPZCuSrj21RYHmnZyl_lmwNeTGZYLUVFgQvcm/s1600/orange5.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 326px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDci66fOx8gAc-t60Ox8gnM4RfsmyvgaZQxWj_OHJ3PRHSF6Si3GP36azkZ6OPZHFclQHsN4dxuustJsWopziwByPkzFyr-HvpPZCuSrj21RYHmnZyl_lmwNeTGZYLUVFgQvcm/s400/orange5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672841890272677138" /></a>She even coordinated with the noses of the dogs on stilts.</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2eGRD-wK5h4MiTbxaTEaTerGxjnC0No-LYTOhm629kW-gBBRvjEiIbnTdBaS4UkdC4cm0Du1onOV0MjB3fQ7BCpNjyP9eBjIJGxza-TeMqRTdJTqlYjsoWsBPML7m6MvoIu2/s1600/orange7.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2eGRD-wK5h4MiTbxaTEaTerGxjnC0No-LYTOhm629kW-gBBRvjEiIbnTdBaS4UkdC4cm0Du1onOV0MjB3fQ7BCpNjyP9eBjIJGxza-TeMqRTdJTqlYjsoWsBPML7m6MvoIu2/s400/orange7.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672841519894062258" /></a>And the creepy tomato-head art. (Can you tell I'm not a fan of Paul McCarthy?)</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEW-XbJnCEDfhgEUpMX6dd_7vw1Tre3VFb72LKaEOerUG1LMJ2Ahza6eRf3XnXrkh1SZ_Bn8e4aQeV_tEz6VPoJmTFFbwlfaSTuhlsfvd2YWiCUfMuwZNyNceGSn_3JaeZDdUx/s1600/orange6.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 306px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEW-XbJnCEDfhgEUpMX6dd_7vw1Tre3VFb72LKaEOerUG1LMJ2Ahza6eRf3XnXrkh1SZ_Bn8e4aQeV_tEz6VPoJmTFFbwlfaSTuhlsfvd2YWiCUfMuwZNyNceGSn_3JaeZDdUx/s400/orange6.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672842799682480402" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOGZ3YWSPC3kpj-hWU-sYwYFHD79Ki714B80SmY02tqqBWUdioenmzu9P8m2F0GOwtMx43ODwVdgOqTQWQKpbsWQECehO2azWEfvJWEe5ip16Dn4tLrywgSRS1MyOwFHjulmG/s1600/orange8.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOGZ3YWSPC3kpj-hWU-sYwYFHD79Ki714B80SmY02tqqBWUdioenmzu9P8m2F0GOwtMx43ODwVdgOqTQWQKpbsWQECehO2azWEfvJWEe5ip16Dn4tLrywgSRS1MyOwFHjulmG/s400/orange8.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672841523941092498" /></a>No orange on this one, but it's one of my favorite pieces by Maurizio Catellan. The tiny elevators actually seem to work, much to the amusement of the two little girls in attendance.</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_vG4InQbrLF8Z95FbY5SrxFYaemZApoXWifXHl_EDWgrrja1Hd09KNuw3dAcSfggOpdhwtZ4Wmk5MxjIrQKOtz5giUn17g1-lUwBqnJ3SKNCNnZ3GmGP0vEy9iEIicR-5D07v/s1600/orange9.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_vG4InQbrLF8Z95FbY5SrxFYaemZApoXWifXHl_EDWgrrja1Hd09KNuw3dAcSfggOpdhwtZ4Wmk5MxjIrQKOtz5giUn17g1-lUwBqnJ3SKNCNnZ3GmGP0vEy9iEIicR-5D07v/s400/orange9.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672841537470176178" /></a><br /><br /></div>Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-83315901645246006592011-10-14T14:22:00.005-04:002011-10-14T14:27:15.696-04:00LowellA couple of weeks ago we took advantage of some school vacation days and rented a car for a little trip to Massachusetts to do something I've been wanting to do for a long time: we visited the old textile mill town of Lowell. Have you heard of it?<div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDc-JqlVIglSclABJ0knaaLoXJxA0men2a2S1KCHnnhTgRWDdku3vDnSSSVftHCLZi5G2qo0C1mCNp6Sr7yGjWrh5eDsYm4qu1ykY768gqCZkS1LtJtgDUW_yTyM1ckKHHLsnv/s1600/lowell-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDc-JqlVIglSclABJ0knaaLoXJxA0men2a2S1KCHnnhTgRWDdku3vDnSSSVftHCLZi5G2qo0C1mCNp6Sr7yGjWrh5eDsYm4qu1ykY768gqCZkS1LtJtgDUW_yTyM1ckKHHLsnv/s400/lowell-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659851928490573106" /></a>Lowell was the first planned industrial town in the U.S. Its planners found a perfect location for a mill town (the river drops 13 feet, and a series of old logging canals lent themselves perfectly to powering the mills), traveled to England to learn the secrets of the mills there, and then returned to the U.S. and proceeded to build a mill city of their own.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lowell is important to the history of our country on many levels: from the perspective of the industrial revolution, our economic development (and a demonstration of economic cycles) as a country, and in relation to the history of the cotton trade. Among others.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now it's a National Park. And a great one.</div><div><br /></div><div>The canals and the restored architecture are incredibly scenic.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsUaFA961aON5q_j3bOzbdDXeklpOVL1okkyKU1AGxOWPneQ39k5IhOan0niG871FJd5lfH50asiiC22JRC5s5z6CZn5ybuEj-1uflSnEvS_j48sscaqkXGLyi38M5v8rh80_/s1600/canal-3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsUaFA961aON5q_j3bOzbdDXeklpOVL1okkyKU1AGxOWPneQ39k5IhOan0niG871FJd5lfH50asiiC22JRC5s5z6CZn5ybuEj-1uflSnEvS_j48sscaqkXGLyi38M5v8rh80_/s400/canal-3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659850681498168226" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3a2jvNU2EM6-KkMzSiHVEeTz5IIWxagKBLlrvUlvFqe7wccRW3hV2NRFlDGjbMtqWYls3TMny34RLKIkcKbsLQeedT-MYb5CpPZFmakzfzeey5ejj10gz794ua-Jy5bVT5uz/s1600/canal-2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3a2jvNU2EM6-KkMzSiHVEeTz5IIWxagKBLlrvUlvFqe7wccRW3hV2NRFlDGjbMtqWYls3TMny34RLKIkcKbsLQeedT-MYb5CpPZFmakzfzeey5ejj10gz794ua-Jy5bVT5uz/s400/canal-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659850679585697298" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0A7zKdG3U9skbhoFaR1g53WH1-72SV0wIrC3afNv2eOlXc3Vy2uxNKr-2OEmLsY8w7eD3hx0Kss_LMaaqWdMIIKYtVpMvP_RcOmBY8OiNqvT10ReucdGBxPFeCnvnoY8GUht/s1600/canal-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0A7zKdG3U9skbhoFaR1g53WH1-72SV0wIrC3afNv2eOlXc3Vy2uxNKr-2OEmLsY8w7eD3hx0Kss_LMaaqWdMIIKYtVpMvP_RcOmBY8OiNqvT10ReucdGBxPFeCnvnoY8GUht/s400/canal-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659850676981978978" /></a><br />The <a href="http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/21boott/21boott.htm">Boott Cotton Mill</a> has been restored and turned into an amazing museum.</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFFtmcHY5VPSY-VDcJuddJ4DyaZcFzuTubc045g9EShCLlkHe5v-0w8ekwZO1XPks6W8uJwm8r-tfDK4_jNT0NUZUpFp55zw71yugq6kqEmkpmLUHIgVAW8baF_acBoi2_jMn/s1600/mill-aa.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFFtmcHY5VPSY-VDcJuddJ4DyaZcFzuTubc045g9EShCLlkHe5v-0w8ekwZO1XPks6W8uJwm8r-tfDK4_jNT0NUZUpFp55zw71yugq6kqEmkpmLUHIgVAW8baF_acBoi2_jMn/s400/mill-aa.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659849978124307986" /></a><br />When you first enter you punch in at the time clock--just like the workers did:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeSljFJb4VGgZ3Mm3zcDerT3JQiUGPeI99Plov0sWvdYaDPr214yA-PLuUO5GlTKZmD9ufswvgFbkuE8I9eUA380UzoTG_qjcmpYmtLDLVbzMM3l0qhQa_FGPFGLGLlKaP1T0/s1600/mill-a.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeSljFJb4VGgZ3Mm3zcDerT3JQiUGPeI99Plov0sWvdYaDPr214yA-PLuUO5GlTKZmD9ufswvgFbkuE8I9eUA380UzoTG_qjcmpYmtLDLVbzMM3l0qhQa_FGPFGLGLlKaP1T0/s400/mill-a.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659849985268861362" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7W3p7KC4CVD0WysZdXn7yoqMOAUserc2FzmuEwsrP86dvnlJ23AfiC5Xm5sPcrVHyIf_pfUvb-BO6igNAMC3g2jiy4h6NuwMdnt9kuo3Ebjmy2P2XQl5QP8sZl1J_Aka-a3z0/s1600/mill-b.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7W3p7KC4CVD0WysZdXn7yoqMOAUserc2FzmuEwsrP86dvnlJ23AfiC5Xm5sPcrVHyIf_pfUvb-BO6igNAMC3g2jiy4h6NuwMdnt9kuo3Ebjmy2P2XQl5QP8sZl1J_Aka-a3z0/s400/mill-b.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659849980983016066" /></a><br />The ground floor houses the looms themselves, and the noise on the floor when just a few of the looms are in operation would be deafening if it weren't for the earplugs provided. I can't even imagine what it would have been like for the workers (who worked without earplugs and lost their hearing, no doubt).</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8D8W38FPuPb1PraV_CqQb24mzLIQhPWeBb3HPlapz7BUGs-Nlnv6YH_akUt3laM6WCMthHNchbPkXXYAD9kqCAVscdHMkQRV8wn3v-mcHzshj0syaTendKymItj7azO05FP9/s1600/mill-4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8D8W38FPuPb1PraV_CqQb24mzLIQhPWeBb3HPlapz7BUGs-Nlnv6YH_akUt3laM6WCMthHNchbPkXXYAD9kqCAVscdHMkQRV8wn3v-mcHzshj0syaTendKymItj7azO05FP9/s400/mill-4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659849587770277586" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3BwxViB_T0Hjg-SoV24xcgUAseDkWbYLj4JZG0XtIOFADSneTmt7iUThIq9IyNlLoK-k_6WLpAOYMnfc_pTmZyf_HwQpgv-2Me412kE_d8JISM-8qqZG_hyKRlj7Gp3zJGH3/s1600/mill-6.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3BwxViB_T0Hjg-SoV24xcgUAseDkWbYLj4JZG0XtIOFADSneTmt7iUThIq9IyNlLoK-k_6WLpAOYMnfc_pTmZyf_HwQpgv-2Me412kE_d8JISM-8qqZG_hyKRlj7Gp3zJGH3/s400/mill-6.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659849585200533874" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jaXrabNukZ1NbZJSl_ejNUhkMx7meTRNxnqpzOyC4yjWq9anhF3kdlIiM_g3l_rhYTvjQ1N3RwbBeI7RHevG8RfztkDOPIIdj-k_RqcqmVJuEPTz3Dv1k_KxSLU7kPDnbvMh/s1600/mill-3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jaXrabNukZ1NbZJSl_ejNUhkMx7meTRNxnqpzOyC4yjWq9anhF3kdlIiM_g3l_rhYTvjQ1N3RwbBeI7RHevG8RfztkDOPIIdj-k_RqcqmVJuEPTz3Dv1k_KxSLU7kPDnbvMh/s400/mill-3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659849583629255522" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6sclo6nzRky1lJwCLpHYN2WCz-OK9qNuj_5vURb9ADxdHTiRZXYvzt1LdfzCJ_CcGp7gR3p5J9AdqJODddQM5C0SCs8E-7MkIBeIIpvOPfGrEqLqcKZWkfP_cQIHWsqGAtPmh/s1600/mill-2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6sclo6nzRky1lJwCLpHYN2WCz-OK9qNuj_5vURb9ADxdHTiRZXYvzt1LdfzCJ_CcGp7gR3p5J9AdqJODddQM5C0SCs8E-7MkIBeIIpvOPfGrEqLqcKZWkfP_cQIHWsqGAtPmh/s400/mill-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659849580619164834" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zf_aPR9S_A4CXntWv67BBtmcqF-IIPSmwfNAPbpZIhfQ-LJPPsraTpLh9wgHmvl9GFCEhqWqvTpCsios68Ls3rZJIC18b2vSIW6r7DhAB3uq3Cg01hE8M8TsRyRg5XgorNlk/s1600/mill-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zf_aPR9S_A4CXntWv67BBtmcqF-IIPSmwfNAPbpZIhfQ-LJPPsraTpLh9wgHmvl9GFCEhqWqvTpCsios68Ls3rZJIC18b2vSIW6r7DhAB3uq3Cg01hE8M8TsRyRg5XgorNlk/s400/mill-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659849578370018130" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5x8inpqVGxGn9rZpwiqjsPb2XyIRZDxQc_l-sKqhUQjdVw1i4mE2FB52lMJfU4Zmc5dpQlSrOfa7_akClWBnkfvzqlXeGT0ZrdSw89V1mtypggeQ5u_H1PkLpGlta2E-_g2L5/s1600/mill-5.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5x8inpqVGxGn9rZpwiqjsPb2XyIRZDxQc_l-sKqhUQjdVw1i4mE2FB52lMJfU4Zmc5dpQlSrOfa7_akClWBnkfvzqlXeGT0ZrdSw89V1mtypggeQ5u_H1PkLpGlta2E-_g2L5/s400/mill-5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659849992070010914" /></a><br />Upstairs you'll find a wonderful exhibit that demonstrates all the parts of a vertical mill (a vertical mill does everything from making the yarns from the raw cotton to finishing the fabric). I loved this exhibit, and the ranger on duty was a wealth of information and enthusiasm (which was great because I was nearly bouncing up and down, I was so excited about this. Fellow textile geeks unite!). S loved working a table loom (my apologies to the museum--we completely filled the warp and you'll need to prepare another loom for the rest of the people who come to visit), and I flipped out over the giant carding machine and all the other fantastic equipment and exhibits. </div><div><br /></div><div>vertical mill model:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Q2kC0FgZCRxc0A31L7d1OKzOJrXVEukxs5fDMnKrG4wVCQAJfO6Le01GkV9CYsbkClP3Tn8XSh9mGcATbgQTzcmzQ1SO1reoNqUndO3ubg4ymsFchI-oZtXl0HUY7AC8YhNh/s1600/vertical-2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Q2kC0FgZCRxc0A31L7d1OKzOJrXVEukxs5fDMnKrG4wVCQAJfO6Le01GkV9CYsbkClP3Tn8XSh9mGcATbgQTzcmzQ1SO1reoNqUndO3ubg4ymsFchI-oZtXl0HUY7AC8YhNh/s400/vertical-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659850269096637298" /></a><br />giant carding machine:</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ivWvxbrTVlXG_4Z9nlgroDMHoGb8uk4MyLtwFRbAOQaxJn1cosOQurEc1pv6mCoQVa3bSQnVS7YTVizlYtegUfzLYbgo44CfM_Zss5VIBmvgRd7Hdetn-6JnfL7rfCIySIpS/s1600/vertical-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ivWvxbrTVlXG_4Z9nlgroDMHoGb8uk4MyLtwFRbAOQaxJn1cosOQurEc1pv6mCoQVa3bSQnVS7YTVizlYtegUfzLYbgo44CfM_Zss5VIBmvgRd7Hdetn-6JnfL7rfCIySIpS/s400/vertical-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659850275344795202" /></a><br />examples of the textiles produced at the mill over the years:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZJk1iNLFq61ZuSyfZyG5ZF2FLVu8z1lQToonmLcdkzK1P9ZOw7KOfbYOWn0h8PvrjqWZHLsEXeCUwCzzv9jtCLswwfjEUNCJPwJGsp0iCa1xx3L_rCj16SfEM2rdGzASawTR/s1600/mill-7.