Black Hole

New illo done for Tim at MyMidwest. For the bi-monthly management column I've been doing on a regular basis.

Liberty and More Liberty

I'm hung up on my latest design, a take on the basic shift. I love this, I think it'll be a great year round piece. God I love Liberty.

It's Back!

I can remeber going bonkers for this stuff at the boardwalk and craft fairs every summer as a kid. Scouring vendors, picking through shirts one by one for the very best and colorful of the tie-dye bunch. I'm sure they've long since made their way to Goodwill but I sure had some winners.

Well, it's back! In hipper, modern form. Hippie connotations be damned.

In fact, Martha Stewart just taped a show with the queen of 'bringing back tie-dye' herself, Shabd Simon-Alexander where she teaches us step by step how to create our own dyed creations.

Watch the video and get the instructions HERE!

Well, that said, while in a fabric store near my parents awhile back, I found myself surprisingly drawn to this batik-ish/tie-dyed print. Shockingly, even my mom fell in love with the stuff. We walked out with four yards.

Mom's shirt:
(ingore all the wrinkles and rolled up sleeves - which I need to shorten)

My shirt:


And, uh, I made a matching bow for Roxey (our princess pup) as well.....Might holiday photos in order??

St. Catherine's Day Parade

In yet more event news, November 18th will be the annual St. Catherine's Day Parade presented by the Miliner's Guild.

Details:

The Milliners Guild Welcomes You to Put On Your Most Spectacular Hat
And Join Our Annual St. Catherine's Day Celebration!

Meet us at the Millinery Center Synagogue
1025 Ave Of The Americas - Bet. 38/39 Streets At 5:00pm

Walk with us through Bryant Park to 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue
Up Fifth Avenue - Right on 51st Street to our Fabulous Party at
Haven : 244 E 51st Street near Second Avenue

Special thanks to Moet Hennessy USA for providing the Veuve Clicquot for our champagne hour (6-7pm)

New this year: BEST HAT CONTEST, for non-members only
Winner will be determined by guild members.

Cehck out this New York Times article for last year's coverage.

Thanksgiving At The Old Stone House

As I'm sure my previous entry has managed to whet your appetite for Sarah's amazing historic cuisine, come join us November 22nd at the Old Stone House where Sarah will be cooking an amazing 18th century Thanksgiving meal over their open hearth.

Details as follows:

The Historic Gastronomist demonstates:

An 18th Century Thanksgiving.
Join Sarah Lohman at the Old Stone House Hearth Sunday, November 22, 2009 12-3 pm.

Limited tastings will be available. Preparations will include:

-Turkey with Stuffing and Gravy
-Stewed Squab
-Venison Roast
-Bread
-Squash Pudding
-Onions in Cream
-Maced Green Beans
-Plum Pudding
-Apple Tarts
-Pumpkin Pie

www.theoldstonehouse.org

336 Third Street, bet. 4th/5th Avenues
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-768-3195

Hope to see you all there!

Antiquarian Fashion

Kat, another one of the Merchant's House Museum's awesome volunteers, round-aboutly sent THIS New York Times article to me this morning as per our obsessive conversations about fashion and history last night.

Apparently 19th century men's fashions are beginning to enjoy quite the rennaisance lately. Which is great news for Jed's Halloween costume...

For A Song

As I continue to make the attempt to pare down my closet, I came across this nice tunic that I unfortunately don't seem to get enough wear out of - I only wore it a couple of times over the summer.

This tunic's made from the most beautiful paisley cotton voile with folksy wooden buttons.

(In fact, I loved the fabric so much, I went back for seconds and made another shirt from the same material (which explains why this baby isn't getting nearly enough attention). And then I even went back for thirds but by that point, others must have been catching on and they were completely sold out. Boo!)

-Chest measures 20.5" across
-Bracelet length sleeves (look best rolled up in my opinion)
-Darts at the chest for some slight shaping
-Finished with clean french seams throughout.

Again, I'm only charging for the cost of materials - $40.

Contact me if interested!!

