L'stell Studio

new year, new lessons

2012-01-17T10:38:00.004-05:00

Another round of mid-week snow flurries is fine by me; snow-days make excellent sewing days. I've got a pile of demos to stitch up for the new classes I'll be teaching at Fiddlehead later this month. It's very exciting to look forward to a New Year filled with crafting, shop-tending, and teaching!

morning nibbles

2011-09-21T18:37:00.001-04:00

Enjoying breakfast @ Chase's before work. Perfect way to start the day.

all stitched up

2011-09-21T18:32:00.000-04:00

Fingers crossed...alterations are done. BFF gets hitched 10/9/11. Now just need to whip up a little something to wear myself. Where are Cinderella's mice when a girl needs them?

back from college

2011-09-13T19:18:00.001-04:00

Home from Fiber College and a fantastic weekend of being in class and playing with craft elements not usually on my center stage...Fair Isle knitting & color-work, tatting, photography. Certainly got the creative juices flowing, the perfect kick-off to fall.

easter delight

2011-04-24T15:21:00.000-04:00

You can tell it's Spring when the Peeps are gettin' their Spray-Tan on.

Castro Street salon window, San Francisco 2006

need(le) organization? - wall pockets to the rescue!

2011-03-29T12:40:00.001-04:00

Newest addition to the L'stell lineup: Wall Pockets in DPN style (right) and CIRC style (left).

My mum's holiday present request was, "something to hold my knitting needles on display like a piece of art, so they're all readily available and waiting for me". Time spent rummaging through needles in jars and needles in drawers for certain sizes or the missing 4th DPN is much better spent hand-coloring Fair Isle charts, after all.

So I worked out a couple prototypes (Ta-da! Presents for my sister!), and then had to have one for my own needles. When the Wednesday Spinners started making requests after seeing Mom's... well, the L'stell line made room for a new product.

The DPN pocket pictured above was the design prototype I made for myself. The velveteen fabric (orange) is now used as the back of the entire pocket - this gives it a little grip to the wall and some padding. I like having a print in the background of the front for a little more decorative look, as shown on the CIRC Pocket.

I embroidered needle sizes onto the pockets of the prototype to label where my DPN's go, with the largest pocket housing my needle sizer. The Wall Pockets will come unlabeled so that the 14 slots can hold your collection of needles in the range of sizes you work with - maybe you have US 000-10.5 or work on larger 2-17's. Or like my mum, have four sets of 3's, 5's, 7's and a couple 9's, since you have one kind of favorite yarn.

The CIRC pocket has 15 slots to organize your circular needles. Plans are in the works for an Interchangeable needles Wall Pocket too, especially since I have my eyes on the Knit Picks Harmony set!

oh, spa!

2011-03-04T17:59:00.003-05:00

What a fantastic weekend at NETA's Knit & Spin-In SPA in Freeport! It was so lovely to spend hours talking about knitting, needle organization, sheep breeds and other technical fiber details. And nothing beats cabin fever better than a little fiber retail therapy!

Plus our new booth display worked out fantastic! We even had one comment that one could tell our booth was inspired by lobster crates and island seashores. We were quite happy. Always going for the "Rugged Island Chic" look, you know.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by, chatted for a bit, and especially to those who took a little fiber-y goodness home with them. Spending time with people like you reminds us why we're in the biz. ♥

i &hearts my new town

2011-02-09T13:54:00.001-05:00

Enjoyed the Superbowl live and in giant HD at the Strand on Sunday, a great ending to our first week in Rockland. Small town with metropolitan touches... found!

One of the places I left my ♥ in SF was at the Kabuki Theater - a Sundance cinema all beautifully eco-built with organic movie snacks and (this is the clincher) a balcony bar. Viewing say, Sex and the City, with with a Cosmo in hand, changes your expectations of the movie theater experience. Also, I discovered one can get their boyfriend to sit through the almost 3-hr Austrailia if he has a beer in hand.

Sunday we found that watching the Superbowl while drinking local micro-brew beer (Andrew's!), munching great movie theater popcorn and Swedish fish, cheering with the crowd, ends up changing your expectations of football watching as well.

new year's studio

2011-01-06T20:36:00.004-05:00

Thought I would organize a bit (read: procrastinate for SPA) and get the studio all ship-shape. As an avid collector of pictures of other designer's inspiration boards and studios, I try to remember to document my own occasionally. Plus I've been scouring bulletin boards at Goodwills left and right recently!

This one hangs over the sewing machine & includes the wedding dress my BFF wants made, postcards from Matty's Sail-to-the-Mediterranean trip and Schooner Olad stamp practice, the original StowAway bag sketch...

At the "Packing & Shipping Dept" desk we have, Annandale handspun/hand dyed yarns (yum!), Martha Stewart paint chips, Daybreak shawl pattern, photo of some hot sailor...

And above the ironing board we have, "Stupid Says Yes", Starcroft felt samples, Idyillium paint chip, Darthia Farm summer workshop list, and pattern instructions for latest sewing project (a-line dress).

quel bazaar!

2010-12-03T15:33:00.003-05:00

You're invited to the Bizarre Bazaar in Bar Harbor, Friday & Saturday, Dec 10-11!

I'll be at Spruce + Gussy with my friend Lily (who makes Annandale yarns & handknit goods) and other amazing local artists, all toting our crafty wares from 11-7 on Friday and 10-6 on Saturday. Goodies to fill your stockings, handmade lovelies for your loved ones, PLUS cookies and drinks! It takes Maine crafters to make holiday shopping the way it should be, after all.

We can't wait to see you there!

recycle inspiration : ditty pockets

2010-09-29T17:58:00.005-04:00

A request for knitting needle pouches (14" long, 4" high, flat with a zipper opening) was waiting for design inspiration, while my scrap bag was getting full - how could one possibly throw away any bit of fabric? Well, sometimes these things just work out.

New Ditty Pockets!

mug spots

2010-09-13T23:12:00.000-04:00

Placed at your desk or next to your favorite reading nook, Mug Spots provide a decorative home for your morning coffee, afternoon tea or evening nightcap. Made with 100% Nash Island wool and adorned with varying sea-side and woodsy themed motifs, like starfish, anchors, pine trees and snails. Each Mug Spot is a unique coaster-trivet-whatnot made from hand-crafted and hand-dyed felt (made by Starcroft Fiber Mill).

now in port: schooner coasters

2010-08-07T21:14:00.003-04:00

A special batch of nautically-themed Mug Spots and Ditty Bags are now at the Schooner Olad shop in Camden. I just couldn't resist decking out my honey's workplace with some handmade goodness.

Think how lovely your mug of cocoa will rest on this ridiculously cute 100% Maine Island wool felt coaster this winter as you sit by the fire and reminisce about your summer vacation in Maine spent sailing about the islands of Penobscot Bay. Sure beats a souvenir tee-shirt, ayuh.

Felt for the coasters is hand-crafted and hand-dyed by my mom. Wool provided by the lovely flock on Nash Island.

sunny skies, fluffy wool

2010-06-11T19:23:00.002-04:00

Off to shearing this weekend. Today was so gorgeous, all I can hope is that we have more of the same headed our way! It can rain on Sunday all it wants.

ch-ch-ch changes

2010-04-30T01:22:00.005-04:00

We're all packed up and moved out of our Bar Harbor storefront. But don't be too sad!