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZJk1iNLFq61ZuSyfZyG5ZF2FLVu8z1lQToonmLcdkzK1P9ZOw7KOfbYOWn0h8PvrjqWZHLsEXeCUwCzzv9jtCLswwfjEUNCJPwJGsp0iCa1xx3L_rCj16SfEM2rdGzASawTR/s400/mill-7.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659849996684120882" /></a><br />Right next door to the mill you can also explore one of the boarding houses to experience life as a mill girl. S was rather intrigued by this part since her beloved American Girl doll, Samantha, had a friend who worked in a textile mill. </div><div><br /></div><div>When the mills first opened, the owners were trying to create a Utopian work environment, and they hired local farm girls to work in the mills. The girls were very well cared for and were given many opportunities for self-improvement, but the mills were so successful that competition surged. This, of course, put pressure on the mills to drop prices and pay and to increase the number of hours that the girls were required to work. Eventually the girls went on strike because the working conditions were very bad. Immigrants were later hired to replace the mill girls, and the working conditions soon resembled the conditions in England that the planners had hoped to avoid when they opened the mills. See? It's fascinating stuff--or it will be if you visit, at least.</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkaU3GUNYL2ogkod-4B3iWmfx6fDdxt_3Ikp2YOCiJDks4qWpvMiaOl9EmR9XSh0XsHlxGsVyMwDK4lcEJn7-fde7a5Yf6F8GvnwcD9Lkq8n9zAl4j68xW8s-PbIcxilZHtX12/s1600/mill-girls.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkaU3GUNYL2ogkod-4B3iWmfx6fDdxt_3Ikp2YOCiJDks4qWpvMiaOl9EmR9XSh0XsHlxGsVyMwDK4lcEJn7-fde7a5Yf6F8GvnwcD9Lkq8n9zAl4j68xW8s-PbIcxilZHtX12/s400/mill-girls.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659850278050776242" /></a><br />We took a trolley tour of the canals, which included tons of fascinating information about the history of the town, the development of the canals, and lots of beautiful views:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKgDBdOL_bhuQebE2ucpTpwBywtooy0EoSgSHDOrAGGK8XRE6GTQXVcJhqPc1vhHgFs7A1mfXXG99mxxpgaKf_qCfPMIS5ja70b6gojBjoyr3WZkApIyKGa4wfpKzIGM9tIH2/s1600/canal-a.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKgDBdOL_bhuQebE2ucpTpwBywtooy0EoSgSHDOrAGGK8XRE6GTQXVcJhqPc1vhHgFs7A1mfXXG99mxxpgaKf_qCfPMIS5ja70b6gojBjoyr3WZkApIyKGa4wfpKzIGM9tIH2/s400/canal-a.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659850280836865970" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><u><br /></u></span></div><div>I really want to go back again, I loved this town and the museum so much. I'd also like the visit the <a href="http://www.slatermill.org/">Slater Mill Museum</a> someday, too. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>We took a little side trip to Boston on Saturday and visited some friends... (does anyone in this photo look <a href="http://nightknitter.wordpress.com/2011/09/16/biking-clothes/">familiar</a>?)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqWK1rueC4BBWtOdGV5GpW8ajYi2o1VFB0nbMbg6iU6XqrKX_kvFvznDzPqykAHMplXK-n7ExWOn8Xi6P4mWIRnx4ltDJr7urX6P3-yytZotMJHGuMfGx_PmD3CMyO3qnuKKpb/s1600/carousel.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqWK1rueC4BBWtOdGV5GpW8ajYi2o1VFB0nbMbg6iU6XqrKX_kvFvznDzPqykAHMplXK-n7ExWOn8Xi6P4mWIRnx4ltDJr7urX6P3-yytZotMJHGuMfGx_PmD3CMyO3qnuKKpb/s400/carousel.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659848780355536434" /></a><br />as well as some feathered friends. Do you recognize this scene?<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBu-jZ9_PPsUx0BRdBR8xeSDx55X5PZEQ9CKB1CG_2AWOJ5wTnaO9KlG5k8iXmnFsk5315LzENC7cg_r6Ai7iKFUwgT48x8McWPZVeqI5HS3abKTRN_VwvJl1JR3Is0wvekKAa/s1600/ducks-2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBu-jZ9_PPsUx0BRdBR8xeSDx55X5PZEQ9CKB1CG_2AWOJ5wTnaO9KlG5k8iXmnFsk5315LzENC7cg_r6Ai7iKFUwgT48x8McWPZVeqI5HS3abKTRN_VwvJl1JR3Is0wvekKAa/s400/ducks-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659848776945354898" /></a>here's a hint:</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWn07kAC0WMYWS5zwC4ccX8O3LNxMIbVgAw2oD2GnMrRrAL-JMLeg4ceEEMvQlQTVS3Po1hR2md7Wia4y3yTYecqAwyOu-EXirAbrFB3XI_SdJCmSni285tzBblhs-Jnr5Vm2/s1600/ducks-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWn07kAC0WMYWS5zwC4ccX8O3LNxMIbVgAw2oD2GnMrRrAL-JMLeg4ceEEMvQlQTVS3Po1hR2md7Wia4y3yTYecqAwyOu-EXirAbrFB3XI_SdJCmSni285tzBblhs-Jnr5Vm2/s400/ducks-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659848771121007042" /></a><br />Yup. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Make_Way_for_Ducklings">Make Way For Ducklings</a>, complete with ducklings.</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IzVlENz1V4hwMjUqNOVKsU9CK9j6PoOaQxrRHbLbFVbs1dExtX0mY5WbTmgETi2ZEPxrDk2-763KT81la8oc2M5fU1kNa0kK8KRu9l-YZrwJO9iFMNSu7KBBSVkadabm_0pJ/s1600/ducks-3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IzVlENz1V4hwMjUqNOVKsU9CK9j6PoOaQxrRHbLbFVbs1dExtX0mY5WbTmgETi2ZEPxrDk2-763KT81la8oc2M5fU1kNa0kK8KRu9l-YZrwJO9iFMNSu7KBBSVkadabm_0pJ/s400/ducks-3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659848775432085602" /></a>S wanted a self-portrait of herself with the mama. This pose garnered a lot of chuckles from other visitors:</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYjkfmrnWqviJ_-l8TaBAhbYXriH66D7CYq_FIIlgrK0jE4bd3ClbMuQP7EpKuV__YblLljkj78-8Efr2SoUjxSR6EHKa9RL_X5_ECSXJbEL1vLh15SD9n8twXYb-opwREw6S/s1600/ducks-4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYjkfmrnWqviJ_-l8TaBAhbYXriH66D7CYq_FIIlgrK0jE4bd3ClbMuQP7EpKuV__YblLljkj78-8Efr2SoUjxSR6EHKa9RL_X5_ECSXJbEL1vLh15SD9n8twXYb-opwREw6S/s400/ducks-4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659848779840972450" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It's a funny photo from the perspective of the iPod, too.</div>Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-29021779529096473242011-10-11T10:48:00.007-04:002011-10-11T12:42:23.066-04:00she makes it easyI've said <a href="http://disdressed.blogspot.com/2006/10/bzzzzzzzzz.html">before</a> that I'm not really interested in making Halloween costumes, and so far S has really let me off <a href="http://disdressed.blogspot.com/2007_10_01_archive.html">easy</a> in terms of her costume requirements. I'm pleased to report that she's still making it simple and sketched the following costume design the other day:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0cO2_yx_QpA-UTELySubd-vDMrc6XkBqT4nKqgfO_hOO2Wgdk-w5PhosWqR11kD_QsH8PJNRV8vfwXeUPbz6VSAQGVp9o8cDnzAdtVJSdyEK1nj7wEuwUhcec53O2fB1mIcJ/s1600/cat-costume.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 292px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0cO2_yx_QpA-UTELySubd-vDMrc6XkBqT4nKqgfO_hOO2Wgdk-w5PhosWqR11kD_QsH8PJNRV8vfwXeUPbz6VSAQGVp9o8cDnzAdtVJSdyEK1nj7wEuwUhcec53O2fB1mIcJ/s400/cat-costume.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662247160539000322" /></a><br /><br />No elaborate suits or fantastical structures to be constructed, hooray! Just a simple black knit <a href="http://www.oliverands.com/patterns/skirts/patterns20.phtml">Hopscotch Dress</a>, black tail, and black cat ears on a headband. I can do that. <br /><br />The most challenging part will be finding the right black lace for the hem that she's clearly communicated is a crucial element of the costume. I love that she's thinking about the little details like that, and about what color her nose should be: black or pink?<br /><br />That detail still needs to be decided.Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-69788383936578870352011-09-11T16:23:00.006-04:002011-09-11T16:44:39.445-04:009/11/01<div>I remember returning to my desk for a moment and being told that a plane had struck one of the World Trade Center towers.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember how this news immediately reminded me how, shortly after Todd and I moved to New York, a bomb had exploded under the World Trade Center and my colleague's husband was trapped inside the building. A part of me assumed this was a similar experience that would be over soon. We would recover from it and carry on in the usual way.<br /><div><br /></div><div>I remember a panicked call from my sister, who wasn't sure where my office was but wanted to be sure I was ok.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember that someone at the office had a radio, and we were able to get updates from public radio. The announcer sounded almost as shocked and shaken as we felt but carried on with updates and coverage as best he could.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember that Todd was out of town on business, and we had trouble reaching each other because phone lines were busy.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember seeing from our office windows the smoke downtown and being told we should go home, as we were located just a block from the Empire State Building. We didn't know the extent of the attacks, and rumors were wide-spread.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember that, as I waited for the elevator so we could leave the building, someone told me one of the buildings had fallen. </div><div><br /></div><div>I remember walking home with a friend. The streets were filled with people walking, but everyone was strangely silent.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember arriving at Union Square and standing on the street in a crowd, looking downtown together. Where once two buildings had stood, now we saw only one. The street was silent. </div><div><br /></div><div>I remember arriving home and going up to the roof of our building to look downtown. The World Trade Center buildings were gone. The only thing left was smoke.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember that I was taking care of a neighbor's cats while she was on vacation. Since we didn't have a TV, I went to her apartment and watched the images. And comforted the cats. But really, the cats were comforting me.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember sleeping, or not sleeping, alone that night and for several nights following. Todd and I were schedule to meet on the west coast for a backpacking vacation and neither of us could get anywhere at that point. I really wanted to be with him.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember walking down along the East River early the next morning and stopping in front of a lone fire truck parked along the side of the road, covered in ash and dust. The image still haunts me.