The Historic Gastronomist

The Historic Gastronomist: Giving Recipes an Afterlife from SkeeterNYC on Vimeo.

I can never get enough of what the brilliant Sarah Lohman's up to and am so thrilled the world is really taking notice in a big way!!

Yay Sarah!!!

Sale Time!

So yeah, my sewing....I sure do produce a lot....A lot more than I can actually wear. So I've decided the healthy thing might be for me to sell of some of the items that have been languishing in my closet - for a song. Just enough to recoup the cost of the fabric.

So first up is this shirt made of a really cute, civil war era reproduction cotton print. This will fit a wide range of sizes as it's meant to be an oversized, boxy, off the shoulder fit - anywhere from a 2 -8 I'd say.

As this is a really early piece - pre sewing machine the entire garment is hand stitched (every stich with love!). You'd never know it though, there are no visible stitches on the exterior of the garment.

This baby can be yours for a mere $20! Email me if you're interested or have any questions.

As I find the time to rifle through my closet, I'll continue to post more bargains here.

***

In other news (certainly not for sale!!!), I've been meaning to post this beautiful stitching Emily traded me awhile back! It's hanging right over my sewing table making sewing time even more wonderful if that's even possible.


My favorite part is the itty bitty tiny dog hiding in the brush.

19th Century Style

My interests in history and sewing have officially dovetailed. I'm gonna attempt a 19th century dress! Should be quite a challenge as my fitting skills leave much to be desired.....So far my only experience has been with very forgiving, loose fitting garments.

I pestered Eva endlessly as to where to look and what decade I ought to tackle. Seeing as how the Merchant's House Museum will in time be brought back to it's 1850's splendor - not to mention that both Eva & Zoh will be tackling 1850's dresses as well, I figured 1850's it will be.

Eva directed me to Past Patterns and THIS was the dress I settled on. The Fan Front Bodice with the Flounced Skirt.

I've already ordered the pattern and now all three pounds of it is sitting on my desk itching to be made.


(funny little tidbit sent to me this morning by Zoh)

First thing first though, I need a corset! I can't even begin fitting my dress until I have a proper 1850's corset and that's where Eva & Zoh come back in.

Zoh (of MorriganNYC) being the incredible seamstress she is, she'll be leading Eva & I through making our corsets. Apparently there is not a pattern for a corset from this period to be found anywhere so Zoh will be creating the pattern herself. Wowza - I am PSYCHED!

Hopefully I'll be going supply shopping with Zoh later this week at Greenberg-Hammer to get everything I need to make a corset.

Dear god wish me luck!!!

How Cozy!

How insanely cozy would this be?!! I'd love to curl up on a cold day in this giant knit stocking.

Costumes!!

We really did put some serious effort into all our costumes. I for one can't even remember the last time I dressed up for Halloween. Last costume I remember is when Megan, determined that I be something - went to Duane Reade, stocked up on tinsel & christmas ornaments and made me into the most awesome christmas tree ever - tin foil star strapped to my forehead with a green nike sweatband and all.

That said, Ashley the Jellyfish was hands down our rock star of the night. She was mistaken for Lady Gaga a couple of times unfortunately. But damn if she wasn't one hot as heck jellyfish!


With her fellow jellyfish.


Greenman! I love it! A serious work of art in it's own right. Mike was planning next years costume the very next morning.




Jed's been reading a whole heck of a lot of Sherlock Holmes right now so he was pretty excited when I suggested we go as Holmes & Sherlock.

Being a huge 19th C. nerd, of course I couldn't have us running around in egregiously wrong outfits. Taking place in the 1890's, we got off somewhat easy - men's clothes had already begun to approximate modern menswear. All we really needed were vests, hats & cravats. I would have sewn it all had we not been crunched for time.


Jed made one dashing Sherlock.


As for me, wish I'd worn a mustache. Agh! In that the bowler blew off right onto the train tracks behind me shortly after this picture was taken, the costume might have withstood the loss had I only had a mustache...

