1st grade drawing-portrait-day

Some days I am very lucky and get to go do art with my son's first grade class. I love watching kids make things. They always deliver, don't they? Today I showed them some great portraits - one by Albrecht Durer, amazingly realistic, and one by Modigliani - abstract and expressive. After a few little tips on technique, proportion, and blah blah blah, I made my son's fabulous teacher sit in the front of the class and be our model.


Then this afternoon I stole a quick hour during the baby's nap time to put the drawings together into a book for the teacher, an idea I read about here.
(My novice book-stitching is really bad, but it's the thought that counts, right?)

the cottage dress

My husband and I were recently watching the old Emma Thompson version of Sense and Sensibility. Remember how distraught the family felt, being forced to move to a simple cottage in the country after the death of their father? After seeing the amazing estate they left behind, their disappointment was understandable. Though my husband and I laughed and both agreed that their "cottage" was a mansion compared to our simple house. If the size and shape of a house is a determinate for the term "cottage," then I think my house would fit the definition better than theirs.

Yes, sometimes I dream of having a mansion (like their "cottage,") or even just an extra room attached to the back of the house. A spot where I can hide my oversize canvases, stacks of fabric and estate sale sewing machine. But in reality, I'm secretly kind of content with my little house. I can clean the whole thing, top to bottom in three hours. I can usually find things because there aren't a lot of secret caches.

Though living in a small house does present its challenges--e.g. place a stack of books and a few dishes on the kitchen table and the whole house seems cluttery. Or open a closet and a package of bandaids, a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and a stack of wash cloths fall out on your head. There never seem to be enough spots to hide all the stuff. But maybe that's the point, less stuff means less clutter and less clutter, less to pick up and less to pick up, more time to sew and make things, and enjoy the simple pleasures of cottage living.

old fashioned kind of fun

Hello today. I am so, so glad it is Friday. It's great fun to go on vacation, but not so much, catching up on everything you've left behind. Hey, look - I found this typewriter on ebay for $9.50. Isn't it neat? The kids are FASCINATED by a machine that doesn't even need to be plugged in. Now we just need to get it to work. Have a great weekend, everyone.

a second honeymoon

My husband and I just got back from what our kids have been calling our "second honeymoon" (anyone ever read that Berenstein Bears' book?) in Spain. It was bliss. We traipsed through Madrid, Toledo, Sevilla and Granada (Sevilla smells like orange blossoms), in no rush at all and doing a lot of walking and talking. I brought my paints and our favorite thing was to find a pretty spot, sit, and paint while my very funny husband entertained me. But one word of warning to anyone headed that way - no matter how delicious you think "churros con chocolate" sound, it is best to go slow when you have an empty stomach and jet lag!

wilderness wanderings skirt

As our fairy tale girls and boys always seem to be getting lost in the woods, I've designed this skirt to help them find their way back home. (The boy version is in the design process). With lots of pockets, there is ample room to conveniently hold bread crumbs, pebbles (or with my kids, "abc" gum or even clumps of mud!) to mark the path back home from the dark, foreboding woods. The skirt is made from heavy linen, the pockets of a variety of cheerful cotton prints, the waistband of ticking.

the portrait dress

Did any of you see the new "Room with a View" on PBS last night? The Merchant and Ivory version of this film was my favorite when I was a teenager. I watched it dozens of times. Once my girlfriends and I were watching it at my house. My mom walked into the room just as the rotund Mr. Beebe, the handsome George and young Freddie were joyfully dashing into the local pond, stark naked. I sort of panicked, my mind racing through my options: should I turn off the t.v., or simply try to quickly fast forward this scene? In my moment of indecision, I did nothing. My mom, who is a very wholesome, conservative sort, about fell off the sofa in uncontrollable laughter. My girlfriends and I nearly died laughing at my mom's reaction. When the scene had ended, she said: "let's watch it again!" This will forever remain a favorite memory of my mom and of this beloved movie. I hope you all get a chance to watch the new version. It's well made, but lacks perhaps the vigor and passion of the older version. Maybe it's also the absence of the amazing Merchant and Ivory soundtrack,--remember "o mio babbino caro"--that lessons the impact of the new film. Anyway, it's always fun to see a new interpretation of a favorite story.

Here's a new interpretation of a simple dress, personalized with an embroidered line drawing of my girl. What could be more personal than a portrait dress? I gave it a modern look with white embroidery thread on heavy navy linen--the perfect backdrop to frame H's little four-year-old face.

servant dress in dotted swiss

Here is my little one in another servant dress variation. I love the fresh feel of white dotted swiss cotton - it makes me want to send her into the fields to harvest something. Good thing she has some boots on.

pretty bag

This was a nice, slow, quiet weekend. I even snuck some time in to make another simple tote bag from Amy Karol's perfect book, Bend the Rules Sewing. Maybe this is a bag that won't get filled with headless barbies, apple cores, the overdue book or 2, and stray tissues? But probably it will; I most definitely have not yet mastered the art of a clean purse.

the village frock

Most of the fairy tales seem to take place deep in some dark, foreboding woods. There is usually some trauma, a main character gets lost, a wolf seeks to eat them, or some other unearthly danger befalls the threatened character--"babes in the wood" being one of the darkest and saddest stories, in my opinion. Beyond the forest, there is usually a village. It is not always mentioned, but alluded to. And somewhere beyond the village, most likely a city. Lynne and I have wracked our brains to think of a city setting for any of the fairy tales. We could not think of one. (If you have any brilliant ideas, pass them along, s.v.p.)

It may seem a bit anachronistic to have a villagey dress in an urban setting. But in my opinion, it's not. Since the days of the fairy tales, our social patterns have changed: we don't seem to have villages in America. Officially, there might be some, but they are more likely called a town, or a township, or a suburb. I grew up in a suburb of nowhere; the nearest city was four hours away. Now I live in a suburb of somewhere, somewhere big and exciting and full of foreboding skyscrapers and threatening characters, and much action and adventure. Some might call NYC a utopia, some might call it a hell. Others, the perfect setting for a modern-day fairy tale. Certainly the perfect backdrop for a turquoise linen frock: handmade in a village and worn in the city.

feeling springy with a peacock skirt

Many random images for your viewing pleasure today. First, the chow mein noodle bird nest that my daughter brought home from preschool. This glue-laden piece of construction paper delights me in every way. Not only do I enjoy the occasional chow mein noodle for some crunch in a salad, I LOVE googly eyes, cotton balls and baby birds. And all of them together? Perfect!

Speaking of baby birds, here's a little skirt I made for my own baby bird. I wanted to make something with a bit of bustle in the back, a little like a busy peacock. My daughter likes wearing it because the waistband, pretty much flat in the front, is really comfortable. I love the idea of incorporating these old-fashioned themes in children's clothes.

I also wanted to say that it's been so fun having so many comments lately! We love hearing from everyone and without fail as we pop onto your blogs, Melissa and I are so amazed by the crazy amount of talent and creativity you women possess. (And, also, what nice people you all are). xo