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember the smell. A friend called and told me to close the windows of our apartment, but I left them open. I needed that stench to know the events were real.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember how my dear friend, who lost her office in the attacks, had trouble sleeping for years, suffered depression and anxiety, and was so fortunate to be running late that morning.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember passing the emergency room and the posted missing person signs on my way to church the next Sunday. The pain in those signs was overwhelming. The world was changed, and we had no idea what our lives would be like going forward. </div><div><br /></div><div>___________________________________________________</div><div><br /></div><div>Until now, I've never written about my experiences ten years ago. As a society, we lost so much on that day, but my own experiences are tiny in comparison with what people with closer ties to downtown experienced. I met an elderly man on a city bus one day, years later, who quietly described his escape from one of the buildings. His life was changed in so many ways as a result of that day. My experiences never seemed worth writing down because I was not directly affected. I was here in Manhattan, but my life was largely separate from the events downtown.</div><div><br /><div>Just two years prior to the attacks, I had worked very near the World Trade Center and spent quite a bit of time there, taking classes and having meetings in or near the buildings. I worked for a brief period in 7 World Trade, I shopped in the neighborhood and met friends there after work sometimes. But then I left the industry and returned to school for fashion design, and by the time of the attacks my ties with the financial industry and the downtown area were minimal.<br /></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>My story from that day is not dramatic. But like everyone else who watched and was horrified, I'll never forget it. I don't know if we've made sense of it. I don't know if we ever will. Our lives have changed in unexpected ways and have not changed in other more anticipated ways. But I think it's important that we commemorate this day and keep remembering and vowing to make a difference in the world. </div>Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-47179978214643676482011-09-02T12:04:00.000-04:002011-09-02T12:13:21.144-04:00grumpyWe really try, at our house, to make a point of not working on weekends. When your work is a family business it's easy to let personal and business blend together to where the business side completely takes over. I struggle with it a lot and still find myself mentioning phone conversations over dinner or suddenly remembering some great idea late in the evening. You know. It's hard to shut it off sometimes. So on weekends we try to take business completely out of the picture and focus on family and personal.
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<br />But with all the rain we had recently, we were having trouble finding a sunny workday to photograph the fall patterns, and we finally resorted to working on a sunny Saturday afternoon to get the job done. None of us wanted to be at the studio that day, so I had to laugh when S handed me this note as we were setting up:
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUUMTpYDH-AbG6Vc8J1Xg7YV2CJbgIsfWm8u_2BEwrLY-6tx5k_PxWLZRd_BtN2hd5x-THBFm4N6ohpE1mJ2nNuO1ucaKo2zNO2qZ8K82NtFKM1C70e4DyVh62W0Zn6lMkdqR/s1600/grumpy.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 296px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUUMTpYDH-AbG6Vc8J1Xg7YV2CJbgIsfWm8u_2BEwrLY-6tx5k_PxWLZRd_BtN2hd5x-THBFm4N6ohpE1mJ2nNuO1ucaKo2zNO2qZ8K82NtFKM1C70e4DyVh62W0Zn6lMkdqR/s400/grumpy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645728592870425778" /></a>
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<br />Todd wasn't the only one feeling grumpy. My least favorite job is pressing the samples and styling them for the photographs. The mannequin shots are much simpler than the flat shots because it's such a challenge to eliminate all the folds and get the clothes styles lying flat nicely . It all takes much longer than I want it to (I've got plenty of other things I'd rather be doing), and although I've learned a few styling tricks I still get frustrated after a while of fiddling with that one fold that refuses to go away, or the underarm that doesn't lay flat. (Shooting women's clothing flat is the worst--all those curves!)
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcEcP4bBflzrl67ob7ujPkMczIweMqyP7TqgA6KWXw21tbxmXx15MlXiTN2xX2X2jUjTnALVg0bE5v_7CKqEmQYHiLtWv2FvNzSTeKra5aO5zODoe1w0B0ITCT_Tk4wT5y8tM/s1600/shooting.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcEcP4bBflzrl67ob7ujPkMczIweMqyP7TqgA6KWXw21tbxmXx15MlXiTN2xX2X2jUjTnALVg0bE5v_7CKqEmQYHiLtWv2FvNzSTeKra5aO5zODoe1w0B0ITCT_Tk4wT5y8tM/s400/shooting.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645728592972426290" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span">photo by S</span></i></div>
<br />But S wan't grumpy at all. She managed to keep herself busy while we were working, starting out by styling a mannequin with her all-time favorite dress (the <a href="http://www.oliverands.com/patterns/dresses/patterns7.phtml">Jump Rope</a>, complete with accessories from her dress-up box) and then moved on to positioning and re-positioning her dolls and toys, shooting photos all the while.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgFGQ_i06uSDGzmIrLvFJr1Dpv5eP5rRW606_Pxw-1-NKtijrcPbQiA7Afavo59DwHsGQ14eNGaAcpQlsumFuPN7c6d_E1RV39EsfzTXSgrhwpNtIQCYtedpUsWKNLBQNJ8Nf/s1600/little-stylist.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 221px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgFGQ_i06uSDGzmIrLvFJr1Dpv5eP5rRW606_Pxw-1-NKtijrcPbQiA7Afavo59DwHsGQ14eNGaAcpQlsumFuPN7c6d_E1RV39EsfzTXSgrhwpNtIQCYtedpUsWKNLBQNJ8Nf/s400/little-stylist.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647790770246279122" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; font-size: x-small; "><div style="text-align: center;">photo by S</div></span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>
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<br />After that she sat down with the iPad, and I wasn't paying much attention beyond a general awareness that she was making faces for the camera. When I picked it up later I was surprised to fine over 100 photos saved. Here are some of my favorite creative (and disturbing) self-portraits taken by the kiddo.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijirP6Qlx2f-EsUKYaNk2BN1FTi8Hi26wiXoLSM42EOHD5nTI4ZyCh2I-Y2eRV8Aif0F1bwCFgbyN9ueWILzTnIQq0g5Oxg_eG8s1chUXGgtRfmC5VHMdlyF-ZYZn0XhYqRNA/s1600/crazy+kid.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 351px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijirP6Qlx2f-EsUKYaNk2BN1FTi8Hi26wiXoLSM42EOHD5nTI4ZyCh2I-Y2eRV8Aif0F1bwCFgbyN9ueWILzTnIQq0g5Oxg_eG8s1chUXGgtRfmC5VHMdlyF-ZYZn0XhYqRNA/s400/crazy+kid.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645728588508971618" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; font-size: x-small; "><div style="text-align: center;">photos by S</div></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>
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<br />Next time maybe I'll ask her to be the stylist when we shoot. She clearly has more patience for fiddling than I. But she'll need to learn to iron.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>By the way, if anyone need to borrow a two-headed 6-year old, or a cyclops 6-year-old with a very pointy head, I think we may have one around here somewhere. She's quite charming!</div>Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-18508152540118046042011-08-26T11:10:00.001-04:002011-08-26T11:12:52.832-04:00spottedThere's a wonderful story in the Juillet/Aout (err, July/August) issue of <a href="http://www.marieclaireidees.com/">Marie Claire Idees</a> that features some of <a href="http://dsquilts.com/">Denyse Schmidt</a>'s fabrics. Here are a few photos:<div>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XW_Y1LGUVJ-jWvq9xthu9VYtQeBJC2nBnm0qhmN-b976JfUEbHGmY7NcWm9ABCdZ1cCTgPaXbM4t3hs075V8hFHFOuSoEirmdZJ15_GUIQnvjz6HX06BxnQbdbceZYFmuN9K/s1600/mci.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 328px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XW_Y1LGUVJ-jWvq9xthu9VYtQeBJC2nBnm0qhmN-b976JfUEbHGmY7NcWm9ABCdZ1cCTgPaXbM4t3hs075V8hFHFOuSoEirmdZJ15_GUIQnvjz6HX06BxnQbdbceZYFmuN9K/s400/mci.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644517541961253186" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyeQHaAtctVQQAPfvcG5rIjhOmXTUlrElxmGATZ8fUp48XAp5niS4b_21-V7P8R4wcLql5yg-klMYd19MlXOae673F8Kbrsisgpn3Gq_OQjLEYeTid6c63qNm1VXMyyCQpsOW/s1600/mci-2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 273px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyeQHaAtctVQQAPfvcG5rIjhOmXTUlrElxmGATZ8fUp48XAp5niS4b_21-V7P8R4wcLql5yg-klMYd19MlXOae673F8Kbrsisgpn3Gq_OQjLEYeTid6c63qNm1VXMyyCQpsOW/s400/mci-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644517458267510674" /></a>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyB9qgPDav1JDxKh9bWo9IxZieeU5zRPn2yDBY7a4zSIY_HZHUV-6sIDMeKy3DWBviEPyOqu7aCHvj_Ywt3bwPDBN3wniG132xMaR_O-EA7GS-vnaknZnCczJ63gPbUdzJQUiO/s1600/mci-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyB9qgPDav1JDxKh9bWo9IxZieeU5zRPn2yDBY7a4zSIY_HZHUV-6sIDMeKy3DWBviEPyOqu7aCHvj_Ywt3bwPDBN3wniG132xMaR_O-EA7GS-vnaknZnCczJ63gPbUdzJQUiO/s400/mci-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644517443602767698" /></a>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ZZwLI7YIjJqb1LtaWPSejy27HTHNhJASCzn5pP8yE2d-GYR_LyNOWg6IOQgGOS0UpBRQRhivWSdtWLXtjZLv0wCPc1eCHmHTPw94lqdWNs7Ne0BjgnwYeKVo5Hb4VFvGdx85/s1600/mci-3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ZZwLI7YIjJqb1LtaWPSejy27HTHNhJASCzn5pP8yE2d-GYR_LyNOWg6IOQgGOS0UpBRQRhivWSdtWLXtjZLv0wCPc1eCHmHTPw94lqdWNs7Ne0BjgnwYeKVo5Hb4VFvGdx85/s400/mci-3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645181617318089042" /></a>Don't they look great? I especially like the bottle carrier.</div>Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-705151194792351462011-08-23T20:46:00.008-04:002011-08-23T21:58:58.216-04:00textile jewelryLast winter S and I were messing around with various fibers and made ourselves some jewelry. I finally remembered to photograph it so I can show you.<div>
<br /></div><div> S went on a mad finger-knitting binge and swore she would make a scarf for everyone (19!) in her class as well as a lengthy list of additional friends who needed them (according to her--and I'm sure all our corporate-world friends would, indeed, have been very appreciative). Fortunately, she got distracted around necklace number eleven before I ran out of yarn, but I got to pick out the yarn for my own and specified that I wanted a necklace instead of a scarf. So my commission resulted in this fabulous piece made with an Amy Butler yarn. I combined her little masterpiece (yes, I really do wear it) with a scrap of Nani Iro double gauze sewn into a tube, stuffed with a little cotton, and tied with embroidery floss every so often to define the "beads" in the necklace. Someone showed how to do this in a blog a while ago and I can't remember who--can anyone refer us?