Next year I'm thinking, Gibson Girl maybe? Hmmmm......

Abandoned Cemetery

Having just posted a quick overview of our incredible Halloween trip - I ultimately decided some more in depth blogging was really in order. One of the huge highlights of the trip for me was the abandoned cemetery behind Captain Grant's B&B which the innkeeper informed us dates back to the 1650's. After breakfast Saturday morning Mike & I pulled on our boots and headed out into the woods.


Spotting the it, we were shocked (and thrilled) at the level of abandonment & decay overtaking it. The majority of the headstones had simply broken off leaving suggestive slate stumps. Mike & I were really keeping an eye out for the older stones dating to the 1600's but I'm assuming most of those were simply broken off. The oldest gravestones we encountered dated to the 1760's.



One of the coolest things about this old cemetery (all really old cemeteries for that matter) was the fascinating iconography on the stones.


As I mentioned before, there was a fantastic article on historic gravestone iconography in the October issue of Martha Stewart. They discuss the evolution of the depiction of the soul, from morbid skulls with wings (up until the late 18th c.) to softer cherub-like faces on later stones. Then getting into the mid 19th c., we begin to see the depiction of the soul replaced by the Federal imagery of weeping willows and urns.


Lambs were very popular for children's graves.


I found it fascinating to find this evolution throughout this abandoned cemetery.






The two above were probably the oldest we encountered. The innkeepers talked of spearheading an effort to clean up the cemetery which I think is fantastic. SO glad I got to experience it like this in all it's spooky, decrepit glory though.

Best Halloween Ever

To be honest, I'm a little depressed being home. The trip was that amazing. So much good food and more incredible old architecture than you can shake a stick at.

The first b&b we stayed at, Captain Grant's in Preston, CT was unbelievable. Certainly one of the best I've yet stayed in. The house itself was built in 1754 and was simply beautiful. Then there were the wonderful innkeepers who knew so much about the history of the house and did I mention Molly, the inn's cat? She slept curled up in bed with us, purring like a motor the first night we were there. And of course we had gone there in hopes of scoring a spooky incident (not that we actually expected anything). Jed thought he heard a woman's voice as he was coming back upstairs around midnight having just raided the cookie jar in the kitchen...

One of the highlights of Captain Grant's was an abandoned, overgrown cemetery in the woods behind the inn, circa 1650's through the 19th c. Mike & I went back there one morning and it was amazing poking around hunting for obscured and overgrown gravestones, some with such beautiful hand carved images (Martha Stewart had a fantastic article on old timey gravestone iconography in her October issue).

Friday we spent the day poking around Stonington, CT. Gorgeous. I would move there in a heartbeat. Saw a couple of cool museums, the Old Lighthouse and the Palmer House. Ate a great meal and capped it off with incredible pumpkin pie.

Saturday it was onto Concord, MA to the Colonial Inn circa 1716. HUGE disappointment. They screwed up our reservation and we ended up staying in a pretty nondescript, blandly decorated house next door to the inn. The place was pretty disorganized in general. I'm still seething from having been cheated of my chance to spend the night in an incredible 1716 structure.

Aha! But there was then Halloween night in none other than Salem, MA! Unfortunately my bowler blew off onto the train tracks while waiting for the train into Salem but I still enjoyed the night. I can't wait to have a chance to visit Salem again, though not on Halloween. So many old buildings and museums to check out.

Sunday was a delicious breakfast, some haphazard poking around Concord (Nuts! So many great house museums there but all closed on Sunday!!!). On the road and home. Sigh. Such a great trip. Dreaming about next year already.

Check out the rest of my trip pictures on my flickr page.

Stemrot

I'm definately with Mike that Halloween is hands down the best holiday. Have always thought so. To edify this obsession, Mike has started a new year round Halloween blog - 'covering all things Halloween year round' - Stemrot (lovely).


As for Halloween proper, we decided MONTHS ago that it would be the most fun fun thing in the world to spend Halloween in a haunted bed & breakfast. So we booked. And so it stands, we're looking forward to two nights at Captain Grant's in Preston, CT and then onto Concord's Colonial Inn for Halloween night. Both circa 18th C. and reputedly haunted (not that we really expect anything obviously...)!

