sewing, Wardrobe Improvement Project

Picking through The 100

 

Since I’m thinking about wardrobe improvement these days, I checked out The One Hundred: A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own. Coletterie had recently posted about this book, asking about what 100 pieces would be in readers’ personal essential collections. First off, what’s with the word “stylish”? Every person has a “style” – maybe it’s trendy or sloppy instead of classy or elegant, but it’s still a style. How did “stylish” come to mean “style worth copying”? Why is “stylish” associated with looking as though you have nothing better to do than drink cocktails and inspire people …

quilts

The Blocks of March

 , ,

It’s Block of the Month round-up time! First up, the block for the Blogger’s BOM. It’s really February’s block, but since new blocks are announced late in the month, I just make them the following month. This block looks like February, what with the pink/red/purple thing. I guess I wasn’t thinking things through all the way when I picked out the solids for this block. Mostly I wanted to be sure that I wasn’t leaning too hard on the yellow, orange, and green I’d used in the last two blocks. I started with blue instead of the pink, but it …

sewing

Not for me

 

This one is Ian’s. And it’s not black! This is a shirt of firsts. It’s my first plaid. I’m absurdly pleased with myself for how closely I got the stripes to line up. The hardest part was more the fault of the fabric than the plaid. This is a rather loosely woven flannel, with a tendency to wobble. So the stripes may line up, but they aren’t totally straight. It’s the first time I did anything more to finish off an edge beyond zig-zagging it. I flat-felled just about everything, making it the first time I paid as much attention …

community, parenting

Way to be “On Message”

To the gentleman representing the Star Kids movie in front of Central Co-op: I appreciate being passionate about your art and your project. And, believe it or not, I’ve got some idea of what’s involved in making a movie and how much money is needed. However, I don’t appreciate being harassed on my way into a grocery store. It’s the end of the day, I’ve a first grader who needs to get home, and we’re out of milk. I don’t particularly have the time (or frankly, the interest – I’ve heard the Star Kids pitch on my way into a …

quilts, sewing

My notes from the Sewing Expo

 

I’d heard about the Sewing and Stitchery Expo before, but this was the first year I went to check it out (thanks, Kelly!). This is a very long post that I’m writing mostly for me, so that I can remember all the cool stuff I saw! The Sewing Expo is huge, two buildings at the fairgrounds with fashion shows, classes, demos, and a floor full of booths selling fabric, patterns, tools, books, sewing machines and more. If I don’t get this stuff down, it’ll end up in the pile of Things I’ve Forgotten. You can read it if you’re into …

homesteading, in the kitchen

Elsewhere…

 

There was a spell a few years back where I got into cheese-making. There were several batches of mozzarella, mascarpone and cream cheese, and a gouda, a Monterey Jack , and a traditional cheddar. Equipment was acquired, including a small fridge that is supposed to pretend it’s a cave. I didn’t make cheese at all last year. I still make yogurt once or twice a month, but that’s about it. It’s not that cheese is difficult to make, exactly, but it is time-consuming. The hard cheeses didn’t quite come out the way I wanted, probably due to cheese’s sensitivity to …