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfO-OGbCfpiNFLAzzseCA7ru4yDPIhyphenhyphen2ajJhrfjh1nJFnC-9vwNQKiY81NbgblnJZeu3648FKoiZb211tzm-rD-31uiHlayeXq_bTbbDvpvdf8iuC6iCyy_JY5NDbPocl5jRuo/s1600/knitted-necklace.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfO-OGbCfpiNFLAzzseCA7ru4yDPIhyphenhyphen2ajJhrfjh1nJFnC-9vwNQKiY81NbgblnJZeu3648FKoiZb211tzm-rD-31uiHlayeXq_bTbbDvpvdf8iuC6iCyy_JY5NDbPocl5jRuo/s400/knitted-necklace.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644228719331702930" /></a>
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3j5VorrlSYoDzL-hRaVbbMhRfd2iblmSPz09OFy-KDO84sWa-pqxXrwgratzVDq-_eg5zjwF_oRGxMAbhFTxDmbt5SCar5W5Qyen4WITg815NiUQUNZmYtBTQrRfgcRhw8dyo/s1600/necklace-close.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3j5VorrlSYoDzL-hRaVbbMhRfd2iblmSPz09OFy-KDO84sWa-pqxXrwgratzVDq-_eg5zjwF_oRGxMAbhFTxDmbt5SCar5W5Qyen4WITg815NiUQUNZmYtBTQrRfgcRhw8dyo/s400/necklace-close.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644228723125292178" /></a>
<br />I also bought some of this crazy <a href="http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/7123-Knit-Collage-Handspun-Yarn">knit collage</a> yarn at Purl and strung it with felted beads to make this necklace. S has a similar one with handmade felt beads (it takes about 15 minutes to make each bead, and I only had time to make enough beads for one necklace before I ended up <a href="http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/7915-Handbehg-Felt-Felt-Balls-15-Centimeter-Pack">buying</a> the rest. Someday when I have more time...). As we strung the beads (you'll need a tapestry needle, strong fingers, and a lot of patience), I looped the yarn around my neck and arranged the beads and yarn lengths to my liking. Then I tied all the loops together at the back to hold them in place. It's easy to wear since I just slip it over my head (made sure it's long enough!) and it's lightweight.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfoLZaohMtnw3i4binz4ffHLm7D9wGeyWSMBamg2LY886lx3EwcOy2n-SMBT2oh9LtTmPTEG9OZySH4QACwkJy0APCOq7-TjyQJyA6K-PxKUZleM978XjoZCOYYFoceGEFgNSh/s1600/wool-necklace.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfoLZaohMtnw3i4binz4ffHLm7D9wGeyWSMBamg2LY886lx3EwcOy2n-SMBT2oh9LtTmPTEG9OZySH4QACwkJy0APCOq7-TjyQJyA6K-PxKUZleM978XjoZCOYYFoceGEFgNSh/s400/wool-necklace.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644228730849038946" /></a>Here it is on Pedal at the studio. It's a bit long on her, but I've had enough with <a href="http://www.sewlisette.com/blog/2011/08/additional-views-of-the-continental-pattern/">modelling </a>for a <a href="http://www.sewlisette.com/blog/2011/08/additional-views-of-the-itinerary-dress-pattern/">while</a>.</div><div>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE1Rjd6wmL1rkhyphenhyphenJ1OOrmVZ8_NxhUGrq7nbycjOWDz89M17RBKYWRneHY8d1MkGy9ufKZlLE8GmcfV0sTUQ_2e6EXNGQIjlUDgLaGWK1jy3rs6bxmiXKC1G7g21JH4-SuqNdnz/s1600/necklace-model.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE1Rjd6wmL1rkhyphenhyphenJ1OOrmVZ8_NxhUGrq7nbycjOWDz89M17RBKYWRneHY8d1MkGy9ufKZlLE8GmcfV0sTUQ_2e6EXNGQIjlUDgLaGWK1jy3rs6bxmiXKC1G7g21JH4-SuqNdnz/s400/necklace-model.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644228726769920546" /></a>
<br /></div><div>We've got ideas for a few more textile necklaces when we have time. The felt beads are fun to play with, but S is very busy with play dates before school starts again, and she doesn't have time for crafting at present.
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<br /></div>Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-43971554318801027952011-08-22T20:40:00.002-04:002011-08-22T20:45:29.769-04:00little escape<div>Last Thursday some friends who just returned from performing in the catskills were asking us whether we had ever considered buying a little house where we could escape from the city on weekends. Todd and I answered that we have considered it, but our weekends are usually so busy that we really wouldn't take advantage of a weekend retreat very much. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>Then on Friday we took the train up to Garrison to visit some other friends who are renting an adorable bungalow on the property of a large house in the area. We had such an amazing time spent lounging by the pool, visiting other friends at the lake, hanging out, cooking delicious dinners, and generally enjoying the weather and the country so near the city.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Several times during the weekend I turned to Todd and said, "maybe we should consider doing this after all!" But on the train back home we agreed that it just isn't practical for us. We both have obligations on Sundays, and we wouldn't take advantage of the escape often enough for it to make sense. But still, it was awfully relaxing and really pretty. I'm thinking that if I write another book it would be fun to do the photo shoot up there. Clearly I'd have to think of a way to include the chicken house...</div><div>
<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6CrOBwzK423oORzwGatVjWmaberZcy9yT0iSB6M5cpgW7wUBZ-5WXgP-G0qUMgGPJz89ipzO6gtHqMjns6QfesKNRgSBG3wuOBgDtmcXE4QDl4zxPxhMKx05pZLWarXOw_GH/s1600/lake.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6CrOBwzK423oORzwGatVjWmaberZcy9yT0iSB6M5cpgW7wUBZ-5WXgP-G0qUMgGPJz89ipzO6gtHqMjns6QfesKNRgSBG3wuOBgDtmcXE4QDl4zxPxhMKx05pZLWarXOw_GH/s400/lake.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643644861944737682" /></a>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ovQu9TpRXyYb5gXbUuNXn4PYIO8ZBy-AU_o-VVnNImyFrW3mEFWUEsqBEwIfxzbhXvYXUYw7cW8rqXF4nVIZwi2QFzfWUq3gJEHC1Qsff7SoiG8ooANfS2QYNXKRbMv26b1D/s1600/house.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ovQu9TpRXyYb5gXbUuNXn4PYIO8ZBy-AU_o-VVnNImyFrW3mEFWUEsqBEwIfxzbhXvYXUYw7cW8rqXF4nVIZwi2QFzfWUq3gJEHC1Qsff7SoiG8ooANfS2QYNXKRbMv26b1D/s400/house.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643644856072284866" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQScQTh2ciX6g3nZgUfQDSlMLOwcJzmvjv1uLhnFdkXFuc7Pl17RQ_3sog6CWQQJL3BwYgu2zUprQzkAdeJyIdwD2KWK2Oepg82z67Yl2s0NxU9T4kYnRw-KNo-jKCZP21Y3z3/s1600/hen-house.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 269px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQScQTh2ciX6g3nZgUfQDSlMLOwcJzmvjv1uLhnFdkXFuc7Pl17RQ_3sog6CWQQJL3BwYgu2zUprQzkAdeJyIdwD2KWK2Oepg82z67Yl2s0NxU9T4kYnRw-KNo-jKCZP21Y3z3/s400/hen-house.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643644732258189330" /></a>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yL_l3NVU0vcbCigzRY1KL9gMTWQVKmfsFNzbU_2uf1nC3L-MfSFqW1-1aqQeHGb5X8KOg4BeZjyXzn5ADMtHKskTenyA6bupYu5Ew47er3-MP1ETbCLWKl3z1dg60jW6K4rj/s1600/garden-gate.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yL_l3NVU0vcbCigzRY1KL9gMTWQVKmfsFNzbU_2uf1nC3L-MfSFqW1-1aqQeHGb5X8KOg4BeZjyXzn5ADMtHKskTenyA6bupYu5Ew47er3-MP1ETbCLWKl3z1dg60jW6K4rj/s400/garden-gate.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643644727493337634" /></a>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4T0KPQbVt3cYlW-feo4fShDvthoUGo82T7lUnLynfNw8JU2OrGleSiIwg33nca9sEUWWP1FxoHZIbup19-kkz1FTPRoMj7V_r8UogoacYicb-ivownoZXe_qJfrvIWxJorws/s1600/garden.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4T0KPQbVt3cYlW-feo4fShDvthoUGo82T7lUnLynfNw8JU2OrGleSiIwg33nca9sEUWWP1FxoHZIbup19-kkz1FTPRoMj7V_r8UogoacYicb-ivownoZXe_qJfrvIWxJorws/s400/garden.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643644722725410946" /></a>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihIFzXrBgKsDNi-ExkrFhZ4x8r7-mCTV0t17iXGKa_ku0UnBhv4fUkMBXvXLGhRhpynFCJAi8IePDNmOBEeM0QyBFs9AYu8zEtDbKOlK_rzCdo_g2XDWf7B5JlReOPsyc0omk3/s1600/feeding-fish.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihIFzXrBgKsDNi-ExkrFhZ4x8r7-mCTV0t17iXGKa_ku0UnBhv4fUkMBXvXLGhRhpynFCJAi8IePDNmOBEeM0QyBFs9AYu8zEtDbKOlK_rzCdo_g2XDWf7B5JlReOPsyc0omk3/s400/feeding-fish.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643644718240674290" /></a>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVxSIQjzGIfqjfENMeJPlUHf6KPj593nYDf3hw2drRdVvb0eG8quHNT3aATP-_viz_kGVbw1gXsn2D7amkwptgRxftfARgeQ9Qu6-GfxA9i3YoU7YtuVIQAyEtS_-cIBpgXwd/s1600/entryway.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 280px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVxSIQjzGIfqjfENMeJPlUHf6KPj593nYDf3hw2drRdVvb0eG8quHNT3aATP-_viz_kGVbw1gXsn2D7amkwptgRxftfARgeQ9Qu6-GfxA9i3YoU7YtuVIQAyEtS_-cIBpgXwd/s400/entryway.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643644482656840514" /></a>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9Qzdt509Ugdo9tAr8-g8nx35rng7WEFemKTV2WEwZfMavYhAo5-ndo9khQbS1SxWcVHYXrTmzjWdUul0xzilEBXAP3NOWS_tXqEOYuaYLwDfIGze9_mckKiIu2gZFUuybPoW/s1600/dockside.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 271px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9Qzdt509Ugdo9tAr8-g8nx35rng7WEFemKTV2WEwZfMavYhAo5-ndo9khQbS1SxWcVHYXrTmzjWdUul0xzilEBXAP3NOWS_tXqEOYuaYLwDfIGze9_mckKiIu2gZFUuybPoW/s400/dockside.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643644479896168018" /></a>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjO-vq29ktZFHy5sAeA3Vh1c9NXnhRXk-Ro3r4xUKUFL-gmd3WYt9r7wJyeQrJFcGDnb4pHyuRbZ3g1cL3dKpBYU5ZdUEFE7DMWVnF0bwe_t8Dl_fHKL2uW0bQu8-3dP0YxsT/s1600/courtyard.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjO-vq29ktZFHy5sAeA3Vh1c9NXnhRXk-Ro3r4xUKUFL-gmd3WYt9r7wJyeQrJFcGDnb4pHyuRbZ3g1cL3dKpBYU5ZdUEFE7DMWVnF0bwe_t8Dl_fHKL2uW0bQu8-3dP0YxsT/s400/courtyard.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643644475499498146" /></a>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLfv_gbQ2qBEeD3FbBZEU54Bn5TZQ_GwG8_jbJhbnybCOnBDKzST4z59JBj0Q6e4xZp6AHcWIvw09OJ-U8M2O0rVrVrX2HT-MSaw_apjA-G46FaCQN9eqIsD-_htYj2v-7Oyfy/s1600/big-house.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLfv_gbQ2qBEeD3FbBZEU54Bn5TZQ_GwG8_jbJhbnybCOnBDKzST4z59JBj0Q6e4xZp6AHcWIvw09OJ-U8M2O0rVrVrX2HT-MSaw_apjA-G46FaCQN9eqIsD-_htYj2v-7Oyfy/s400/big-house.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643644471417498722" /></a>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97P6wS84w4qstEiURQnBMEzYwDbrPVJoAfB630tMwgMeLXYax7DR0KqNqlQbRHVWA71vSMsg8Bu0pNMm41AzPhSediuPXaTlrar3W5eXwgZtQkEjPBeEareW-gfTPQUfCdTkJ/s1600/bertha.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97P6wS84w4qstEiURQnBMEzYwDbrPVJoAfB630tMwgMeLXYax7DR0KqNqlQbRHVWA71vSMsg8Bu0pNMm41AzPhSediuPXaTlrar3W5eXwgZtQkEjPBeEareW-gfTPQUfCdTkJ/s400/bertha.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643644276280304690" /></a>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijOlZgULaEZMRkG1JTOy6Qg125uasGYiJsYT-JhxDP37RS-KVXuCNsq6cVbE10NrCQXg8Hzg1phf_ZXon2Lff_JJmx2AovtYvSg3MOJeGp1sag6QVH-UiV_n3HFVL5PRx5vFIG/s1600/bench.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijOlZgULaEZMRkG1JTOy6Qg125uasGYiJsYT-JhxDP37RS-KVXuCNsq6cVbE10NrCQXg8Hzg1phf_ZXon2Lff_JJmx2AovtYvSg3MOJeGp1sag6QVH-UiV_n3HFVL5PRx5vFIG/s400/bench.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643644272697069586" /></a>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pZO57o0L0vil9q0IniMYpQzcnxm-xo_p_aKnpRtprSgdxa704oAiCdVIOZTfph1X2eRwzzcUkx9xArwqYP92vArvfbGmZJRttyal_As-tJ6foH2Dm0hwLUtQDKcdCJiUVVBr/s1600/bathing-beauty.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pZO57o0L0vil9q0IniMYpQzcnxm-xo_p_aKnpRtprSgdxa704oAiCdVIOZTfph1X2eRwzzcUkx9xArwqYP92vArvfbGmZJRttyal_As-tJ6foH2Dm0hwLUtQDKcdCJiUVVBr/s400/bathing-beauty.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643644266539339362" /></a>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQAl2UHavMzNJTf5PkKSUdRZpIOVQu4MZrv5BZdBmjwF14pMtINoIk3EDXC6o2DvIFfgquD4QptQOQrgo2nrWC2COrdLpKEY4HCmCS6wKDe6vKuq_onaCoeMZSgSknJQXgCwoD/s1600/barn.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQAl2UHavMzNJTf5PkKSUdRZpIOVQu4MZrv5BZdBmjwF14pMtINoIk3EDXC6o2DvIFfgquD4QptQOQrgo2nrWC2COrdLpKEY4HCmCS6wKDe6vKuq_onaCoeMZSgSknJQXgCwoD/s400/barn.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643644263475025378" /></a>