Mike will do going as the Green Man, Ashley a jellyfish, Jed & I as Holmes & Watson (Jed's been reading A LOT of Sherlock Holmes). Pictures to come!

Multiples

When I find a design I really like - I make it in multiples. Make that many many multiples...


Liberty!!





***

Speaking of sewing frenzies, Eva's been hard at work on her 1850's mourning dress. She's been posting the whole process step by step on her blog Circa 1850. I can't wait to see how it comes out!

Drooling...

Can you BELIEVE the treats Sarah made for the Suger Sweets Festival last weekend??!!! I was helping out at the Merchant's House Museum for Open House New York all day so I wasn't able to make it back to Brooklyn to devour some of those incredible looking 19th c. sweets. HUGE HUGE bummer. She had Cayenne Pepper Gingerbread, Almond-Rosewater Macaroons, Jumbles (a 19th c. butter cookie that looks a lot like a donut) and drum-roll....her award winning Chocolet Puffs (19th c. spelling)! Sarah, big congrats on Best in Show (whoo hoo!!) for your Chocolet Puffs! Makes me even more bummed that I missed out on AWARD WINNING sweets....

You can read all about the bake sale and the background of these various historic treats on Sarah's blog, Four Pounds Flour, HERE.

Get the recipe for the award winning Chocolet Puffs HERE.

Em's Knick-Knacks

A new wooden 'knick-knack' from Emily! That biscuit balancing on his nose!!! She's been doing these Alexander Girard inspired wooden tchochkes for awhile now and I love them more than ever.

Below is one that I bought from her over the summer at the Brooklyn Flea. It holds a place of honor guarding Jed's cookbooks.

Want/Need

How AMAZING are these new Liberty of London prints from Purl??!





Or these new Alexander Henry prints?!!

Food & Wine Festival

I had the pleasure of covering a couple of Food & Wine Festival events for Lost At E Minor last weekend - I'd ALWAYS wanted to attend so I lunged at the opportunity. Some pics from the festivities & indulgence:

Meatpacking Uncorked

*Check out my write-up HERE!



Tea Seduction

*Read this write-up HERE.


(money shot!)

Halloween at the Merchant's House Museum!

Come see the Merchant's House Museum decked out in all it's 19th C. Funeral glory!

A listing of all their AWESOME fall events HERE. Candlelight ghost tours and an actual reenactment of a 19th C. Funeral (where they actually walk the coffin down Bowery St. to the cemetery...) among the offerings.


Did I ever share this necklace Jess made based on a chair in the Merchant's House Museum's collection? They posses an entire glorious set of authentic Duncan Phyfe chairs. I loved this necklace so much I jumped right in and created the packaging for the design (in exchange for a necklace of course). I finally got the chance to see it in action today in the Merchant's House Gift Shop (excuse the awkward shot taken through the glass case). It looked awesome if I don't say so myself!

Sewing & Knitting

With all this sewing, how could I not try my hand at knitting? Emily has been such a huge help holding my hand through getting into this (infinite patience that she has)! After more than a few false starts, I'm finally on a roll! I've already made quite a few mistakes but I guess I'm just gonna have to live with them as this is my first try.

Here's what I'm HOPING my sweater will come out looking like:


It's from THIS pattern from Interweave Knits (lots of great patterns there!).

On that note, I've been a busy bee with my sewing as well. I've become a bit hung up on this one particular pattern from the Stylish Dress Book 2, pattern K. It's the perfect casual, blousy, button down! I'm currently working on number three, yeesh.....


The SOFTEST chambray!



LOVE that paisley....I'm gonna HAVE to buy more. Lots more. Even standing in line for the Vamoose Bus the other day, I heard the lady standing behind me in line fawning over the pattern....