A fabulous new store will be moving into the space, Spruce & Gussy, filled with local jewelry and handmade goodness - very exciting. Even more exciting - I will be moving to the Rockland area! I'm very excited to be one step closer to a permanent location, both for the shop & myself. There are wonderful fantasies where I have a space up and running early this Fall... keep your fingers crossed!

In the meantime, I'll have all the Starcroft fibers at the Maine Fiber Frolic, June 5 & 6th in Windsor. I'll also have more of our NEW L'stell Bags featuring Nash Island Felt, which were such a hit at the SPA Spin & Knit fair in February.

There will also be Starcroft & L'stell goods (along with many local, handmade products & organic veggies) at Hattie's Shed, the farm stand at Darthia Farm in Gouldsboro - if you're headed Downeast this summer.

We'll keep you posted on the move. See you soon!

after SPA

2010-03-05T22:16:00.001-05:00

Thank you to everyone who visited our booth at NETA's SPA Knit and Spin Weekend in Freeport. We had a fantastic time!

stow-away bag

2010-02-01T23:12:00.000-05:00

100% Maine Island Wool felt bottom, locally handmade and hand dyed, with cotton remnant fabric upper and lining. Hand-stitched detailing on felt corners and sturdy interfacing gives the Stow-Away a rugged bottom ready for the heaviest of cargo. Two interior and one exterior pockets keep all your flotsam & jetsam safely stowed.

closed for the season

2009-10-02T16:04:00.002-04:00

It was so much fun seeing you all this Summer, I can't wait to do it again!

starcroft's nash island yarn

2009-09-28T15:42:00.002-04:00

I tell this story every day, and never get tired of it...

Once upon a time (about 90 years ago), on an island in Downeast, Maine, a lighthouse keeper's daughter started a flock of sheep. When she passed away a few years ago, she put the flock and the island in the care of good friends of hers who lived nearby, knowing that they would be tended with the same love and care.

A few years after starting her spinning mill, my mom had met the lighthouse keeper's daughter and her sheep, and feel in love with the island and the 'fog-washed' fleeces the sheep produced. Every year since, she's joined the Wakemans (the care-taking friends) on trips out to the island to help with lambing, shearing and tending to the flock. This is the best part of our job - working with our close friends, the Wakemas, to keep a traditional farming practice alive. Each time we're out on the island, tromping through the hillucks after sheep, we're reminded why this is a special place, and a special way of life.

When shearing happens in early Summer, my mom sorts out each of the hundred or so fleeces into different grades, right as they come off the sheep. Sorting allows us to use all of the fiber to its best end. The Nash Island Sweater Yarn is made from some of the softest ewe fleeces, while our Nash Island Scarf Yarn is made from the lamb fleeces, with a little home-grown angora added in. The other fleeces are used for felt, rugs, or woven blankets.

To make the yarn, the fleeces are washed, opened, carded, drafted, and spun on our Mini-Mills machines at our home in Monroe, Maine. Each machine requires either my mom or my dad (who often helps out) to be standing by, feeding the fiber in and checking the quality, picking out errant bits of seaweed and such. Each year's "clip" (all the fleeces shorn that year) requires a few tweeks to the spinning & drafting process, to make sure that the skeins stay an even thickness & weight from year to year - no easy feat.

All the yarn, (as well as the roving and felt) is hand-dyed in small "kettle" batches, using big lobster pots and a special technique. Valuing simplicity and beauty, we created a method of dyeing our fibers to give them subtle variations in hue. That way, each skein, batch of roving, or felt piece ends up being different and unique. Each knits, spins, or felts up together into a careful blending of light and dark shades, in colorways which play off of the scenic and natural beauty we find on the island. It really is a most inspiring place. As you knit with Nash Island Yarn, we hope that you're inspired too.

the CGCF

2009-09-20T15:16:00.002-04:00

Idyillium will be closed Thur, Sept. 24 - Mon, Sept 28 because we're going to the Common Ground Country Fair! I'll be manning the Starcroft Fiber Mill booth at the Fleece Tent, so we're cleaning out the shop and will have all the yarn, roving, felting fiber, as well as 1lb. bags of clean Nash Island fleece for sale at the Fair. We can't wait to see you there! I've been dreaming of Pie Cones for days now...

the delight of blocking

2009-08-19T12:39:00.002-04:00

I love blocking, and I love when little color moments happen. Laying out the knit samples of our Nash Island Roving the other day, I noticed I had pinned the first square with all matching pink pins. So naturally, the rest had to be pinned with color-matching pins as well. There is something really satisfying about following through on these tiny little details, must be the Martha Stewart in me. Blocking in itself is such a satisfying little activity - you get your knits all wet & pin them into place, patting & kneading them out like little yarn biscuits, then magically the next morning they're all puffed out & beautiful and looking just gorgeous. It's like have a day at the yarn spa.

virtual tour

2009-08-18T12:39:00.002-04:00

I know all of you far away (Pennsylvania, Florida, San Francisco, BARCELONA, you know who you are) would like to see how the shop looks, so I'll attempt to give a little virtual tour.

This is the second room of the shop, also called the "studio" room, since behind that gray folding screen on the left is my desk/office/general craft mess. I had my sewing machine there, so I could stitch up dresses while tending shop, but I had to quickly fess up to what an unrealistic idea that was! There are several places to sit, so that boyfriends/husbands/grandpas can rest while their ladies look at yarn. I know from personal experience that a boyfriend couch is essential to having even close to a reasonable amount of time to look at yarn. In the future, I'm planning on having knitting & spinning gaterings in this space as well.

I have Susan Merrill's woven & felted Zati masks hanging on the back wall to the right (there are also two more in the first room), which get lots of attention since they are unlike anything most people have seen. There's odd balls of yarn for sale - a mix of colors and natural fibers, which are a big hit since most people can't pass up a little random bit of color for their knitting. There are also antique mirrors, framed cathedral rubbings, and vintage textiles for sale in this area.

nearly no more!

2009-08-09T09:44:00.002-04:00

We're down to only a few Nash Island Lace Scarf Kits! Since the lace-weight yarn used in the kits is made from only that year's lamb fleeces, there's a limited supply until next year's clip is processed. A few kits of Clear Skies Blue, Sea Lettuce Green, and Anemone Pink are left. Sea Star Magenta and Oyster White have been so popular, they're all gone! All you need is a pair of size 7 needles to complete the simple to knit lace pattern. It's so easy in fact, I've heard it reported that one can squeeze in a few rows between holes at Pirate's Cove...

so terribly clever (almost)

2009-07-28T13:06:00.002-04:00

Big accomplishment for today - Labels printed with the urchin logo!

Spent hours thinking about how to stamp all the receipts with our address & info, since our alphabet stamp wasn't legible, plus I wanted to put the shop name on all the shopping bags. How to get the urchin (which is a hand-carved stamp) into the computer to include in such labels?? Well.

Turns out if you stamp address labels and then send them through the printer - voila! Labels all printed with the logo and done in your fancy font and company colors. Only took all afternoon, but feel so very professional now.

When I got home and was relaying the hours of computer tinkering leading up to my genius discovery, Mom interrupted with, "Why don't you just stamp the labels and then print them?", which of course she had figured out in about 4 minutes.

the earth loom

2009-07-14T15:29:00.002-04:00

Anyone that drops in to Idyillium is welcome to add to our community weaving project on the Earth Loom. We've been encouraging people to be inspired by Acadia and the natural beauty of Mount Desert Island and to add their favorite vistas, paths, hikes, or reflections to pieces of paper incorporated into the weaving. We also have a large basket full of fabrics and natural fibers for people to weave with, all in colors that remind us of coastal Maine.