<br />Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-29063233790240553352011-08-04T22:19:00.000-04:002011-08-05T00:19:42.926-04:00wish you were hereWe've spent the week with my family on vacation someplace on the outer banks of North Carolina, where the houses are big enough to hold our entire crew. So far we've been dodging trucks (everyone drives on the beach out here!), admiring the wild horses, building sand castles and sand snowmen, baking (more sandcastles--the beach-themed cake was for my sister's birthday), goofing off in the pool, and I've had so much fun riding the boogie board I've pretty much decided to quit work and move someplace where I can learn to surf. But maybe I'll change my mind again when we get back home.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_sMIw3PVnYO4c10UWs_FzbyPug_qPyL5oghg17an63New3tyncmcy2bX8nmUWSAqPLISm3XPaalSpci4SddqolpDrnpDn1laYxmq8_QorfjYiuR0ROrrvuEQrVOSDL-gQtAVX/s1600/horses+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 273px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_sMIw3PVnYO4c10UWs_FzbyPug_qPyL5oghg17an63New3tyncmcy2bX8nmUWSAqPLISm3XPaalSpci4SddqolpDrnpDn1laYxmq8_QorfjYiuR0ROrrvuEQrVOSDL-gQtAVX/s400/horses+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637208741312750002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7O63syA-21kyY19xg8ENPUKx1eIfgt8ePblCkUG599dL3L_woLFpbDct-h7Wscac3WTL6hXGwms2k6bBojIN_g1xcUjr6aoZ6WicSod-NOvAkJe5Evevu4asq5vjezsTjvh9h/s1600/sandpile.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 290px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7O63syA-21kyY19xg8ENPUKx1eIfgt8ePblCkUG599dL3L_woLFpbDct-h7Wscac3WTL6hXGwms2k6bBojIN_g1xcUjr6aoZ6WicSod-NOvAkJe5Evevu4asq5vjezsTjvh9h/s400/sandpile.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637208745173564194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinoWyolycomeet2e3mue4hlwoE-sogHMVkItbBwYSA48yFCvQKFFmyj9V_IFstGgsPP1KJuezjXoZLZRK3ZEQvmhJXw7B0ltTefAj_pMM95atyJrMTDevlMGJISCdI0ze7UxoE/s1600/castle+cake.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 273px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinoWyolycomeet2e3mue4hlwoE-sogHMVkItbBwYSA48yFCvQKFFmyj9V_IFstGgsPP1KJuezjXoZLZRK3ZEQvmhJXw7B0ltTefAj_pMM95atyJrMTDevlMGJISCdI0ze7UxoE/s400/castle+cake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636836022548732530" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCeVwHpyLti7tQXe5x90CNi1SPM02BjRQzdAskUAzZu4MqsJW7DqIn3LS5e7r1109aukDDeC87cj348WyYGrA0wzeB3l5-3wK5cnH_pr0V5pQ028Sraj4RGTvZo8pIAtdjE6oO/s1600/sandman.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCeVwHpyLti7tQXe5x90CNi1SPM02BjRQzdAskUAzZu4MqsJW7DqIn3LS5e7r1109aukDDeC87cj348WyYGrA0wzeB3l5-3wK5cnH_pr0V5pQ028Sraj4RGTvZo8pIAtdjE6oO/s400/sandman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636836017378572978" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GGDi5GMI0FC16YNMD5erOaXTS10vcY_Ox-hVks32LylzmrNEoRh-Pnftl-bq0K8hBAp2mHmUgUIQoT9hXSs08jhRDVpvhtLIZEhEEbr7-RiMhenEWId117GmSyPa9nRvX-E6/s1600/horses.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkckiv6gu5h1T-eckcAOUgBHVOEqGK5oue2G0LaCOyXG2uqp1EJ1iaU_46L50_HuP-OCPXHPuBj8xCSwIb5uNunpOP6iJy9Qq-8FcNO4DwpM5sUG1Hp3ytaMhDjumx7DwJ0t_P/s1600/poolside.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkckiv6gu5h1T-eckcAOUgBHVOEqGK5oue2G0LaCOyXG2uqp1EJ1iaU_46L50_HuP-OCPXHPuBj8xCSwIb5uNunpOP6iJy9Qq-8FcNO4DwpM5sUG1Hp3ytaMhDjumx7DwJ0t_P/s400/poolside.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636836027339101666" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihYSHzn-JYJH1IwcZ01JGSe4hAt0dvBnfbJ2g7PN0_nxHW_-mT7MJaxglBEBmOs9oXNBlpFjuQB4K4K4Cddhre8DNGPY6GPPyE1r56x2vrnb9Acm0_0cTzQKM2Hj_8qnY-adoG/s1600/gibsons.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 291px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihYSHzn-JYJH1IwcZ01JGSe4hAt0dvBnfbJ2g7PN0_nxHW_-mT7MJaxglBEBmOs9oXNBlpFjuQB4K4K4Cddhre8DNGPY6GPPyE1r56x2vrnb9Acm0_0cTzQKM2Hj_8qnY-adoG/s400/gibsons.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637207908049038818" border="0" /></a>We're the only ones walking back and forth to the the beach instead of driving, so if you see us, wave!Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-77866378975826262832011-07-27T22:47:00.001-04:002011-07-27T22:50:32.697-04:00break<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIoLL3ItubMzvhSTR1DF1rJQKNhUPebCxt5wVFGN_49UDcTQsLuqhoUZQ27wNGV4QF6HL0RGJxd4bsgx52c57x6G1XfZtcK89Bm9EVcOYIYBkUWCbsJoncCA-XFQACciJbcSoD/s1600/summer+2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIoLL3ItubMzvhSTR1DF1rJQKNhUPebCxt5wVFGN_49UDcTQsLuqhoUZQ27wNGV4QF6HL0RGJxd4bsgx52c57x6G1XfZtcK89Bm9EVcOYIYBkUWCbsJoncCA-XFQACciJbcSoD/s400/summer+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634229616975865890" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZXDhloVAvZv-C60d00lep6sKvw-ti7Oiv7tKH5l_d-qAwZVvbMRCaSyR88wZMT4ml_tWgaHMsRg7ZcDvDhsNmKZc0qXtQY2daszmmx62W4w584BCPk9aSZDLgtDtNza4en65D/s1600/summer+1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 312px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZXDhloVAvZv-C60d00lep6sKvw-ti7Oiv7tKH5l_d-qAwZVvbMRCaSyR88wZMT4ml_tWgaHMsRg7ZcDvDhsNmKZc0qXtQY2daszmmx62W4w584BCPk9aSZDLgtDtNza4en65D/s400/summer+1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634229623579376386" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qeNHggm0ac_bpWvuo0Z4elGM5Y8aK3l-SPzOjykFoPRFcCg2GcMDCl7nN2P0ba7fveZ11ItibX1xB_N4nzGcq8vIpSQLPjafDUWc6IdEJV4irDQ5V1ojTfI2AroLmlNMapjL/s1600/summer+3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qeNHggm0ac_bpWvuo0Z4elGM5Y8aK3l-SPzOjykFoPRFcCg2GcMDCl7nN2P0ba7fveZ11ItibX1xB_N4nzGcq8vIpSQLPjafDUWc6IdEJV4irDQ5V1ojTfI2AroLmlNMapjL/s400/summer+3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634229613384588466" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRzmlfLb1BLxUOQPDH5-jP_AVnTPkUOVpSRxi8HMG9VAayecVLdAzlSOm6KU5eE04rniudF2Wyf0pc7N22QMcAW81S55X7GVezhgtjJiNTdAP7Z0rFu9vcL3TsrsHgL6F1SBv/s1600/summer+4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 278px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRzmlfLb1BLxUOQPDH5-jP_AVnTPkUOVpSRxi8HMG9VAayecVLdAzlSOm6KU5eE04rniudF2Wyf0pc7N22QMcAW81S55X7GVezhgtjJiNTdAP7Z0rFu9vcL3TsrsHgL6F1SBv/s400/summer+4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634229610190918226" /></a><br />Someday not too long from now she's going to grow up and move away, and I'm going to wish for many, many more of these days together.Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-17771361604720297762011-07-26T08:44:00.000-04:002011-07-26T09:33:59.743-04:00renovatedWe've just finished some renovations to the studio, and I had a chance to <a href="http://pinkchalkstudio.com/blog/2011/07/25/liesl-gibson-designer-author/">show it off</a> yesterday at Pink Chalk. Kathy is featuring all sorts of <a href="http://pinkchalkstudio.com/blog/category/where-i-sew/">great sewing spaces</a> on her blog this month, so if you're looking for ideas or want to share off your space you should definitely take a look.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmVQPAgYshSIMIcFTUX74cXCqecT84zjyrvVIUnZaH8lzVdwZ0fhOukxKZhWV7PxIoB2Tn9IvtclfHR_IYFfB4o3SltS0BDbBCA9-yFDTpJ9dDU_XpZPyWgaPn8zRF4t3ua1a7/s1600/studio+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmVQPAgYshSIMIcFTUX74cXCqecT84zjyrvVIUnZaH8lzVdwZ0fhOukxKZhWV7PxIoB2Tn9IvtclfHR_IYFfB4o3SltS0BDbBCA9-yFDTpJ9dDU_XpZPyWgaPn8zRF4t3ua1a7/s400/studio+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633512219346981186" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOYYgMNPyABA_1jKqTLga9efPi7eSFNn9XB4yT8Ech_8EhljN9olVZnsgQ0cqRZ5oqo-BvIBtQQZUvoP1cQNg5LVGUOVP79xcVdWiTuK30yYCcoHgjud3NuqcouI-OV1X1YTmw/s1600/studio+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOYYgMNPyABA_1jKqTLga9efPi7eSFNn9XB4yT8Ech_8EhljN9olVZnsgQ0cqRZ5oqo-BvIBtQQZUvoP1cQNg5LVGUOVP79xcVdWiTuK30yYCcoHgjud3NuqcouI-OV1X1YTmw/s400/studio+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633506881982739282" border="0" /></a>Now that we've been in this space for almost three years, I feel like it's finally come together. We've just been so busy that I hadn't taken the time to do any work on the studio itself. But I'm really happy with it now. We've put linen-covered homosote doors over all the shelving, and the doors are perfect bulletin boards. I love being able to put up everything I'm working on because I can step back and really look and get a good perspective on the scale and colors and ideas as they work together. It's been very helpful to see how new fabric collections play off older groups, to compare and develop color palettes, and to just spread out and play. I actually think those doors are changing the way I work. The leftover pieces became smaller bulletin boards behind the sewing machine counter.