Brooklyn Navy Yard

Driving by the tall brick walls surrounding the crumbling, historic buildings of the Brooklyn Navy Yard nearly breaks my heart every time. Such gorgeous old houses just left to rot away. Driving by the other day I noticed that an entire back wall to one of the houses appeared to have collapsed leaving simply a precarious U shaped structure to inevitably crumble as well. The deterioration just seems to get worse by the day. Sigh. All the more depressing when you learn of the incredible history that is crumbling away with it. Some good tidbits HERE.

One more positive aspect of the Navy Yards history is the incredible Commandant's Mansion located in Vinegar Hill, however. Jed has driven me by there numerous times to gawk and it never ceases to shock me that a site like this could still exist in Brooklyn! A fantastic article from the New York Times on the house HERE.

Illest of Ill

Just got my copy of Illest of Ill, a book put out by the incredible illustration students at the Ringling School. Gorgeous book! Beautifully designed, beautiful artwork, what more can I possibly say. I'm so pleased to have been able to contribute. Heck, the subject matter was to riff on either the Arrow Shirt Man or the Gibson Girl. How could I say No??!

It's certainly worth picking up a copy as the proceeds go towards funding their senior show (at this point, that might be towards REIMBURSING them for the show....). The book features many wonderful artists including Sam Weber, Sterling Hundley, Nathan Fox and that's only the tip of the iceberg.

Much thanks go out to the talented Francis Vallejo for extending the invite to participate in this fantastic project!

Pick up a copy at the official Illest of Ill site HERE.

The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze!

Omigod, Omigod. More than 4,000 lit jack-o-lanterns. All at once. Going again next weekend. Go!


Also went to the International Pickle Fest this weekend and brought back so much delicious bountiful pickled booty.

My New Awesome Necklace

How awesome is this necklace Em made for me! I can't wait to get dressed up and run around town in it.


Aren't all the old layers of paint on this door pretty amazing? I'd be pretty disappointed if they somehow got it into their heads to 'clean it up.'

Sewing Frenzy

Yes, I've been drooling over this Wiksten dress since it was first introduced to the blogosphere. For one thing, the way her dresses get snapped up, I'd never be quick enough on the draw to nab one. B, even should I find myself lucky enough to have the opportunity, I'd never be able to afford it. Sigh. So I did the next best thing. I copied it (sorta). Wish I coulda gotten the neckline lower and rounder like the original but I'm still pleased with my version regardless. Success!


My first go round with Liberty of London Fabric! It was GLORIOUS. So soft, so light and that PRINT. Too bad I could only afford one yard....I used pattern D from the Stylish Dress Book 2. I got rid of the flare in the sleeves and made it a shirt as opposed to a dress as it is in the pattern. Can't decide if I want to shorten the sleeves....


My dress from the 19th C. Pub Crawl. Hard to tell in this pic but the fabric is a beautiful brown with pink & hot pink plaid.





**

Next up, a shirt for Jed!

The New York Nineteenth Century Society

Did I mention that the 19th C. Pub Crawl was in fact the official kick-off for The New York Nineteenth Century Society?

"The New York Nineteenth Century Society brings together historians, reenactors, and interested parties for 19th-century themed happenings, uniquely educational events, and an ongoing conversation about our collective past.

Founded in 2009, NYNCS is dedicated to studying and reenacting all aspects of 19th-century life. Live events take place throughout the New York Metropolitan Area; anyone is welcome to join and contribute to the online community."

Can't wait to bring about some more fun & games courtesy of the NYNCS! You'll certainly hear about it here so keep checking in!

****

More on the subject of the wildly sucessful 19th C. Pub Crawl, Sarah has posted a great wrap up on her blog Four Pounds Flour.

You can also view all the pics we collected over the course of the crawl on our group flickr pool page.

Success!

Notice the dress (me, top left), my latest project. Um, not exactly a 19th C. pattern but good enough. Modification of a pattern from a japanese pattern book actually (The Stylish Dress Book)...I wanted something that would actually become part of my wardrobe and not a costume piece. I was feeling kinda 19th C. street urchin/Laura Ingalls Wilder in that get-up....

