williamsburg fashion weekend report

three of my favorite ladies of Williamsburg fashion: erin of Sodafine, valerie of Dear Birthday, and siri of Treehouse, put on a glorious picninc-themed fashion show for WFW a few weeks ago...



...the models gave out apples and champagne and enjoyed an impromptu picnic!



dear birthday's dresses are utterly charming...




erin broke out some amazing painted frocks...






...and sirius rocked some of her trademark sexy knits!



afterwards we celebrated with siri's crazy-cool birthday cake.

t-shirt remake

last week's CS post was a really fun project: a re-style of a t-shirt into a cute top with a gathered yoke. i need to do this to a whole bunch of old t's i never wear... you probably do too!

mexico!

i can hardly believe the time has nearly come, but next sunday (10/26) i fly to oaxaca, mexico and i am so excited! i've been mildly obsessed with the incredible woven and embroidered textiles of mexico for a couple of years now, and this trip has been organized by Linda LaBelle of the Yarn Tree, and we'll be visiting weavers and dyers and textile makers! i am overflowing with glee. and the best part is, my mom is coming too! to top it off, i'm not sure if Linda planned it this way or not, but we'll be there for Day of the Dead!!! crazy unbelievable. if anyone has any advice for a couple of first-time visitors to mexico, we're all ears...
oh yes, and all of these photos (and hundreds more) are from mexicantextiles.com, a beautifully comprehensive site filled with information from one man's personal mission to document the textiles of mexico.

brand spanking new dressmaking class!

i'm teaching a new sewing class at Home Ec next month, and we'll be making this cute dress. i made mine in corduroy and i can't wait to wear it!

Intermediate Sewing: Make a Dress

4-week series: Saturdays Nov 8, 15, 22 and Dec 6, 2:30-4:30pm $150 + supplies

Let's step up those skills! This versatile dress can be made for all sorts of occasions: I made mine in corduroy for that autumnal back-to-school feeling (it works as a jumper too), but in black sateen it could be a cocktail dress. In a great bold print it's your go-to summer sundress, and in eyelet you could wear it to a wedding! We'll use McCalls pattern # M5564 (please order in advance from Home Ec) and learn how to sew curved seams, insert a zipper, make a lining, and lots more.

Students must have some machine-sewing experience.

Supplies: McCalls #M5564 (Be sure to get the right size!) Fabric requirements depend on which size you're making, and can be found on back of pattern, but you'll need between 2 and 3 1/2 yards of woven fabric, depending on the width. Also, a 14" nylon zipper and thread to match.

blind hemstitch tutorial

i'm behind (as usual) in telling you about my tutorials on CraftStylish, but you might find this one helpful: How To Sew a Machine Blindstitch Hem. i find most people have no idea their machine can do this, and they still do all of their hemming by hand! don't get me wrong, i love me some hand-stitching, but it's not always practical...

pocketopia

my latest post for Craft Stylish is about my obsession with having a pocket for everything i carry in my bag, so i can pull it out with absolutely no rummaging! i'm working on a new bag that will fulfill all my instant-access dreams, and will show you as soon as it's done.

when i teach sewing 102 at Brooklyn General, in which we make Lotta Jansdotter's all-day tote, i always encourage everyone to customize the pockets to fit their own daily essential items. speaking of which, a new session starts next saturday, october 11! find the deets here.

slowhio

after six months of slaving away on my top-secret biggest-project-of-my-life (oh yeah, i still haven't told you about that yet, have i?), ohio never looked so good. i was there for a restful and restorative week in august, my annual summer visit. what i love most about ohio is spending most of the day outside, and since i'd been chained to my desk all spring and summer long, i really took advantage of that aspect on this trip!


as always, my mom took great care of me, feeding me constantly. and gertie especially enjoyed our visit from my grandma.


we took walks in the evening, and ate strawberry shortcake...


i picked blackberries for my breakfast...


...sewed outside on the deck...



...gertie and this squirrel spent hours playing 'dog and squirrel'...




...and these girls kept me constantly entertained.


this was my breakfast the morning i left to come back to new york: egg, cheese and tomato sandwich, melon and tea. thanks mom!

between the bridges

another of my fun adventures this summer was teaching crochet and knitting in Empire Fulton Ferry State Park, which is in DUMBO between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. these were free classes, 4 weeks each series, and booked up months in advance! i'd suggest signing up for their mailing list now if you're interested for next summer. i taught with KIM (she assisted me for crochet, and i assisted her for knitting) and it was so much fun to be teaching in a lovely park, by the river, in view of two of the waterfalls, on summer monday evenings! they also have free movies, music, pilates, and other fun events so keep an eye on the calendar next summer for sure.

*as seen on* the storque!

i just found out that yesterday the Storque did a trend article on one of my favorite colors, navy blue, and featured my navy wraps as one of their selections! navy, brown and heather grey are my favorite neutrals, since i eschew the color black. there is always so much fun stuff to read about on the Storque, i just can't keep up!