The finished weavings are being donated to Acadia to adorn National Park Service buildings. For more on the Earth Loom project, visit www.earthloom.org. You can also purchase the EarthLoom DVD, which includes instructions on how to build your own, in the shop.

"business plan"

2009-07-04T13:25:00.002-04:00

As a new shop, I thought I'd muse a little on what it is we're all about here at Idyillium.

We like old things, and we LOVE handmade things.

All of our goods are hand-crafted by Mainers. They're friends of the family, friends of friends, future family, family friends' friends... that kind of thing. We know that's very trendy of us to be all "hand-crafted" and "local" and what not, but really it's about the fact that we know a lot of people who make stuff in their kitchens, barns, living rooms, and various ad-hoc "studios". We really like to encourage those people to keep enjoying their crafting, so we try to give a home to all the beautiful things they make. We also like to tell them that makes them artists, but they don't really think of themselves as such usually.

We like to use old antiques to finish off our displays, since we think the best thing to go with handmade stuff is OLD handmade stuff. We have a bit of a Laura Ingalls Wilder complex; thinking that days are best spent in old-fashioned aprons doing domestic activities with simple satisfaction and aesthetic abandon. Carefully selecting yarn to knit the new baby in the family a sweater, baking up blueberry scones from scratch in the morning, going out in the garden to gather whatever's ripe for dinner, feeding the chickens - that's what it's all about.

We have lots of ideas for our current (and future) shop endevors. Evening knitting gatherings, Wednesday spinner afternoons, custom sundress bar, holiday craft fairs, Halloween fashion shows... oh, if only there was more time in the day to plan it all. This summer is just the beginning of what we have in store!

getting set up

2009-07-01T10:53:00.002-04:00

It's taken us about seven or eight truckloads to bring all the antiques and craft goods to the shop this week. Everyday is another unloading and re-arranging. It gets more exciting each day! The "cash bench" fits in perfectly along the back wall, and my studio is starting to come together in the back of the second room. Still have a lot of pictures to hang and yarn to display. But not bad for having two weeks to set up. See you opening weekend!

idyillium - coming soon!

2009-06-24T16:13:00.009-04:00

Tomorrow I'm heading to MDI to set up the window displays for my summer pop-up shop, Idyillium. Here's where I'll be:

View Larger Map

See you July 4th for Opening Day!

so many choices

2009-04-04T18:57:00.000-04:00

Vegas buffets - best part is desert.

why I'm moving

2009-02-20T15:01:00.000-05:00

And the day comes when the pain of remaining tight

as a bud is greater than the risk of blossoming.

- Anias Nin

It's off to the rustic coast and full-time creative challenges!

hemmin' it up

2009-01-10T14:53:00.000-05:00

New life fantasy: Spend afternoons sitting on a back porch rocking chair enjoying the afternoon sunshine, mending pretty vintage dresses with tiny little handstitches. At least I have the pretty vintage dresses to mend, thanks to Bluebird.

{Originally uploaded by somethin'}

This beauty could be yours, just visit here.

kitchen colors

2009-01-08T15:33:00.000-05:00

Noticed while making dinner: Fiestawear mugs & purple-lime-periwinkle teatowel (recent scores at Thrift Town) sitting on windowsill match the plums-limes-tangerines from the Farmer's Market and San Peligrino bottle, gebera daisy & fern I'm arranging into bouquets (since both my boss & my boyfriend gave me flowers this week, the sweeties). Lovely little evening color moment.

spoiled with flora

2009-01-06T15:46:00.000-05:00

Only the good stuff - lillies, gerbera daisies, and foxgloves from my sweetie. He likes to leave a bouquet on the door to our apartment when I fly home, to greet me on my arrival. We made it in rather late because I made him meet me right off the plane-train-bus ride at our favorite Indian restaurant downtown. A girl needs Paneer Tikka Masala the moment she lands in SF.

balls of jolly & ornamentinis

2008-12-16T16:11:00.000-05:00

We whipped up some stocking for Matt's parents before I left for the holidays. We figured it was about time for us kids to play Santa & them to have a surprise on Christmas morning. Fashioned from holiday tea towels designed by my friend Marcia, her line Swizzlestix has kitschy-cute retro-prints like "balls of jolly" (on the left) and "ornamentini" (on the right). A bit of holiday print calico for the toes and appliqued felt letters for the names, and they're ready to be stuffed with goodies (or coal).

handknit holiday

2008-11-25T13:16:00.001-05:00

Hung by the chimney with care, these Lace Scarf kits my mom makes are the cutest little gift for your knitterly-love. Mum handknots the bags they go into, which are modeled after traditional fisherman's net bags used for lobstering - and are perfect for carrying your scarf-in-progress as you knit!

Each color is specially hand dyed, and inspired by the Maine coast - Sea Lettuce green, Sea Star purple, Oyster natural white, Clear Skies baby blue, and Anemone pink. The lace pattern is very easy, even for a non-adventurous knitter like me. Now I just need to pick which color...

Nash Island Scarf Kits by Starcroft Fiber Mill, $25

order online

friday is cleaning

2008-11-05T14:40:00.000-05:00

This was a collaborative craft project: Joan stitched the embroidery, Emy stitched the bag, and I added the rick rack. Joan and I agree that the traditional "Day of the Week Chore" dishtowel patterns are better on things that are not dishtowels, like this little library tote. Emy made the bag from vintage sheets, so the bag is super soft and sturdy. There's a little interior pocket for your library card & keys - how thoughtful.

Just in case you were wondering what you were supposed to be doing all week:

Monday is Wash Day
Tuesday is Ironing Day
Wednesday is Sewing Day
Thursday is Market Day
Friday is Cleaning Day
Saturday is Baking Day
Sunday is Day of Rest

"p" is for pretty, "j" is for joan

2008-11-04T14:28:00.000-05:00

My friend Joan likes to embroider. But she hates to sew. So I stitch up her little embroideries into makeup bags for her to gift to her girlfriends. We're working on Christmas ones right now, 8 in all.

We meet up at one of my favorite local tea shops or a cafe and discuss what fabrics will go with which embroideries and such. Then I stitch them up at home, each one turns out a little different because the size of the embroidery piece differs.

crabster roll

2008-11-03T12:16:00.000-05:00

We've been having beautiful sunny days here in SF this week; guess it's Indian Summer, pt. 2. Means you have to hang out in the park every chance you get, especially since it starts getting dark around 5pm. Matt got out of work early enough on a Friday to stop by the fish market on Valencia, and surprised me with crustaceans for dinner. Lobster for me, crab for him.

His crab was ginormous!! 2 lbs. This meant plenty of leftovers. So we picnic'd in Dolores Park the next day. The fog had already rolled into the Sunset, so we knew Golden Gate would be chilly, but ever sunny Dolores gave us enough sunshine to enjoy our crabster rolls and a little afternoon nap in the park.

Got Matt his new tee at the Noe Valley Harvest Festival. I like building up his wardrobe with handmade/local artist tees at craft fairs. The goldfish is saying "Where the f%@#'s my bicycle?", which is funny on a boy who goes through withdrawls if he can't ride his bike everyday.