The little 'petticoat' you see poking out is actually made from some antique petticoat trim I found in Portsmouth. All hand stitched!

Eva looks pretty amazing, huh (accompanied by her swarthy ladies servant)?!!


So the 19th C. Pub Crawl went down Saturday and was ultimately a resounding SUCCESS! It was a blast. We actually had quite a few people show up in full 19th C. regalia which was pretty amazing - even a couple of ladies who came straight from work in Old Beth Page Village, 'work clothes' and all.

You can check out the rest of my pics HERE.

The 19th C. Pub Crawl

Also next Saturday......The 19th Century Pub Crawl! Sarah, Eva & I are pretty psyched about this. We've been planning this for awhile now. It's gonna be a blast and we hope you'll join us.

Details as follows:

The 19th-Century Pub Crawl

Date: Saturday, September 19

Time: 5 p.m. to whenever

Location: Meet outside the Merchant’s House Museum

29 East Fourth Street, NYC (between Lafayette & Bowery)

Details: Join us for a night of nineteenth-century debauchery at several of New York City's oldest bars and most notorious dens of vice. We’ll cover the East Village, from 4th to 18th Streets. Visit www.19thcpubcrawl.com for a full itinerary and map of our route. 19th-century inspired dress is encouraged, but not required. (As an inducement, our first stop, Swift, is offering $1 off all draught beers for anyone in 19th-c. costume.)

On the Web: http://www.19thcpubcrawl.com/

Dream A Little Dream

I'm gonna have a couple of pieces in an upcoming show at the Lana Santorelli Gallery in Manhattan, opening this following Saturday.


Here's the press release from the gallery:

DAYDREAM

Artwork for the Children and the Young at Heart.

The tattered softness of your favorite stuffed animal. Stretching your feet out to touch the clouds as your swing climbs higher and higher. A boundless expanse of time sprawling before you, imagination running wild with possibility. As we grow older, we yearn for and try to reclaim the simplistic beauty of childhood. We strive for this most priceless and difficult to attain element of youth: a free and open state of mind.

Exhibiting Artists: Walter Garcia, Kimberly Gaul, Stephanie Graegin, Angela Cazel Jahn, Ilana Kohn, Angie Lee, Basha Maryanska, Jessica Roller, Lana Santorelli, Mark G. Taber, Rin TERADA, Edina Tokodi/ Mosstika Group, and Lubomir Tomaszewski

Lana Santorelli Gallery will host an opening reception for Daydream on Saturday, September 19th, 2009 from 6 to 9pm at 110 West 26th Street in New York. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday 11 am to 7 pm. Daydream runs through October 17th, 2009.

We hope to see you at the gallery!

Lana Santorelli Gallery
110 West 26th Street, Ground Floor
New York, NY 10001
ph: 212.229.2111
fx: 212-229-2262
www.lanasantorelligallery.com

Three New Dresses

Yeah, yeah. I keep telling myself I'm gonna get around to shooting all my stuff nicely but it's never gonna happen. I'm too lazy. I couldn't even get around to shooting these while there was natural light out. Hence that lovely glare...I still have a few more recent pieces hanging out in my closet, hopefully I'll have some nice shots of those to share soon.

In the meantime, I've about had my fill of plain button downs. I love them, but really, enough! I just got a new pattern book I'm dying to try out. Can't wait to tackle some of the patterns despite the fact that they're all in japanese...

Busy Busy

From the past couple of weeks - they've been a busy couple!

Jed thought he'd help out:

Jess Has a Blog!

More historic architecture and jewelry goodness. Check it out!

http://jeskaz.blogspot.com/

Fabric Hunting

Emily & I went fabric/jewelry supply hunting today. I've already got so much fabric accumlated, if I was going to get something, it really had to be something. After scouring the cotton section at Mood for easily a couple of hours we each settled on what we felt to be some pretty spectacular (critically made) choices. Em picked out a gorgeous peach, blue & black floral very a la Liberty of London though a heck of a lot cheaper. Somehow as I poked around the store I kept finding myself coming back to this busy paisley over and over. A little Laura Ashley it may be but I love it. I got a bunch of wooden buttons as well. I've had a hankering for them for awhile.


