nifty on-line things

I embarrass myself sometimes. For example, I already told you about the new issue of Small Magazine, but it wasn't until this weekend when I took a little more time to look closely at it that I noticed the spread on bento boxes. Sorry I didn't point you to them sooner. Great, aren't they?


We're still going strong with our bento lunches over here, and I'm starting to look for a double-decker model like a few of the ones shown in the spread. That Love an Apple box is so cute!

Ok, so random links I've been saving up to show you:

I love this site: you type in your zip code and it tells you whether you should bring your umbrella along for the day.

These file tabs are nearly killing me with cuteness. Anyone know where to find them? I'm going to keep watching for them in NY, and I'll let you know if I locate any.

And I can't wait to show this site to Tsia. Ever wonder what a cow sounds like in Japan? Now you know.

Ok, back to work. I'll be back in a day or two.

book winner

Just quickly, because I'm working under a self-imposed Friday deadline (my boss is a real slave-driver) and still have lots of work to do:

Tsia has drawn a book winner! We printed, cut and folded all your comments into nice little slips of paper that fit into a fishbowl, and she drew...

Jess "I recently fell off the book wagon..."

Jess, email me your address so we can send the book to you.

Thanks for participating, everyone. And we're planning another giveaway very soon, so stay tuned.

autumn Saturday

Saturday was a perfect fall day. We thought we'd head to the Met for a few hours.

The day was sunny and cool.

Something exciting must be going on.

Ah, a parade! Nothing unusual for a Saturday, unfortunately.

Fifth Avenue is closed in preparation for the festivities.

Inside the Metropolitan Museum the flowers are abundant.

A quick visit to the rooftop sculpture garden.

Jeff Koons' work is on display at present.

This view is even better when the colors start to change.

This tiny Paul Klee watercolor reminds me a bit of one of Denyse Schmidt's new quilts.

Love the tile mosaics on the floor. Such tiny pieces. (Yellow shoes included for scale only. Not because my toes are manicured, by any means.)

The lighting in the south hall is so beautiful, soft and diffused.

Outside, everyone is having a terrific time.



I love national costumes. Too bad ours own country's costume is jeans and sneakers, apparently.

Time for lunch. It might as well be German/Austrian food, right? (One of my favorite lunch spots, by the way.)

Every room in the Neue Galerie is lovely. Even the gift shop.

Someone got hot chocolate. With whipped cream, no less.

I could easily spend an afternoon curled up with a book here, it's such a cozy spot.

Lots of "fancy hot dogs" on the menu. Tsia's favorite.

Oops. No photos from the subway ride home. I guess we were all too tired and sleepy from our lunch.

potholders

One last book for you.

I've always wanted to do a project with Grandma, and when Lark Books sent out a call for submissions for to this potholder book, I figured it was a great opportunity.


A few years ago, Grandma was making potholders using the chenille technique. She was having fun with the layers of fabric, experimenting with the different effects you can get when you change the order of the layers. So I flew out for the weekend and we made a few together, trying a few ideas we both had for making them in different ways.


Grandma and I used to spend a week together every year. Now it's more challenging to find the time. But when Tsia and I visited this summer, she made sure she had a stack of "our" book on hand so we could autograph them. Not usually my cup of tea (or should I say teapot of water?) to sign autographs, but it was fun to do it with her. And it was even more fun to make the potholders together. We always have a lot to discuss, like the best way to attach a binding or which fabrics fray most easily for getting the chenille effect. (Grandma likes the Kona solid-colored cottons because they're a bit more loosely woven than most printed cottons.)


The back of the potholder.



Here is one of Grandma's original chenille potholders paired with some of my very first embroidery, which Mom made into a potholder for Grandma. In case you can't tell, it's a nativity scene. But you knew that, right? Star, manger, Mary...

And that wraps up book week. I've got lots more to show you so let's do it again soon, shall we?

aprons and patternmaking

On with book week! Thanks for all the comments, and keep them coming. Dr. S and I will do a drawing later on, and I'm just sorry I don't have more than one book to give away, with so many worthy recipients!

So today's book isn't available for sale anywhere, unless you can find a copy on ebay. I found this one while rummaging the stacks of the library this summer.