We remembered that the fish & bicycle joke is that, "a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle", so then he was worried it was some feminist/antifeminist tee. The phrase was actually coined from a philosophical text that said "A man needs God like a fish needs a bicycle". So our goldfish is either looking for religion, or a domestic partner, or maybe he really did just lost his bike. Must have parked it at the Main Library, cos that's where all ours got stolen.

Crabster Rolls
Lobster tail & one claw meat, roughly chopped
1/2 Crab body & leg meat
Mayo, one large dollop
1 Scallion, thinly sliced
1 tsp. Celery salt

Mix together in large bowl, adjusting mayo & seasoning to taste. Stuff as much as you possibly can into large whole wheat deli rolls, sliced open vertically. Enjoy in sunny park.

tuesday night sewing lessons

2008-11-02T15:24:00.000-05:00

My friend Faye came by a couple nights ago with her roommate and we had a little sewing lesson. The project: tote bags. Faye wanted to do a fold-over style and brought leather & denim to work with. Ambitious materials for a first-timer, but she rocked it out.

Took us about three hours (and a couple needles - that leather is killer), but at the end of the night both had new bags. Faye kept twirling around the room modeling her new creation, so I couldn't get a clear shot.

It has a magnet clasp that closes the bag, an adjustable belt closure on the strap, and a secret pocket inside, too. It was nice to be crafts teacher again, it's been months since I was teaching classes at Craft Gym. I love sharing the handmade skills! Plus I got to trade my teaching for a massage and Farmer's Market mushrooms. Bartering's the best.

notes he leaves

2008-11-01T14:58:00.000-04:00

Round about October I start making Xmas gift lists on the white-erase board in the hall by the door - the catchall place for apt/to-do lists. Most are not really a finalized holiday requests, but more of a collection of assorted, "oh wouldn't it be cool if I had a new one of these..." thoughts.

Matthew likes to add his own recommendations.

chromophilia

2008-10-30T14:21:00.000-04:00

We were walking to Dolores Park for the Soap Box Derby and I spotted this little color moment. They were blooming right by Cafe Flore, which seemed apropos.

My favorite class in college ended up being a color theory class, delightfully called Chromophilia, a play on words from a book called Chromophobia by David Batchelor - all about how Modernism loves white, white, white and how we have this Western aversion to color "contaminating" things. One of the best assignments in class was to carry a camera with us all semester and take photos of "color moments" - when three red cars parked next to each other, when all your toiletry bottles happen to coordinate, things like that.

four barrels of delicious

2008-10-28T13:00:00.000-04:00

Biking home from PARKing day, we stopped at a coffee shop I had noticed heading down Valencia that night. Turned out to be quiet the find. The interior has this science-lab furniture meets hunting-lodge look. Simple, earthy, manly. Dark wood. Spacious with not a lot of furniture. Giant coffee roaster taking up half the total floor space in the back. (Always a good sign in a coffee shop.)

Really simple, straight up menu - and delicious little nibblies to go with. The chocolate glazed donut sprinkled with pistachios I loved, and the almond croissant was completely killer. Matty & I fought over every last crumb.

We sat on stools at a long bench in the window - perfect for people watching. The lighting fixtures in the windows are these giant rope chandeliers - very DIY nautical-macabre. Spotting them across the street on my bike is what made me notice the shop. You know you're in for something because the lighting fixtures are so cool you have to go in and check the place out.

The very amazingest part - my decaf latte didn't keep me up and jittery all night in the least bit. So lovely to enjoy such a stylish hot coffee break on a foggy bike ride home.

Cute review here.

kimono robes

2008-10-08T13:26:00.000-04:00

Mornings should be a bit more glamorous, don't you think?. Wiggle out of bed and tie a soft little kimono over your nightslip, slide your feet into little crocheted slippers, and head to the kitchen to fix yourself a cup of tea. Fresh pumpkin muffins or toasted crumpets would be nice.

Kimono robes (made from crisp vintage linens and silky cotton lining) are ~~up for sale~~ at the L'stell Handmade site, or at Bluebird in San Francisco (where you can also find that cute vintage purse).

sunday afternoon bakery

2008-09-21T12:08:00.000-04:00

Yes, that’s the cookbook balanced on top of the coffeemaker. That’s how much counter space we have. But we play bakery anyway.

Because nothing beats thin, gooey chocolate chip cookies with a glass of cold soy milk while you’re lying on the couch, watching Next Food Network Star episodes back to back.

***
After the cookie photo-shoot I spent a week looking for the camera, which was in the pocket of my apron, hanging in the pantry.

PARK(ing) day

2008-09-20T15:33:00.000-04:00

Friday was PARK(ing) Day 2008, where groups take over a street parking spot, put money in the meter and set up a little temporary public park. Part eco-activism, part good times outdoors with friends. Genius.

I like the nice wooden benches they constructed outside of Ritual Coffee Roasters, complete with owl decoy decorations perched atop posts. They've always got a bike-hipster crowd hanging outside this place, so it kind of figures.

Further down the street was a great set up. Nice to see a little party on the side of busy Valencia, right? {Note fog rolling in in background. Doesn't stop us from enjoing PARK(ing).}

There were about five spaces combined here - two little lounge spots, a band rocking out, a sewing table and a psychiatric help booth (a la Lucy in Peanuts). The guy on the couch in the second spot was working on his laptop. Nice.

I liked watching the girl sewing on the left watching the band play on the right. We popped into Herbivore across the street - the chilly fog was making me crave their Creamy Marinara Gnocci sooo bad. The band played through dinner and we headed home on our bikes.

practicing my blind-nun sewing: mending lace

2008-09-19T18:06:00.000-04:00

Some afternoons we’d be sitting in the costume shop at Bennington, all huddled over buttons and trims, hand-sewing, and our costume professor would mention how we were all destined for the nunnery, to do meticulous needlework until we all went blind.

There is something innately satisfying about needling (literally) over something as delicate and tedious as vintage lace dotted with holes and shreds. All you can do is pull together the ripped bits at the edges and cover everything with little stitches and then mark it “For Display Only”

Which really, is all you want to do with such a pretty top anyway.

stitching supplies

2008-09-18T12:59:00.000-04:00

Peppermills make good pattern weights.

Where I go to stock up:

1. Discount Fabrics (11th @ Harrison in Soma) - This location has the largest fabric selection with really great prices, plus a full selection of notions & thread and pillow stuffing by the bag-full. (Haight @ Masonic in the Haight) - This location has a small selection of patterns, great bag-making notions and a hit-or-miss fabric selection. (There are two more locations in the Sunset and in Berkeley.)

2. Stone Mountain & Daughter (Shattuck Ave @ Dwight Way, Berkeley) - The most beautiful fabric selection (Amy Butler, check! Denyse Schmidt, check! Imported prints from Japan, check!), plus Japanese craft supplies (Sashiko threads, bias tape makers) and yarn, buttons, trims, sewing classes... truly, truly addictive.

3. Fabrix (Clement @ 2nd in the Richmond) - Some real fabric jems can be found for a steal, don't miss the pleasures of pawing through the giant bin of buttons. There is a selection of patches, laces & trims, as well as dress forms.

4. Satin Moon (Clement @ Arguello in the Richmond) - Really beautiful selection, fantastic for home decor and Asian silks, not so great for budget shopping. Go and drool (just not on the silk!) & get inspired if you can't afford to buy.

5. Britex (Geary @ Stockton in Union Square) - Yes, it is just what a fabric store which is just down the block from Prada should be - gorgeous, gorgeous & pricey, pricey. Hop up to the third floor and find the greatest trims and buttons and doo-dads selection ever, the sale-remnants are on the fourth floor.