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisigjiykQ28Y4QNGo7XYGXVfsYdHRd2Ln3-kICDqB1jg5E7RQVPqhFpP5GXgZ6dguNuLww_pyhcufREdx7U-7Q3y_7gQ5pUI6dCOJzHKaNkNcj0MAElnPL6R6Jq83Q8pmxI-Tq/s1600/studio+3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisigjiykQ28Y4QNGo7XYGXVfsYdHRd2Ln3-kICDqB1jg5E7RQVPqhFpP5GXgZ6dguNuLww_pyhcufREdx7U-7Q3y_7gQ5pUI6dCOJzHKaNkNcj0MAElnPL6R6Jq83Q8pmxI-Tq/s400/studio+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633636317942597074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFmZtvvbmMP_BNr2oVT0Ye77_yGUFL1QuO0XHfsSTr_1ni0Hmlj6CkxF-C8IpZako8OYEtMitnmtujloVRepAUNRmGYNYE5LM0EZOL36F_PqF0x3uZ66ojUUHaYZf2mOMtoWh/s1600/studio+4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFmZtvvbmMP_BNr2oVT0Ye77_yGUFL1QuO0XHfsSTr_1ni0Hmlj6CkxF-C8IpZako8OYEtMitnmtujloVRepAUNRmGYNYE5LM0EZOL36F_PqF0x3uZ66ojUUHaYZf2mOMtoWh/s400/studio+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633637595178983346" border="0" /></a><br />For a while there I had a cute little whitewashed branch suspended from the ceiling, and it was a great place to hang finished garments. That came down when we built the doors, but I'm still hoping to find a place for it. And I didn't get a good photo of the old library card catalog at the entryway. It's great for storing all sorts of odds and ends and just looks fun.<br /><br />S and I are out in Michigan right now and returning home tomorrow, just in time to pack for a family vacation. I've had a couple of days with my Grandma, and today I think we're headed to the beach. I can't wait!Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-3247587200266851262011-07-21T22:59:00.008-04:002011-07-22T01:01:20.210-04:00July 20Twenty years ago yesterday I married this guy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCn32jk5jmlTC-anNrJhVxceqQ57-TSODqebgSw535fjiWbztvq-wpEUsImoNJKNk4K_oJ_VV_SioOmtbf6SsTDE2lG-YZTXQVk9ixhAsOsFK7nLG65vMOK3a1Hx2Dg6uBnsS/s1600/todd2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 319px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCn32jk5jmlTC-anNrJhVxceqQ57-TSODqebgSw535fjiWbztvq-wpEUsImoNJKNk4K_oJ_VV_SioOmtbf6SsTDE2lG-YZTXQVk9ixhAsOsFK7nLG65vMOK3a1Hx2Dg6uBnsS/s400/todd2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632018944705702082" border="0" /></a><br />That was a really good idea. (Although when he wakes up tomorrow morning and sees that I wrote this he's going to kill me.)<br /><br />Twenty years of marriage means that it's also been twenty years since we moved to New York. Just a couple months out of college, we drove a giant U-Haul truck out here with our belongings tied up in a little corner of the truck because it was the smallest vehicle the rental company would give us. We carried boxes and boxes (of books, mostly) up to our tiny third-floor apartment on a very hot, sticky day. A lot like today, come to think of it. We slept on the floor of our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">un</span></span>-air-conditioned apartment until our sofa bed arrived a few weeks later. (The sofa bed wasn't much of an improvement from the floor, trust me. Somehow we slept on that awful thing for almost five years until we moved to a larger apartment, and then we went out and bought the most comfortable bed we could find.)<br /><br />I started my first job a day or two after we moved in. Todd started graduate school shortly after that. We barely got by; but we were thrilled to be married, living in New York, and pursuing our dreams.<br /><br />Since then we've both made several career changes. And we had a kid. And I've never really talked about it here, but two and a half years ago Todd quit his job and joined me in my business. So it's no longer my business, but our business. Now he runs things (far more smoothly and efficiently than I ever did, believe me) and I do what I do best (which doesn't include nearly as many things as he does), and that allows us both to spend more time together and with the kiddo.<br /><br />I can tell you that being married and rearing a child and running a business together are far more challenging than either of us expected. Our studio and our apartment are both very small spaces, and sometimes the only way to make things work is to each be in a different place for at least part of the time. We can each be in charge independently that way, at least until dinnertime.<br /><br />But when I stop to think about it all, I wouldn't want to have done it any other way. We still have fun together. We have similar interests and can appreciate each other's interests even when they aren't shared. We have very different senses of humor, but he can still make me laugh. And I'm ecstatic when I can make him laugh every once in a while.<br /><br />We were very young when we got married. Many, many things have changed in our lives in that time span. But I'd do it again, given the chance.<br /><br />I hope we get another twenty (or more?) years together.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtRteyIHZ-odv_qH0ORk65D2Ocfh5rMiqZ61vphzo4KZcFmXxG1sU-FutRW3l61DCPyn9Pve9savPqc97yjRPYzriXdEgOMuhKNOKBzkaAUl-bChv8JxwagwF3jW5TRXZJ0zKc/s1600/todd.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 257px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtRteyIHZ-odv_qH0ORk65D2Ocfh5rMiqZ61vphzo4KZcFmXxG1sU-FutRW3l61DCPyn9Pve9savPqc97yjRPYzriXdEgOMuhKNOKBzkaAUl-bChv8JxwagwF3jW5TRXZJ0zKc/s400/todd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632018945184654530" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And he does look like <a href="http://heatherross.squarespace.com/journal/a-few-familiar-faces-and-a-little-guessing-contest.html">Heather's illustration</a> of him, doesn't he?Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-5496067195766223522011-07-12T20:18:00.001-04:002011-07-12T21:18:26.132-04:00summerSummer, at long last. New York schools continue through June, so S's summer break started with the Independence Day weekend and we've been busy cramming a lot of activities into our schedule ever since. We've made silly treats like <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/cakeice-cream-cones-recipe/index.html">cupcake cones</a> (S liked these) and <a href="http://www.bakersroyale.com/fruit/strawberry-shortcake-popsicles/">strawberry shortcake popsicles</a> (I liked these and didn't feel a bit guilty eating them), had loads of playdates, run some errands , and made packing lists for all the trips we're taking.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNmOqDI24FRVgtQ8dtuX615T_zIOJo_XSC7qQhNx7yuhg12Mbb18l61ALtGNvVTle9cF7jNc6To_XlaBWRdd6PIyxljcEFb4Z8nAcVUVSUTEXmBrw_TSFSfKK19p6kq7qRKjvYSQ/s1600/swings2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNmOqDI24FRVgtQ8dtuX615T_zIOJo_XSC7qQhNx7yuhg12Mbb18l61ALtGNvVTle9cF7jNc6To_XlaBWRdd6PIyxljcEFb4Z8nAcVUVSUTEXmBrw_TSFSfKK19p6kq7qRKjvYSQ/s400/swings2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625471876761088994" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSoaLD108Tlc5beDugPoug8K10JbsLRqta5ImF_NxSqtJpLnzew5Hb2U3oKMqhXnJLTtf1WczkdaSGkAa658Yt0iYFO-38OMaa58IpKjamxwX6hN5wX1Yq3_p9WNkrEe68ezow5w/s1600/dressup.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 261px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSoaLD108Tlc5beDugPoug8K10JbsLRqta5ImF_NxSqtJpLnzew5Hb2U3oKMqhXnJLTtf1WczkdaSGkAa658Yt0iYFO-38OMaa58IpKjamxwX6hN5wX1Yq3_p9WNkrEe68ezow5w/s400/dressup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625471858875525394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuM9uW3tyHiGQ7uvpgoaR6UP5gX_FgxFDX2SV9UZGnNvIreRWELpsBjBaE0_WH5X3wj8uBhp2QS8igML-085rUBw7XM00WulhugQU1yYpxhNfRwKvONAWkvUj6k7ASHIHbfQvcg/s1600/swings.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuM9uW3tyHiGQ7uvpgoaR6UP5gX_FgxFDX2SV9UZGnNvIreRWELpsBjBaE0_WH5X3wj8uBhp2QS8igML-085rUBw7XM00WulhugQU1yYpxhNfRwKvONAWkvUj6k7ASHIHbfQvcg/s400/swings.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625471888012759746" border="0" /></a><br />We've also trying to slow down to enjoy picnics, the hydrangeas (especially since I only glimpsed the field of roses outside our building as a blur, I was trotting past them so quickly every day), and to play some games.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DsXAePtSUhU/ThGw34R-fWI/AAAAAAAAEuc/gJLxiBRhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifFTr4/s1600/sandals.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266phttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8wlHBCOfA8CQYlgH84MRhDc6-UwuF6hKVK_Fhcx3vJXSlc_LBGo77UbfpsUE8WvONVNx41V43NPiQL46CsSrFj07FVYsBkgLlhQYnZkU7RDmluaXC9iW3w1i_hbd3J_WVt3Nyg/s400/sandals.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625471883609537890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKn85kfaKNO3itsSja3xZHTDF491ua9TGFheLSMi0VSC6LtzjAWK3a_jc0j_Cg1eqg2CjtmTJuCkfCNP_pHqzA8Vu82b7FQw7Wojkmd-JCi1YgIjpmZbb4MYZrQdUk6AcOdgus/s1600/hydrangeas+pink.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKn85kfaKNO3itsSja3xZHTDF491ua9TGFheLSMi0VSC6LtzjAWK3a_jc0j_Cg1eqg2CjtmTJuCkfCNP_pHqzA8Vu82b7FQw7Wojkmd-JCi1YgIjpmZbb4MYZrQdUk6AcOdgus/s400/hydrangeas+pink.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628639189091587986" border="0" /></a><br />Ah, summer! Why do you go so quickly?Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-76197677684258776922011-06-24T14:26:00.000-04:002011-06-24T14:33:50.897-04:00long live McQueen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rI71jyOmmzrvT4cZcjx0dRIfN9aG6KnvGKeFtnUFWAwqnqN6R6TdCyAgqYj5eyIEN5SzQvzv_QzPPXSclkIwK5_HGnWVBtEJ5xSzUMsqt5ocZqL2Uq-VWL2eAQ95Tj7P-rM8qw/s1600/mcq.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 328px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rI71jyOmmzrvT4cZcjx0dRIfN9aG6KnvGKeFtnUFWAwqnqN6R6TdCyAgqYj5eyIEN5SzQvzv_QzPPXSclkIwK5_HGnWVBtEJ5xSzUMsqt5ocZqL2Uq-VWL2eAQ95Tj7P-rM8qw/s400/mcq.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615124410742791842" border="0" /></a><br />S and I paid a visit to the <a href="http://blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/">Alexander McQueen exhibit</a> at the Met when it opened earlier this spring and managed to get there before the long lines. That's not to say the exhibit wasn't mobbed; we could barely get close enough to the clothing to really see much of it, and it's tricky to visit a show like this with a 6-year-old who can't see over everyone and who would rather be eating lunch at the park. In any case, I'll happily brave the crowds to see the show several more times this summer. It's by far and away the most spectacular fashion exhibit I've ever seen. I think the word Sublime is the best description of McQueen's designs, and of the show itself.<br /><br />If you aren't coming to New York this summer, you can get still get a taste of the show via this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgiyk_oPE-E">video tour</a>. You won't see the details of the clothing and will miss some of my favorite pieces, but it will give you the general sense of the show, at least.