Grandma has been asking me about a particular style of slip-on apron. I keep forgetting to ask her for a sketch of it (she sketches beautifully, and remind me to show you her handwriting sometime, too) so I can find her a pattern. There are so many, many apron patterns available right now, have you noticed?

Anway, when I saw this book I wondered if it might include the apron Grandma wants. So I borrowed it and then never had a chance to show Grandma.


But I'll tell you what really interests me about it, beyond Grandma's apron. Sure, it's got a wide variety of apron styles, but look at the patterns themselves; they're not a separate, full-sized, pull-out pattern page in the back of the book, the way so many books are printed now. Instead, each apron has a mini diagram from which the reader drafts her own pattern. In other words, you need to do a little work before you can start the project itself.

Here's how it's explained in the book:

How to Use a Graph Pattern

"To enlarge a pattern to true size, you will need a piece of paper as long and as wide as the number of inches represented by the graph. The paper should have perfectly square corners. If the outline is simple, as the shape of an apron, mark off and number inches along the edges of the paper just as they are on the graph. Then, to find where design lines begin and end, start at upper corner and count down and across the number of inches represented by squares on the graph pattern. Draw in straight lines with a yardstick. Draw curves by locating several points on each and joining them with a connecting line.

"For more intricate graphs, as an embroidery design, rule your paper off in one-inch squares. Then, forgetting the many squares, draw in just one square at a time, exactly what's shown in the corresponding square on the small drawing of the design you wish to use. Keep the relation of your lines to the side lines of the square the same as those in the small drawing. For instance, if the design in the small drawing crosses the top line of the little square at a point one-third of the way from the right, then it should do the same thing in your large drawing."


For some reason, I just love this. It's so industrious! From what I understand, one didn't use patternmaking paper for a project like this in the 1950's: you used newspaper in a truly economical and practical manner. I just can't understand how anyone could stand to do this with just a yardstick. Personally, I couldn't live without my see-through plastic ruler if I were making this. And perhaps some proper pattern paper on which the inches are already marked, too. Knowing me, I'd get distracted by some article in the newspaper about drilling tunnels through the Swiss Alps and forget which pattern I was drafting. Keep me away from the newsprint. (Plus, I don't like how it feels.)



So what do you think; would you follow a graph pattern like this? I'm doubtful the concept could work for something more involved than an apron, but would you have the patience to make your own pattern, or would you rather pay more for a book and have a full-sized pattern in the back? I'm genuinely curious and would love to hear your thoughts.

More books coming!

printing by hand

I think book week may be jinxed. Already on day two I fell off the book wagon. I have excuses, but excuses are boring. So here we go!

First of all, I stand corrected: "Zakka" means "household goods." Which goes to show that I should never write about a book when I'm in one location and the book is in another. Pardon me. And my thanks to the kind person who commented and then disappeared. You were correct; where did you go?


So have you seen this book yet? And are you familiar with Lena Corwin's work? She was writing for Bluelines, the now-defunct blog of the (also defunct) Blueprint magazine. And she's a blogger in her own right, too.

Well, Lena is a very talented textile artist and illustrator and the author of this recently published book. I haven't seen any other books like this before; in fact, the last good printmaking book I read was a college textbook (which was considerably less attractive and didn't have the great projects included, either). Lena's book covers stamping, stenciling, and screen printing, and the projects themselves are contemporary and inspiring. While some of the projects involve printing on paper, walls, and furniture, quite a few of them use fabric. Which, of course, makes me so happy.


Lena's work has a wonderful and unique style. The projects are varied, and they're presented beautifully. And envelope at the back of the book includes patterns for all of the designs (and there are a lot of them!), but you could easily make your own designs using Lena's techniques, if you're so inclined.

As an added bonus, my dear friend Brooke designed the book itself. Everything Brooke touches turns out perfectly (in my personal opinion--after all, Brooke does the visuals for Oliver + S, so I'm not biased in any way), and this book is no exception. The styling and photography are outstanding, and the page layouts are really clean and attractive.


See what I mean?


I dug out the dog fabric for this shot. This is vintage fabric purchased from Brooklyn General a while ago. Love dachshunds. Love dachshunds printed on fabric. Must print my own dachshunds on fabric one of these days. Can't wait to try Lena's techniques for it.