6. Mendel's (Haight @ Clayton in the Haight) - The owner made me cry when I interviewed for a job there, but I won't hold that against their oilcloth & funky printed fabric selection (rubber duckies, day of the dead, etc.)

7. Name Maker (online) - Printed ribbons and woven labels to adorn your finished goods, making you a bonafide designer, or at least looking like one. Dude, Martha loves them too.

being a san francisco yarn ho

2008-09-17T12:42:00.000-04:00

Crochet "potted plant coasters" made from a rainbow of cotton yarns.

Here are the places that keep me stashed. (When of course I'm not knitting my momma's Starcroft yarn.)

1. Imagiknit (18th @ Sanchez in the Castro) - Cozy as Grandma's attic and packed floor to ceiling with yarns of every fiber & color, Imagiknit has a great book selection and their needle prices can't be beat. The comfy couch keeps the boy happy while I browse (manly reading material required). Say hello! to Marcie for me, she always has the most adorable vintage-chic outfit on.

2. Noe Knit (24th @ Noe in Noe Valley) - Beautiful and creative window displays (knitted sushi, a whole knitted coffee & donuts cafe setting) get you inspired before you even get in the door. Noe Knit has a fantastic selection in both classes, yarns & needles, and a sweet staff - plus the decor makes me think, "if I had a yarn shop, I'd want it to look like this."

3. Artfibers (Sutter @ Montgomery in Downtown/Financial District) - Tucked away up a staircase is this in-house-label-only yarn shop, making a trip to Artfibers feel like discovering a secret stash. Sit in one of the big leather chairs at the back and try their "yarn tasting" - needles, hooks and a little ball of each of their yarns waits for you to sample them. Then make sure to treat yourself to a couple skeins.

4. Atelier (Divisadero @ California in Lower Pac Heights) - Only got to press my nose against the glass and peek in the other day, but I hear lovely things about the yarn & classes here.

5. Urban Knitting Studio (Fell @ Gough in Hayes Valley) - The crisp, minimalist, chic interior certainly lives up to its name, and there is a variety of fibers too choose from, plus needles. Last time I was in the owner chatted with me about her WIP knitted cupcake from One Skein while she rung me up - nice to see what LYS peeps have on-needle.

evening walks

2008-09-16T12:00:00.000-04:00

Sometimes we wander around one of the nearby neighborhoods after work, peeking into shop windows and smelling the myriad of of ethnic restaurant scents... and delight in little sights like a sky blue house under a sky blue sky.

craft in the city

2008-09-16T00:16:00.000-04:00

Vintage buttons, limited quantities at Bluebird.

Some favorite unique craft stores in the San Francisco area that I like to frequent:

1. Juniper Tree (San Pablo Ave, Berkeley) - If you want to make lotions, soaps, lib balms, or stock up on essential & fragrance oils, Juniper Tree is the place. With all the ingredients, bottles, containers, scents and do-dads to concoct your own beauty products, they also have a super friendly and knowledgeable staff. Browse the adjacent shop to get inspired by the perfectly merchandised vignettes and pick out lovely gifts of soap, lotions and little knick-knacks. Dropping in feels like a real treat for the senses.

2. Flax (Market @ Valencia in Lower Market) - Mmmm giant paper room. So beautiful. Also fantastic for stationary (blank or letterpressed cuteness), sealing "wax" that works in your gule gun, fabric paints for silkscreening, and tiny stickum letters.

3. Pearl (Market btwn 5th & 6th in Downtown) - Excellent for two hard to locate items: Gocco screens & lightbulbs and generic acrylic yarn (for those starter scarves and quick gifts).

4. General Bead (Minna @ 7th in Soma) - Pick up a little clipboard at the front & jot down all the goodies you'd like from the large selection of crystals, beads, findings, clasps and cord decorating the walls. A kindly General Beader will bring your treasures to the counter for you while you enjoy the bead-encrusted hippie-colorful decor. Don't miss the hidden treasures upstairs!

5. Beyond Beads (Howard btwn 8th & 9th in Soma) - Pick up a tray and plop chunky strands of beads or bags of findings on it, then carry your stash to the counter to be counted out. Beyond Beads also has a selection of tools and freshwater pearls as well.

6. The Bead Store (Castro @ 17th in the Castro) - Tiny and intimate, The Bead Store is wonderfully filled with exotic, worldly beads.

7. Forbeadin' (Church @ 24th in Noe Valley) - Semi-precious gemstones, jewelry-making tools, gold findings, lampworked glass beads, czech glass and vintage glass beads, all make Forbeadin' a unique shop. Bonus points for the exceptionally whitty/corny name.

sashiko afternoon

2008-09-14T00:23:00.000-04:00

I delightfully spent the afternoon teaching sashiko at a bridal shower today. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and everyone was gathered around a big table, embroidering, chatting and laughing. Each guest stitched a square or two, and after the sashiko lesson there was a cooking lesson and everyone made a fantastic lunch.

So pretty & so simple. A group of good friends, a little crafting, some delicious food... I can't think of a better way to celebrate. After the sasiko lesson was over, I headed home and stitched up the embroidered squares into a table runner and placemats for the bride.

Thanks for a fantasic afternoon, ladies! I had such fun.

i pretend i live in paris in the mornings

2008-08-30T14:54:00.000-04:00

On sunny mornings I walk over to Duboce Park Café to write in my notebook while having breakfast nibbles. Café au lait or hot chai accompany a buttery croissant, which I dip into the foam, making little melt-in-your-mouth bits of hot, gooey croissant with still-flakey edges. Sooo delicious. I get the feeling that this is not the most polite way to enjoy one’s morning pastry, but that makes it all the more illicitly enjoyable, n’est pas?

coconut lemon cupcakes - scofield says thank you

2008-07-31T20:03:00.000-04:00

The boys next door at Mickey's Monkey agreed to babysit our fish Scofeild while Matt & I were at the wedding last weekend. Naturally, thank-you-cupcakes were in order. As you may remember, I tend to bake lots of cupcakes to sweeten up the neighborhood. I was feeling in a summery, tropical mood, so I dropped shredded coconut into the white cake batter. The little darlings came out all golden brown, like they'd been tanning at the beach.

Oh yum. Looks like they need a little lemony frosting to finish them off...

Yeah, there we go. A little sprinkle of shredded coconut, et voila.

12-hour dress success: congratulations, mr & mrs gauweiler!

2008-07-26T22:20:00.000-04:00

Spent last weekend in PA for Matt's best friend's wedding. It was just lovely! I mean, look how freakin' cute they are. We had three days of preparations, celebrations, dining, drinking & dancing by the time it was all over. Plus we spent a lovely last night at the local brewpub with the newlyweds before we all caught planes in the morning (they were off to their honeymoon in Mexico).

Naturally had to make something to wear. The lavender duponi silk I had leftover from sewing some ballgowns for an (apparently high budget!) production of Little Women after college was perfect. In true procrastinator-costumer fashion, I went right ahead and cut it up, using a 70's pattern scored at Thrift Town ($0.69), without seeing if the pattern worked or would fit first. She zipped up beautifully, but the fullness of the skirt had to be adjusted, as the silk stuck out in points - instead of mermaid tail, I had dinosaur tail. (Did I mention the pattern was for knit fabric only?) Finished the alterations and stitched on the closures right before we hopped on the plane to JFK. At least I had finished knitting the little shrug (in mom's hand-dyed silk yarn) last week.