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TQtzTkEUlUIRZcQJwT_VMuT0B1Pkq9ezYoLfybn0mnoHpcQy8KUxEwOTfKQtghmbyhPt89kCiMhoKqu8heXRuRqKUtyEgiJn0EDfwLyG1xdDw1psFM9bZcID5asLm9dRYlknVA/s1600/mcq6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 318px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TQtzTkEUlUIRZcQJwT_VMuT0B1Pkq9ezYoLfybn0mnoHpcQy8KUxEwOTfKQtghmbyhPt89kCiMhoKqu8heXRuRqKUtyEgiJn0EDfwLyG1xdDw1psFM9bZcID5asLm9dRYlknVA/s400/mcq6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615125227420535330" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I first fell in love with McQueen's work when I was finishing up my degree at FIT. McQueen and I were the same age (he died on my birthday, incidentally, not long before his own birthday), but he was already producing his spectacular clothing and shows when I was just changing careers and starting to study traditional tailoring techniques. It was that <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNmsXyesi0c">spray-painted dress</a> (if you haven't seen this video before, you must watch it!) in the spring/summer 1999 show which captured my full attention. After than I followed his career with fascination. I think he was one of the fashion geniuses of our century, really, and it's hard to imagine any designer not being influenced by his work and by this show. It's truly amazing on both counts.<br /><br />We visited the gift shop on our way out of the museum and purchased the catalog from the show. So while S was running up and down a hill in Central Park I cracked open the book and was blown away a second time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEA1bYw2K7RWCUntEAQkWnW9KIUj_aByDlTurIGBiCRFEqAN2V3e3eYEngmZr6_B8ZNeDljs1ZuvUvJs7nNHS3Dh_hsZyYhi756X3USXOshDH6rD6k8Frw9EyGyxduM5lz5XhIlg/s1600/mcq5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEA1bYw2K7RWCUntEAQkWnW9KIUj_aByDlTurIGBiCRFEqAN2V3e3eYEngmZr6_B8ZNeDljs1ZuvUvJs7nNHS3Dh_hsZyYhi756X3USXOshDH6rD6k8Frw9EyGyxduM5lz5XhIlg/s400/mcq5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615124837936434994" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3ypldtr1zNGHW0SMdt5UpfNuk2-CM4mYeGeRP81zd9SG_azcPerkl8ZuE8TMfXFiFlRdt_jIMf42tF6SdfByb5jq3GZ9dCwHJAJKMP4e2QO73zqQrpPRcmMflxomJRePVKLT1Q/s1600/mcq3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3ypldtr1zNGHW0SMdt5UpfNuk2-CM4mYeGeRP81zd9SG_azcPerkl8ZuE8TMfXFiFlRdt_jIMf42tF6SdfByb5jq3GZ9dCwHJAJKMP4e2QO73zqQrpPRcmMflxomJRePVKLT1Q/s400/mcq3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615124832376088146" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7zFZ6beRPqPtbq4hyphenhyphenJmVk6z5HKia-KoVKuqnMW36TjsfytlNCvHe4eBccYOC4TD8h4nSRwgBSbK5kNent_jO5jdmNt445NhJavVCGVCp_-TUY06v6AjpMzdoUcfEfbTzzFPrUA/s1600/mcq2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7zFZ6beRPqPtbq4hyphenhyphenJmVk6z5HKia-KoVKuqnMW36TjsfytlNCvHe4eBccYOC4TD8h4nSRwgBSbK5kNent_jO5jdmNt445NhJavVCGVCp_-TUY06v6AjpMzdoUcfEfbTzzFPrUA/s400/mcq2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615124419858284802" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLeZqL-nb5avCT_W9xXnkKcAzO0xkRHbFXOm_Y4sqcPWwuM-5UP6ees2ZL8skuec0oBppJS1r4QhPKxIP9Pc7BDH0oGhBHEcn7IYP-Uoc1AkvJ-hnxr1vZ0oqaLZBlK1Vb8YDnqQ/s1600/mcq1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 297px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLeZqL-nb5avCT_W9xXnkKcAzO0xkRHbFXOm_Y4sqcPWwuM-5UP6ees2ZL8skuec0oBppJS1r4QhPKxIP9Pc7BDH0oGhBHEcn7IYP-Uoc1AkvJ-hnxr1vZ0oqaLZBlK1Vb8YDnqQ/s400/mcq1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615124415532409154" border="0" /></a><br />The photos in the catalog are, at first glance, simple compositions of McQueen's designs on mannequins. Except that you very quickly notice that these aren't ordinary mannequins. The poses aren't standard mannequin poses, and the hands are feet are eerily life-like.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidlTifG3mPvp7VJHhKsZFQzyfr-HpuIziaxKlpQtr19UDnZYIRK-ONt4msRViOoPkEWKe9W8A3JnpwW5SQlj29vQNNtPkMFqYhu_eW25WHk0iaSo7doJRD3EFKTm5OERKNRDknw/s1600/mcqhand.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 332px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidlTifG3mPvp7VJHhKsZFQzyfr-HpuIziaxKlpQtr19UDnZYIRK-ONt4msRViOoPkEWKe9W8A3JnpwW5SQlj29vQNNtPkMFqYhu_eW25WHk0iaSo7doJRD3EFKTm5OERKNRDknw/s400/mcqhand.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615125233754319954" border="0" /></a><br />Have you ever seen a mannequin stand like this?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRZbhKrKwmoU0xhKvzJrjc41fGb8FvPAPg8yYPpJ9sAGKx58_wAUCDIRtzq-k-5bjbNlTQzdFk56P6eiXjDnS2KZspwOwlJyFhGsLR7GY7HF-EQHOqdX2XPLPgIjptfa5l5lcLrg/s1600/mcq4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 335px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRZbhKrKwmoU0xhKvzJrjc41fGb8FvPAPg8yYPpJ9sAGKx58_wAUCDIRtzq-k-5bjbNlTQzdFk56P6eiXjDnS2KZspwOwlJyFhGsLR7GY7HF-EQHOqdX2XPLPgIjptfa5l5lcLrg/s400/mcq4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615124836703750530" border="0" /></a><br />That's because the mannequins are actually live models. The models wore white paint and bands around their shoulders and wrists where the joints on actual mannequins are located. Heads were replaced or removed in editing. The result is perfect--you're not distracted by a real person, but the pages are vibrant and exciting.<br /><br />Classic McQueen.Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-7675649782035452692011-06-20T09:07:00.000-04:002011-06-20T09:07:00.047-04:00improvisational patchworkI had such a great time at <a href="http://www.dsquilts.com/">Denyse Schmidt</a>'s <a href="http://www.dsquilts.com/workshop_detail.asp?PageID=136">Improvisational Patchwork workshop</a> last Saturday, I meant to take photos of her gorgeous studio. Instead, we got so busy making our blocks and discussing them and what we learned from the process that I forgot to use my camera. So I returned home mostly with photos of the quilt blocks we made.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKltk1xQvDQzKyryWojiFRbh75ORYKr7lsVE87HSxcLAfS6x92eN5q96gkaMkzj8CaEw-j8cEUx6jh6wvd8DYmx8h9WK91Xpn84ZBo6gRCd0fKuAK6fHGtNMm3bvJeS4c-dOzYgQ/s1600/flowers.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 307px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKltk1xQvDQzKyryWojiFRbh75ORYKr7lsVE87HSxcLAfS6x92eN5q96gkaMkzj8CaEw-j8cEUx6jh6wvd8DYmx8h9WK91Xpn84ZBo6gRCd0fKuAK6fHGtNMm3bvJeS4c-dOzYgQ/s400/flowers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617876911447558386" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqCb6i9InNk27eFPQqmdzt9PSyJWKWPw8DbydXffZ6YMpVWi53ZbKXMHzfnF7Oedl49xvFk-6QUrm3l-zievQ8eRKdIRUlTu4ZvvEr0oYzdgoA6AcASmMsMrxuwNKVKkwAGgc1A/s1600/sml.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqCb6i9InNk27eFPQqmdzt9PSyJWKWPw8DbydXffZ6YMpVWi53ZbKXMHzfnF7Oedl49xvFk-6QUrm3l-zievQ8eRKdIRUlTu4ZvvEr0oYzdgoA6AcASmMsMrxuwNKVKkwAGgc1A/s400/sml.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617876597726185154" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdOAtam2P4_0TriQ3OQ924-HjEmdsVMJGT8ZRr-Y7hzZVpoHMIiIjrjtN3SiodfDqBZ1WFXWkyth2Isqi97yQKJqErNu6kz9wywZSEPYLk4YLE8He7Yf_90CyLtiCUkfCSLoLqdA/s1600/first+blocks+2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 259px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdOAtam2P4_0TriQ3OQ924-HjEmdsVMJGT8ZRr-Y7hzZVpoHMIiIjrjtN3SiodfDqBZ1WFXWkyth2Isqi97yQKJqErNu6kz9wywZSEPYLk4YLE8He7Yf_90CyLtiCUkfCSLoLqdA/s400/first+blocks+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619758012600836882" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGHAHewZt1I-H1s2kkCVDwxWA08qHoQwv4KhMSkA8VSAX0FAcdc5ddy-CF71rkmIi5pP41Kh_rwhxVMWkNTFWzNWKghC4D_iH-cvF9EPYK13V_4hKOayk_vfrRJSArMUf-QrOSg/s1600/end+blocks+2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 338px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGHAHewZt1I-H1s2kkCVDwxWA08qHoQwv4KhMSkA8VSAX0FAcdc5ddy-CF71rkmIi5pP41Kh_rwhxVMWkNTFWzNWKghC4D_iH-cvF9EPYK13V_4hKOayk_vfrRJSArMUf-QrOSg/s400/end+blocks+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619758006337075314" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgUm2bvk9TT3g9tECJ8AAGuicF69LAdZvnKUDU4Pji7R4hCBwN-rgsDgMjV-Anr8_PV6DtU3LSea0hOtEX7iVwbNZiz52QrZWC6MJ-dXQAU5LhdEgMOrmkaE26I7ZwFL-sR5Rng/s1600/end+blocks+mine.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 279px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgUm2bvk9TT3g9tECJ8AAGuicF69LAdZvnKUDU4Pji7R4hCBwN-rgsDgMjV-Anr8_PV6DtU3LSea0hOtEX7iVwbNZiz52QrZWC6MJ-dXQAU5LhdEgMOrmkaE26I7ZwFL-sR5Rng/s400/end+blocks+mine.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617876921613179778" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPM7TMZU4cmw7N2lMvYHPnNoUoECARBaOH81D6sckzFpP62kUjY9fE6GigU6cmDp97pWNMTsR6c5jEcQqgwRZREl4s0UKhVyrA5HFAq2rPx82FH53QXoD_iLf1XbTdSLuHfjNLQ/s1600/first+blocks+3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPM7TMZU4cmw7N2lMvYHPnNoUoECARBaOH81D6sckzFpP62kUjY9fE6GigU6cmDp97pWNMTsR6c5jEcQqgwRZREl4s0UKhVyrA5HFAq2rPx82FH53QXoD_iLf1XbTdSLuHfjNLQ/s400/first+blocks+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617876610952005314" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PO7Ull5ZVuSnq3l58wTDy7ZB5PzWKrar1dac_VP7kFu-M6Uw1efUXNqO9ahYVOithGI8Gm7Zvk3U1WL5IUfNKKz7oOjROM6C0DZYoRmt2C2rpyDwI94MwFgwZ3hXbKadQI9aBg/s1600/first+blocks.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 247px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PO7Ull5ZVuSnq3l58wTDy7ZB5PzWKrar1dac_VP7kFu-M6Uw1efUXNqO9ahYVOithGI8Gm7Zvk3U1WL5IUfNKKz7oOjROM6C0DZYoRmt2C2rpyDwI94MwFgwZ3hXbKadQI9aBg/s400/first+blocks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617876903922788914" border="0" /></a><br />If you get a chance to take the class, it's a great experience and very worthwhile. I'm still contemplating ways that I can incorporate some of what I learned into my own work. <br /><br />Thanks for inviting me, Denyse!Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-81205288072524836452011-06-01T10:26:00.006-04:002011-07-21T23:36:23.325-04:00lovedI'm still here. It's been an exceptionally busy spring, between the launch of <a href="http://www.sewlisette.com/">Lisette</a>, the release of <a href="http://www.oliverands.com/book/">my book</a>, Quilt Market, and all the usual work that needs to be done. I've been holed up for the past couple of weeks, formatting the fall Oliver + S pattern collection. And there have been some personal items scattered into the mix, like my horrendous allergies. Wow, what a brutal spring this one has been! I've been a sneezing, coughing, teary-eyed mess. All in all, I'm looking forward to taking a few breaks this summer.