spring forward!

i am feeling so inspired for spring! and changing the clocks earlier this year is really helping me pull out of the late-winter funk. so i thought i would share some of the fun pics i have been keeping in my folder titled 'spring 07 inspiration'. i will try to say where they come from if i remember but i'm afraid sometimes i have no record...


above are some fun embellishments i've come across... the top crochet piece is from prudence mapstone. lower left is the winner of this embroidery contest and right is from maira kalman's embroidery show, which i could still kick myself for missing.

these are three beautiful examples of mixing crochet into knit tops in a very demure fashion. i tend to lean a little less sweet, a little more crude, but i love all of these. center is from lyell and the other two from anthropologie.

i have been wanting to play with quilt piecing for years now, and i'm determined to make this the season i do it! i love this girl's quilty top but forget where i saw it. craftster maybe? and the tunic and dress are built by wendy, whose spring collection last year was my fave she's ever done.

above left is another from prudence i think. i probably can't do any allover crochet pieces like this as they take too much time and would have to be way expensive, but i have been collecting so many doilies and other vintage crochet bits, so i plan to do lots of piecing them together with other knits and wovens. and i just love this girl from hel-looks, i think she has just the right mix of vintage and modern that i am after!

a while back, tie one on did smocks for the monthly them and there were lots of great ones. this was a vintage one from ebay that she posted for inspiration purposes. i've always loved aprons and smocks. and these handmade (by a 90-year old japanese woman!) waraji sandals are just so amazing... i wish i saw them at salvor kiosk before they sold out. i love their texture and pattern-mixing.

i cannot remember where this skirt is from, but she does amazing arty skirts. i love the quilted texture of this one and plan to experiment with some quilted skirts of my own. and the embroidered mat is from the amazing taza taza show at little cakes last year. julian and guillermina's embroidery is so bold and delicate at the same time, it amazes me.

a funny thing looking at all these pics together is how much white there is, when i really don't like white that much usually, at least to wear myself. anything white that i own or make i usually dip in tea! but i am really attracted to white with bold primary colors this season, or so it seems. we'll see how it all comes out in the end...