Congratulations, Scott & Carrie!

welcomed home

2008-06-14T17:25:00.000-04:00

Awwwwh. Doesn’t he get extra points for creative presentation? Matt met me at the bus stop downtown after I took the BART home from the airport. As I (finally) got to our door, this is what I found. What a cutie.

a morning at the beach

2008-06-12T17:28:00.000-04:00

Highly recommended: Early morning beach date with sister. Wake up as her boyfriend is leaving for work at 6:30 am. Throw on bathing suits. Stop at Dunkin’ Donuts at 7:15 am for blueberry muffins and iced coconut coffee. Make it to the beach at (what we have discovered is) the best time possible, 8 am.

You got the whole place to yourselves. The sun is not quite so hot yet, so you don’t burn, and you can just stroll along the sand looking for miniscule pieces of sea-glass and baby sand dollars to both of your heart’s content.

ayuh

2008-06-09T17:39:00.000-04:00

I’m so excited to have lobster while I’m home, I eat it like the mermaid in Splash – remember the scene at the fancy restaurant, and she just rips into the thing, shell & all? And Tom Hanks just turns to the elderly hob-nobs dining nearby and staring, and just says, “She’s really hungry.”

When I was about 4 we went out to a big family meal with my grandparents and other relatives and I said I wanted lobster. My parents said no, but my Grandpa indulged me, thinking he’d get most of it. Nope. I was really hungry.

the graduated dude (congratulations!)

2008-06-08T17:41:00.000-04:00

Awh, the little one’s left the nest. My baby brother graduated from High School this weekend, so I got to fly home and visit with the fam.

Westside Monroe, represent!

wedding alterations season

2008-06-01T18:07:00.000-04:00

Every other day at Bluebird, someone comes in and finds a dress they are so excited to wear to a wedding they have coming up (brides and guests), but there might just be one little thing keeping the gown from being perfect. Needs a lower neckline. Needs to become strapless. Needs an extra inch in the back. And then I get to play Fairy Godmother and get the Cinderellas ready for the ceremony.

ncd - notebook collage disorder

2008-05-24T02:46:00.000-04:00

Confession: I clip magazines into tiny little pictures and glue them into notebooks. For hours on end. In what is now many, many, many notebooks and the occasional binder. Like 12 years worth.

Every time I go home, I make sure that my mom has saved all her magazines since the last time I visited. Every morning, I have breakfast & a cup of tea and shred magazines. When I was in High School, I used to clip them up at night while we all watched TV together, but the sound of the page ripping (shRRRRRRR, shRRRRRUP) would drive my dad crazy. My sister got me a half dozen fancy fashion magazines with little scissors and a special retractable Ex-acto knife for Christmas one year. Best present ever.

Then I found out in college that fashion designers pin pictures to the walls of their studios each season, collecting inspiring images & colors; they're called a "mood boards". My costume professor gave me an article from the NY Times about it. I though, "Oh my gosh! I'm not crazy! I'm inherently gifted!"

Then, of course, I cut out the article and glued it into one of my notebooks. Where I now have like whole sections of pictures of other designer's collections of pictures. Maybe a bit crazy.

bay to breakers - the best day in SF

2008-05-18T17:49:00.000-04:00

For all of you unfamiliar with this most amazing of SF events: Bay to Breakers is a cross-city marathon held annually at the end of May, which starts downtown (near the Bay) and finishes at the end of Golden Gate Park (near the ocean – thus the name). There are plenty of marathon types who run, but for everyone else it is a costumed parade of drunken debauchery & keg-floats that meanders across the city starting around 8am and ending around noonish with various dance parties in GGP. Besides the elaborate homemade floats (usually equipped with DJ’s and drink stations, if not full-on kegs), there are also Centipede Runners – 10 people tied together running the race as a pack. It truly is the most insane and amazing thing.

We went with current-event themed Olympic costumes this year – I was the Torch and Matt was my Torch Security Guard. Here we are with a fine group of pilots (always a popular costume choice).

Winner of most impressive float: Inflatable bouncy house. I don’t know how they pulled that thing with people inside, but it was amazing to watch it blow up in the middle of the street and then slowly wobble down the road.

Last year's float winner: Trojan Horse. Where the citizens of SF construct these things pre-Bay to Breakers, I have no idea. It's impressive. This year's popular costumes included several Olympic hula-hoop/ping-pong/random sport teams, and many Juno girls with jugs of Sunny D with their track suited BF's. Basically, anything involving old-school striped running socks is a good idea.

And at the end of the day, it’s nice to help the SFDW help with the clean-up. (You can tell it’s a good event when the city garbage guys let everyone hop on for a photo op while they’re trying to clean up the beer bottle-littered streets.)

sundress ideas

2008-05-16T14:08:00.000-04:00

It's inevitable. As soon as I get something(s) sewn up, I want to go right back to the drawing board. The whole design cycle of research, sketch, (possibly more research), patterning, cutting, stitching, fitting, re-stitching, finishing, and back to researching again, is so deliciously cyclical. I really seem to enjoy the research/sketch phase, collecting ideas endlessly and like the idea of continuing to collect more rather than actually produce work from them. Thus the 500 notebooks filled with collaged magazine bits that I've been pasting together since High School. Here would be my latest entries - 1930's fashion sketches:

I'm imagining the little embroideries on the collar and rolled-up sleeves as recycled corners of old handkerchiefs, plus I'm digging the wrapped front with buttons on the side, kind-of sailor-esque.

Left to right: Scalloped-edge circular collar with single button closure and bow tie belt - so cute. Lace-trimmed shawl collar with kick-pleat detailed sleeves - yum. The other lady has just about the chicest hat ever, very Ingrid Bergman in
Casablanca, non?

The curved waistline below sumptuous bust gathers works for bathing suits and evening gowns alike.

This is what makes 30's dresses so great - dramatic, feminine collars; smart, sexy little hats (with gloves); interesting seam placements and waistlines; detailed pleats and godets in skirts, (which add fullness below the close-fitting hips and clever tailoring details to the whole look). Plus cute belts.

Really adorable, right? Left to right: Little embroideries on butterfly collar, plus trim around sleeve cuffs and scalloped waistline; triple soft ruffle collar, high curved empire waist and little side-tie belt; pleated sides give skirt a cute apron-like look and cleverly add fullness above the waist, topped off with a sweet little sunhat.

the hottest day (and a dress to go with it)

2008-05-15T15:02:00.000-04:00

Oh my goodness. It was 96 degrees today in San Francisco!
This is a city that year-round averages between 47 to 71 degrees. It should be like 67 on any given day in May. If I didn't have all the new Apron Wrap Dresses ~~at Bluebird and up for sale on the website~~ (hurray!), I'd be wearing one right now. They just scream for a hot, sunny day with a popsicle in one hand and a novel & beach blanket in the other. Don't you think?

to Mummsie

2008-05-11T13:37:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!

San Francisco is sunny,
Violets are blue,
I miss my Mummsie,
But I'm coming home soon!

Love, Leah

dia de los muertos

2008-05-03T00:31:00.000-04:00

At first glance, a spicy little combination of colors... but then...

Ay caramba!