By chance, I ended up with two copies of this book. Actually, I purchased one while on vacation because I couldn't wait until I got home to read it, it's that good. So I have one to give away. Leave a comment of any sort, and The Great Dr. S and I will do a drawing in a few days. Just for fun. And because we like you.

Here's to book week. May it and the stock market settle down soon.

the return of book week

It's a busy week (which week isn't, these days?), but so many great books have landed themselves on my doorstep recently that it's time for another book week. The goal is to present you one craft book per day. Probably not much description due to lack of time, but the photos should speak for themselves to a large degree. I'm telling you, amazing and inspirational stuff!


Zakka is a Japanese word for something that you make with your hands. It's generally a craft or something you sew. It's a great word that I want to incorporate more into my daily speech.


You are probably familiar with some of the beautiful Japanese craft books that have been published? Many of us spend a lot of money for those books, since they offer lots of ideas and give us (very spare, perfectly edited) eye candy.

Well, Zakka Sewing consists of projects from the authors of those Japanese books, but the instructions are written in English. Hurray!


Eat your heart out. The projects themselves are adorable. First one on my list is a little fabric box for coralling some of my paraphrenalia like lip balm and erasers that end up littering my desk.

But that wallet in the bottom photo is really killing me, too. Click on any photo to enlarge it so you can see a little more detail. But the rest of the book is just as good as these chapter openers. You should see for yourself.

more lunch

First of all, I promise we're not going to go all food all the time here.

For those of you who asked, bento is a Japanese style of boxed meal. And of course the Japanese always do everything beautifully, so a boxed meal is a somewhat elaborate production with various compartments and a wide assortment of items included. But it doesn't always include a pink rice pig or Madeleine figure.

So here is day #1: applesauce with maraschino cherry, sticky rice star with prosciutto and broccoli and swiss chard sticks, carrots with white beets, and hot dog with cucumber. The sticky rice and broccoli came home again. And I heard that a classmate ate the white beets.

And day #2: raspberries and blueberries, sticky rice bear with edamame and broccoli, grape tomatoes with cheddar, and hummus with pita. The edamame, sticky rice, and tomatoes came home. And she told me she gave the broccoli to a classmate.

So I guess I should be happy about the things that were eaten, rather than dwelling on the items that weren't.

It's been surprisingly easy to pack the lunches this way; I assemble them while I'm preparing dinner, and I prepare several days' worth of some items at once. I think it won't be too much work, really. Ask me about that in a couple of months.

Tomorrow I've been told not to send edamame. She wants bits of green from Greenland (peas) like Charlie and Lola eat. Which is fine, especially if she actually eats them. She said she wants her Green to be round, not shaped like edamame.

Now I promise: no more on lunches.

tiny boxes

Preschool starts on Monday, so I've been thinking about boxed lunches. For both of us, really, since I'll be commuting this year. Although Dr. S will eat a wide variety of foods, we're still struggle on the vegetable front so I've decided to try presenting lunches as bento boxes to see if cute equals edible.

I spent some time on Flickr last night looking at other people's Bento photos for inspiration. Wow, they can get elaborate! LuckySundae is making some adorable bento. Like this one. Or this one:



Do check out her blog and flickr photos to see more.

Bento is all about the little boxes, which we already had. But after looking at all that cuteness I thought we needed a few additional accessories to really make the food fun, so we stopped at the Japanese grocery today for little rice molds and a set of vegetable cutters that make cute flower shapes.



I can't possibly do the three-hour prep time thing for really elaborate bento, but I think I can do small portions of a wide variety of colorful items and just generally make the presentation a little more exciting. Tomorrow's lunch has star-shaped sticky rice, broccoli, apple sauce, flower-shaped beets and cucumbers, and a few other little goodies. I'll try to snap a photo if our first-day-of-school morning isn't too chaotic.

And speaking of tiny boxes, Todd and I spent last weekend watching a marathon three seasons of Weeds. Brilliant, dark humor if you haven't seen it. I love how, for each episode, a different artist sings the theme "Little Boxes" song. And I quickly took note that we're living in a little box, ourselves. It's just stacked on top of lots of other little boxes.

Maybe I'll start thinking of our apartment as a tiny bento box.