<div><br /></div><div>Not all the events of this spring have been happy ones. I need to just say before I get to the point of my post that I'm gradually realizing (I guess I'm a slow learner) life is full of challenges. I'm learning to embrace unexpected issues and to expect them as part of "normal" life. I think I feel less side-tracked when I understand that there will always be some difficulty or unexpected issue that crops up. It's not effective for me to expect everything to settle down after an issue has been resolved, because there will inevitably be another one somewhere down the road. So if I expect challenges and embrace them as part of normal life, I'm less surprised when they arrive. I don't think that's a fatalistic perspective--just a small dose of reality to help keep everything balanced and in perspective and maybe to help me remember to celebrate little victories, too.</div><div><br /></div><div> <div>The reason I mention this is because last fall my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. This came as a tremendous shock to everyone in our family, since my mom had just finished treatment for breast cancer not six months earlier. But today is my sister's final round of chemo, and she should be feeling better in a week or so. She's handled all the extra attention gracefully, and I'm very proud of her for the ways that she's been both weak and strong through this entire process.</div><div><br /></div><div>My sister and her family are surrounded by a loving community who have helped to take very excellent care of them during the past six months, and one of her dear friends organized a quilting bee to show her support. We each sewed a quilt block, and a couple of weeks ago a group of us got together to do a little quilting and to celebrate and support my sister. I think I counted ten women who assembled, and as we quilted we got to know each other, since we come from several different parts of my sister's life. These are strong women who each have experienced their own challenges and victories and have each contributed to my sister's treatment in different ways. It was an honor to meet them and to see how they each play a part in my sister's life. (I'm really restraining myself from using the quilt as a metaphor, here...)</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QJyLuY75iXQbxAHIYeyO-WGlGKsYn7_fO79k0yrn2UKJMSl-_Hu5W5-6OzUrcxT4EqradPkVilDkE1c_CG3Gm9kwb4pU9dzWzS203rIjZbEfbrux7szPvVMl_AzLabqezFOEww/s1600/quilt+front.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QJyLuY75iXQbxAHIYeyO-WGlGKsYn7_fO79k0yrn2UKJMSl-_Hu5W5-6OzUrcxT4EqradPkVilDkE1c_CG3Gm9kwb4pU9dzWzS203rIjZbEfbrux7szPvVMl_AzLabqezFOEww/s400/quilt+front.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610475115768746178" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>Everyone signed a patch for the back of the quilt. I had the honor of signing for my sisters, my mother, and my grandmother, all of whom contributed blocks but live too far away to attend the party.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-Iv4v81MigyeUkEFvztUnabqX_-criK6vqS8uKsdlo7MUdxICIdQKQmO8aoVQClSYHxJVsimKsXaBul8GcKViGsOXJVBgu00nHrR5o4bgGANTT03ldOtZrwK6BO3kVnj3ixTnQ/s1600/quilt+label.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 319px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-Iv4v81MigyeUkEFvztUnabqX_-criK6vqS8uKsdlo7MUdxICIdQKQmO8aoVQClSYHxJVsimKsXaBul8GcKViGsOXJVBgu00nHrR5o4bgGANTT03ldOtZrwK6BO3kVnj3ixTnQ/s400/quilt+label.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610475211437988498" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>Here she is with it, almost finished. (I think she and the quilt both look fantastic, by the way.)</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsAqr1DBRx4P6lHoOsA_paDeWWokNLgnbg7NvNMK90Slk63r0MJr60gUDilWEGrj4yZl94aKv54r1HzJBS8qb1zqoYCvexcltI-PA25idV6doYS4eGtG7QjV7VtZ0o2ItYdKkXlw/s1600/quilt+front+3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 288px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsAqr1DBRx4P6lHoOsA_paDeWWokNLgnbg7NvNMK90Slk63r0MJr60gUDilWEGrj4yZl94aKv54r1HzJBS8qb1zqoYCvexcltI-PA25idV6doYS4eGtG7QjV7VtZ0o2ItYdKkXlw/s400/quilt+front+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610475125125389778" border="0" /></a>And with her friend, Genna, who organized the bee and has put many hours into it. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHDtp2lPqEzKje_eLYGJOOB5ZyxblAJTcHOKUarwPfvGFcBTc26OSzNHxQ9DFPIxmp_LR08HMVv26ngC74Ni-zQn9AAd40yFUaHCOREHlCA8Ps9ee94ef1j0DNusGwx07trvRfxQ/s1600/quilt+front+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 389px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHDtp2lPqEzKje_eLYGJOOB5ZyxblAJTcHOKUarwPfvGFcBTc26OSzNHxQ9DFPIxmp_LR08HMVv26ngC74Ni-zQn9AAd40yFUaHCOREHlCA8Ps9ee94ef1j0DNusGwx07trvRfxQ/s400/quilt+front+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610475119677600450" border="0" /></a><br />Genna did an amazing job with the back, too. Don't you just feel the love when you see this?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhaz_HBiAzYf2X__ccyaEZXXDo0_ZdcHTpBK3nQx0Qx_EPwXh_m914wHejMcbJWgcN2-c0VCv74O7tklwLDNt6RFmFT5AhkjmGEXqdZ-pxfFue_ncNwNiSfhyphenhyphencYA-cnfl5r8rkg/s1600/quilt+back+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhaz_HBiAzYf2X__ccyaEZXXDo0_ZdcHTpBK3nQx0Qx_EPwXh_m914wHejMcbJWgcN2-c0VCv74O7tklwLDNt6RFmFT5AhkjmGEXqdZ-pxfFue_ncNwNiSfhyphenhyphencYA-cnfl5r8rkg/s400/quilt+back+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610474854791911938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexcWix4LpGoRNydEZkH2ObORuJN4WwCkSS2PseB6HU3qpEhZfjx6jEf7dV_ANxPeZNx3ph4rMDhp0ocML5GnGugWKCgLBqfEZ9OsRZE5s37Y2BppbHI8nZtQPV8Rrw3Rj7JhM-A/s1600/quilt+back.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexcWix4LpGoRNydEZkH2ObORuJN4WwCkSS2PseB6HU3qpEhZfjx6jEf7dV_ANxPeZNx3ph4rMDhp0ocML5GnGugWKCgLBqfEZ9OsRZE5s37Y2BppbHI8nZtQPV8Rrw3Rj7JhM-A/s400/quilt+back.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610474851450977490" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>And I need to close this post with a little reminder: have you checked or been checked recently? </div><div><br /></div><div>Please don't forget. </div></div>Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15639962.post-60268008424253341622011-04-28T11:27:00.000-04:002011-04-28T11:30:12.469-04:00compounded interestsI've been doing a little travelling recently, and there's been a lot of planning and preparation for these trips. First were some classes I taught at Farmhouse Fabrics in South Carolina, and now I'm out in Colorado to tape a segment for a PBS sewing program (details to come). Samples needed to be made, lessons prepared, and clothing that isn't black or grey needed to be found. (My New York wardrobe is appropriately neutral in color--I fit right in here, but neutral colors and TV aren't so great together.)<br /><br />In between those two trips total chaos ensued. S had spring break (and her first research paper to write--in Kindergarten--complete with trips to the library, index cards, and a lot of whining and cajoling on the part of various parties involved); we constructed, packed up, and shipped a brand new booth for Quilt Market; fall 2011 fabric collections for Oliver + S and for Lisette arrived and needed to be kitted up and sent off for sample making; and the fall patterns went off to the grader. Not to mention all the usual stuff that goes on day-to-day.<br /><br />It was a little too much for one week. All the construction and packing made it difficult to move around in the studio. S spent a good deal of the week hanging out with us, "helping" and keeping herself very busy making things, and she loved every minute of it. (You can see her "art installation, named Sara, below.) We ran errands, traced patterns, stepped over boxes and around paint cans, shuffled piles and piles of fabric, and had a few good laughs in the process. On Friday I negotiated my way around the studio with the camera, just to document a bit of the mess.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPuKubaoU3yYQRf1o11F37qfY5uQzCGm47e6P04Mg-RvJgwX0iN9NGhhvIYuMGHX960Yvyv6Jl1MCgGenmDkLSQ35HyT6XwSW965Zda_lJOthT0deqEUv9oaYftm9WxtaWinwqEw/s1600/studio3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPuKubaoU3yYQRf1o11F37qfY5uQzCGm47e6P04Mg-RvJgwX0iN9NGhhvIYuMGHX960Yvyv6Jl1MCgGenmDkLSQ35HyT6XwSW965Zda_lJOthT0deqEUv9oaYftm9WxtaWinwqEw/s400/studio3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600348244049606610" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lrU_RXrvhu_BGqEzgWjlAmTI-URfNe0WFumdnTvisOg4Q8hPfd18DK1hbudNr-GskMpOl3pfDu6CS4dgmyPUeHn6hz4Gbw2aVYhIY8mNrXhG2xwK0yib203BpXxl10Qhn7Y59A/s1600/studio5.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 276px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lrU_RXrvhu_BGqEzgWjlAmTI-URfNe0WFumdnTvisOg4Q8hPfd18DK1hbudNr-GskMpOl3pfDu6CS4dgmyPUeHn6hz4Gbw2aVYhIY8mNrXhG2xwK0yib203BpXxl10Qhn7Y59A/s400/studio5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600349229904002130" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9fnwLvpbQVr0EMHDor5xnZgmyt_6Fs1ErPquOIZzMohIfRWSmfiwNMtqa3W23zn5_gbCVIawCaSMfGfThaF00MwLNOXS22reCzcWLAbUCibAcekrBw9mUHJ2OCFUEcvgBkx6uTg/s1600/studio2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9fnwLvpbQVr0EMHDor5xnZgmyt_6Fs1ErPquOIZzMohIfRWSmfiwNMtqa3W23zn5_gbCVIawCaSMfGfThaF00MwLNOXS22reCzcWLAbUCibAcekrBw9mUHJ2OCFUEcvgBkx6uTg/s400/studio2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600348196450964546" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRXW-ff02ZEnYamMxCV3n6yrFYTru2jqiuNYWmOvMUfEI5ZZpk1pijyF4wCYgdzLVf5XqLR_u2l2zUCu1xWJycseAwEgktEnGOwEifqBwNCx0U23lkYwQIitOuhYmPGYYL1CY9g/s1600/studio1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 275px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRXW-ff02ZEnYamMxCV3n6yrFYTru2jqiuNYWmOvMUfEI5ZZpk1pijyF4wCYgdzLVf5XqLR_u2l2zUCu1xWJycseAwEgktEnGOwEifqBwNCx0U23lkYwQIitOuhYmPGYYL1CY9g/s400/studio1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600348191950363106" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvZqu3Hzgepx5cf6Bw0FzuUrg8m_mGvInI9cjZnSui0BiZ9n8KCMorU9jP0v-T-VL8Nn_o0nc1KRKy0BfhNRLmSw1b1jkZVOx-evr7JNGpliQfB3oezF-WACGxGsqNd3lZBlzNA/s1600/studio4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 291px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvZqu3Hzgepx5cf6Bw0FzuUrg8m_mGvInI9cjZnSui0BiZ9n8KCMorU9jP0v-T-VL8Nn_o0nc1KRKy0BfhNRLmSw1b1jkZVOx-evr7JNGpliQfB3oezF-WACGxGsqNd3lZBlzNA/s400/studio4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600349228895132418" /></a>Liesl Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01077922825872748873noreply@blogger.com5