The fabric has little "Day of the Dead" skulls and flowers printed all over it. Loco!
(Sorry, I know. My high school offered French & German, so my Spanish phrases are limited to Seasame Street-level.)

bartered strawberry tart

2008-04-23T13:40:00.000-04:00

A lovely girl came in the shop the other day, looking for help getting measurements for a bridesmaids dress. The dress was being made back in Michigan, where the wedding was being held, but the shop needed her measurements now to get the dress started. I said if she found out from the shop what measurements they needed I could probably help her out, which she was excited about since the tailor's had quoted her $50 to get measurements done. Asked what I'd charge, I said a cup of coffee sounded good, because it really doesn't take that long to measure someone, and I like bartering anyway. She came back a week or so later, just needing bust-waist-hips measurements, which took about a minute and a half to do. Having just had a cup of tea, I said I could go for a pastry, and she brought me that gorgeous looking strawberry tart as payment. Those are little gold-leaf bits for embellishment, and it tasted like honeyed sunshine. I can't imagine a happier exchange.

the wedding sampler

2008-04-18T13:28:00.000-04:00

Two friends married in January, another wedding coming up this summer... what to gift? Friends of my parents have a cross-stitched sampler hanging near the woodstove at their house. It has their names and the day they were married with some wildflowers twined about. Being all about bring back the out-dated domestic traditions, I decided I'd stitch wedding samplers for all my newly married friends.

The quote is from the lyrics of their "first dance" song, and the colors of the flowers are from the bridesmaid's dresses. Plus I figure this will help the new Mr.s never forget their anniversary date. A little ric-rac around the edge tops it all off.

spring!

2008-04-11T12:58:00.000-04:00

It is GORGEOUS outside today, so I am lying in Duboce park on my giant african scarf reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and watching the doggies run around in delight and a little girl in a pink dress blowing bubbles. With toes wiggling in the bare grass, it's hard to believe there is still snow on the ground in Maine. I feel breifly guilty, but go back to sunning. Got to live it up before the summer fog rolls in.

kindergarden beads

2008-03-22T14:16:00.000-04:00

Latest random discovery at Goodwill: the kid's toys section also has baggies of little crafy goodies, like plastic pony beads and wooden painted beads like those you used to string into necklaces in Elementary school. For $.99 each I got two bags stuffed full, cleaned and boxed them up for my friend e*'s 4-year-old daughter to keep her busy at her dad's birthday party tonight. (We got him a Green Zebra book.) But I had to make one chunky wooden bead necklace for myself first.

sweatshop of one - slow goings

2008-03-21T20:30:00.000-04:00

The L'stell Spring 08 collection has yet to appear at the racks of Bluebird, because it turns out, designing and sewing your first line somehow takes forever. And ever. How did I get costumes AND a 12-piece runway collection done at school in a semester? What kind of schedule was I following? We had a running theory in the Theater Dept. that the secret to hyper-productivity seemed to be "The Jean Randich Day" - one directing professor's ability to do a million things started with accomplishing quite a bit between the hours of 7am and 10am. Seeing how I barely manage to drink my morning cup of Lady Gray Tea before 10am, looks like I need a JR jump-start.

The fact that I can watch old Dancing with the Stars episodes online while at the sewing machine, however, is making me incredibly productive. And cheering for Kristi Yamaguchi, (who is kicking everyone's butts), is making me feel like I'm 10-years-old again.

the eco dream-house

2008-03-08T13:52:00.000-05:00

Biking back from the Farmer's Market Saturday mornings always brings random SF adventures. Today we passed by this house that we've biked by before and admired the quirky, eco architeture of, and it had an open house sign outside. So we stopped and said hi to the realitor in the doorway, who was nice enough to let us inside to check out the place. He even watched our bikes for us.

Among a million clever and sustainable design details was this amazing mural in the master suite (the lamps are for reading in bed). The roofdeck had living plant walls and there was a windmill in the yard that produces power for the house (there is second larger unit in the building that the owner lives in). The banister for the stairs was filled with circles cut from different sizes of metal pipes, and the entire upstairs was a kitchen-dining-living area, that screamed "host chic cocktail-dinner parties in me!" The shower in the master suite was covered in round pebbles so it felt like you were bathing in a mountain stream. There were bamboo plants outside the clouded first floor windows, providing privacy from the street and the coolest shadows on the glass from the inside (you could watch the bamboo stalks sway in the breeze). Check out more pictures at 1303 Alabama.

bribeing new co-workers with cupcakes (is never a bad idea)

2008-02-15T15:34:00.000-05:00

So my new job at Bluebird includes being work-neighbors with an ecclectic group at an ecclectic antiques shop. The owner went for pizza one night and brought me back a slice, très gentilI, so I knew cupcakes were in order. Plus I could play with the new frosting tube I had snatched up in the most evil and wonderful of all places, Target's Dollar Section. The cupcakes went over well, and nothing makes one feel better then walking down the block with a plateful of carrot-decorated cupcakes for one's ecclectic co-workers on a sunny day. Fabulous sunglasses don't hurt.

My new Martha Stewart Collection at Macy's teapot wanted to pose for the picture too. Is there aything Martha Stewart robin's egg blue does not go with? Maybe Tiffany blue. Or are they secretly the same color? Must investigate.

and it still has the safety pins in it

2008-02-15T14:55:00.000-05:00

Quilt books inspire me so hardcore, with their color palettes and block patterns and historical significance; I mean, what's a costume girl not to like? So in some fit of inspiration during Fall of 2005, I start making quilt squares. Sometime in Late Summer 2006, in another fit of inspiration, I spend hours arranging the squares, decide I need more, and start cutting fabric again. When the second batch of squares are finished circa Winter 2006, I arrange them anew. They finally get sewn together in the finished arrangement with muslin sashing, and I decide the quilt is going to encase one of the several down blankets we've accumulated. Lord only knows how, since it's not like we're in the Arctic Circle here in SF, but we have three. So the quilt gets a white sheet as a back and is sewn together around the edges, and the down blanket stuffed in, sometime in Spring 2007. Then it gets tricky and the inspiration goes out the window. As brilliant as quilting feet are for batting, let's just say they're not ment to quilt down feathers. Yeah, not so much. So, since no fourth fit of inspiration has hit me, it lies on our bed, looking bright & gorgeous, and still "quilted" together with random safety pins. If there isn't a more pathetic WIP, I just don't know. I am very, very in love with how the colors and the star blocks are very, very me. I should honestly just take the safety pins out, since it is sewn together around the edges, and the down feathers need to fluff around a lot anyway, right? OK, we'll see if I can muster some Safety Pin Removal Inspiration before the thing starts to get little rust holes around them.

if martha was hosting a yacht club regata bachelor party, her invites would pretty much look like this

2008-02-15T13:01:00.000-05:00

Apparently if you give Matthew a few pointers on vellum and linen paper, he goes to town creating the most elegant bachelor party faux-invites you've ever seen. Who knew my outdoorsy-athlete had Matha-caliber invitation making skills? Seriously makes a girl fantasize about trips to PaperSource together.

The invite wording took many days to complete, as it had to be of the highest sarcastic quality. Printed on vellum in a ridiculously cursive font, the invite was tied with a navy gross-grain ribbon to a creamy blue paper, upon which was printed the Kempton Yacht Club logo - a piece of farm machinery called a manure spreader with a sail on it. (Kempton, PA obviously has more hex-decorated barns than open water marinas.) The invites were sealed in dark blue linen envelopes with silver sealing wax imprinted with the Chinese symbol for water, and although no one will get that part, it looked très impressif. Really, we out-do ourselves every year, craft-wise, with this event.

serendipitous cocoa mugs for st. nicholas night

2007-12-05T15:28:00.000-05:00

St. Nicholas Night, December 5th, is a traditional part of the Festivus festivities chez moi, although technically we don't get chocolates in our wooden shoes (which I think is what St. Nick does in Holland, where it is actually celebrated). In keeping with Festivus tradition (in which we assimilate and bastardize as many winter-holidays as we possibly can into one glorious seemingly-never ending Festivus Celebration), St. Nick Night is an evening of cocoa in Santa-shaped mugs & the first batch of holiday cookies. This meant for the past 5 years away from home I was sent a box filled with red & green-sprinkled sugar cookies and Land-o-Lakes cocoa (apparently those butter people know their way around chocolate too, cos it is the BEST), especially in the Raspberry or Mint flavors.

This year I took it upon myself to procure my own Santa-mugs, since they were always missing in the home-away-from-home celebrations at school. Then I had to convince myself not to scoop up the adorable snowmen & penguin ones at Targ-jay for like $4 each. Non-non, I would find my Santa Mugs at The House of Goodwill, since they were just a once a year thing, and Festivus already provides me with a million little ways to spend money and treat myself. So sure enough, on the way home e* and I pop into Goodwill, and guess what I find? The snowmen mugs! For a dollar each! Magical.

you're so money, baby

2007-08-24T15:51:00.000-04:00

Fabric snap wallets are churning out of the sewing machine this week. I'm enjoying the technicolor "sailorette" and "garden girl" themes which have inspired this round of fabric selections. Planning on filling all the pockets with arty ticket stubs and cards from the little shops I love and cafes I pop into.

The wallets are for sale at Polk*A*Dot on Polk Street at Clay, which is only the most adorable kitchy office supply & sundries shop ever.

four second sewing project

2007-07-07T15:25:00.000-04:00

Nearly every little table or flat surface in the apt can use a placemat I've decided. They brighten things up, add a little cushion, and catch all the watering can & candlewax drips that occumulate. Brillant, really. Plus then you can lovingly gaze at the beautiful fabric scraps you've accomulated without just stewing them about the house. Boyfriends don't really like that look. But they are impressed by your placemat skills.

my momma's baby-momma's baby makes her modeling debut

2007-06-10T12:58:00.000-04:00

The knobs on the back wall of my Mummsie's both at the Fiber Frolic were perfect for hanging all the starlit* bags I had made, although I felt guilty taking up such prime real estate. Little Miss Violet was haning out with us since her Momma had made bags & natural dyed roving to sell in the booth as well. Little V was sporting her Geri Valentine sweater and getting so many ooh's-and-ahh's. It sure doesn't hurt when your Momma is friends with amazing knitting designers who get interviewed for knitting non-fictions and create a limited number of custom-order only sweaters a year. This must be how those socialite girls live who trapse about town in gifted designer frocks, being Muses for the runway. Oh, the fabulous knitted life.

girls who bought bags & how much i ❤ them

2007-06-10T12:35:00.001-04:00

My first customers! Missing from the photo are their coordinating Croqs - very Maine Fiber Frolic fabulous. The Fiber Frolic is one of those great agricultural fairs in the later Maine summer. With livestock to pet, crafts to buy (read: yarn stash to SERIOUSLY enhance) and a llama drill team routine to watch... Yes, that's right, Llama Drill Team. Llama people leading about their awkward South American friends in formation to such timeless classics as Elton John's "Can You Feel the Love Tonight". Seriously, my sister & I can't miss it. The llamas and their handlers wear matching neckerchiefs and Babycakes & I have to sit in the back of the bleachers because our giggles are just indecent. I think even my brother, The Dude gives the llama drill team a thumbs-up for entertainment factor.

Anywho, when the Girls Who Bought Bags were sighted later sporting their purchases, I had to ask them to pose for a quick photo. I was so deliriously happy, I felt like I had spotted celebrities. How hard it is to believe sometimes that people find the things you make as irresistibly cute as you'd like to imagine you designed them to be. Of course the LDT has no problems with this. They can feel the love tonight.

surprise cake

2007-03-30T23:47:00.000-04:00

Not just any cake, an *ice cream cake* (just like he was hoping for). And not just any ice cream cake. Oh, no. This is a Cold Stone Cookie Dough Ice Cream cake. That's right.

And look at how excited he is!

500 paper cranes

2007-03-28T00:03:00.000-04:00

I've been folding all week and here are the last 30!

The cranes are off to Vegas (yeah, baby!) to be at some party at the Venitian hotel. They have (lame) ice breaker questions printed on their wings, like "Who is a mentor in your life?" and "What do you consider your proudest accomplishment?" Apparently there will also be a giant centerpiece crane floating around in the pool, but I did not fold that one. Do wish I was going to Vegas for a party at the Venitian, though.

silver birthday

2007-03-20T14:22:00.000-04:00

That's right. This little guy had flown all the way from Maine to celebrate my birthday with me in San Francisco. Matthew discovered a fantastic fish market in the city that has them coming in almost daily (must be all those fancy restaurants we got). He surprised me with two 1 1/2 lb'ers waiting in the cooler when I got home from work. They were delicious, but unfortunately hard shells... So we busted out the pliers from the toolbox and that seemed to work just fine.

For my birhtday "cake", Matt made a lemon pudding desert like the Sylvia's Mummsie makes (only hers is with chocolate pudding). It was delicious! I love the decorative almond-sliver lettering he did.

Quickly becoming a birthday tradition, I also got flowers from my sweetie. The flower shop he goes to tucks an orchid in the paper wrapping (like so),making it feel like an extra special gift. Last year he got me a little orchid vase, so it was cute to have not only a big bouquet but an orchid to fill my little vase.

The bouquet itself was lillies, and they were HUGE!

It was just a lovely 25th birthday.

the view from macy's

2007-02-11T17:22:00.000-05:00

On dinner break from Urban, Matty meets me downtown on his way home and we discover the best location for Chinese New Year's parade viewing... third floor windows of Macy's.

arrr! she's a hat, matey!

2006-11-24T14:25:00.000-05:00

I decide it's time to up the knitting skills with the addition of a hat. I've spent plenty of time knitting in the round, I'm like a Master-In-The-Round in fact, and have churned out millions of wrist warmers with ribbing and cables and everything. Just no decreasing. So really the hat should be no problem. I think I only had to make three calls to Mummsie and Babycakes for pattern and decrease advice, so it really went ok. I had seen this Martha Good Things where they added snowflakes to mittens using a duplicate stitch, basically knit-embroidering on top of the finished knit-thing. So since, I am a M-I-T-R but defintitally not a Master-In-The-Fair-Isle, this sounded ingeniously sneaky. Would have been slightly more brilliant to use a solid white for the duplicate stitch, but since the yarn was a white-mallard ply, the skull and crossbones kinda fades in. Sneaky-like. Which is definitally very piratey and faux "duplicate stitch" fair-isley. Aye, matey. Besides, what else do you craft for your 17-year-old brother's birthday?

view from the top

2006-06-11T17:30:00.000-04:00

downtown San Francisco

sidewalk messages

2006-05-27T12:46:00.000-04:00

Kind of reassuring, right?
There would sometimes be stenciled graffiti around campus at Bennington, and I always felt like there is something cool about having these special symbols in the landscape around you that are like a secret language only the locals understand. But having little quotes to meditate on while you walk to the grochery store ain't so bad either.