Next stop was Metaliferous, what Jess described as 'basically one-stop shopping for beads & chains.' Unfortunately closed Saturday & Sunday. Nuts. Just as well, we really did enough damage in Mood. It wasn't all for naught though, we got to admire this little vignette on the side of the building.

Bits of the Weekend

Went on a bit of an old house binge this weekend. Since Jess is starting school (for Historic Preservation nontheless!) we decided this would be a nice final hurrah for summer. We jumped in the car and headed up state - first stop was Philipsburg Manor in Tarrytown.

We rated it a 'meh.' Very family and children oriented which means everything was essentially too dumbed down and polished. We still enjoyed the sheep and goats though.


Next stop was the Poe Cottage. Last home of none other than Edgar Allan Poe. At the beginning of the trip we'd been lamenting the lack of more work-a-day places to visit. We LOVE the mansions, but still, old tenements and cottages are every bit as fascinating. The Poe Cottage was great! One of the last working class structures from the 19th c. left in the Bronx. Check out the house's juxtoposition between all the tall apartment buildings and bodegas. Wow.


No pic, but the last stop was the Valentine-Varian House in the Bronx - really close to the Poe Cottage. The Valentine-Varian House is now the Museum of Bronx History but still very cool!

Maybe we'll find time for one last-last final summer hurrah before summer's REALLY gone......


Lastly, a little dress I whipped up the occasion. Eh, not my favorite but fun for one time out. Heck, the fabric was only $2.99 a yard so whatever! I think my next project will involve more closely following a real pattern. I'm getting tired of this hit or miss winging it business....

Ready For Fall

Even though I'll be truly disappointed to see this summer come to a close, with September right around the corner, I'm really beginning to psyche myself up for crisper weather, fall foliage, pumpkin patches, apple picking, soup - kale soup, lentil soup, turkey chili...

I'm already finding myself losing that summer clothes mojo and feeling compelled to sew things with long sleeves and slightly heavier fabrics. So much real work to get done today but all I really want to do is cut into some beautiful navy cotton with little white dots and clovers right now. Or finish up this dress above, all I need to do is add the button holes and sew on the buttons. Maybe add a chest pocket? And then wait for the weather to drop below 80 degrees....



This is not to say I'm completely over summer though, far far from it. I'm still swooning over our trip to Portsmouth earlier in the summer where I picked up the above goodies. Funny how during our antiquing expedition, I found myself hoarding nothing but sewing materials - antique albeit. Above are some gorgeous victorian petticoat trim, a couple of antique crocheted chemise tops and some great old bone buttons. Can't wait to work these into a design.

Also found some really neat japanese cotton twine in Portsmouth. Not sure what quite what use I'll put then to yet but I know I'll find a handy use for them soon enough.

New Illo

A new illustration I just completed for Custom Home. I really went to town with all the splattered paint - I love how I really got away with a great deal of abstraction on this one, certainly a natural tendency. Had a BLAST (literally I'd say!).

**The story was about how contractors need to take care of issues big & small before clients become litigious.

Beadazzled

I LOVE this necklace Em just made! I used to go bananas for this store Beadazzle when I was a kid - I hoarded beads. Oooh, wish I still had them......

*****

Emily based her design on THIS one.

Save the Date!

Mark you calendar's for the official 19th C. Pub Crawl on September 19th. We'll be hitting up all the oldest bars throughout the city for a night of debauchery 19th C. style.

I should have more details to come soon - drink specials and the like!

(flier designed by myself)

dresses in action!

Lots to share!! First off, wish I'd gotten some better action shots of the dress I posted about previously but here it is in the most passably acceptable image I managed to get that day - I'm listening intently to the tour guide tell us all about Locust Grove (awesome!) and soaking up the bee-YEW-tiful scenery.


Some pics I finally got of a dress I made earlier this summer - probably my favorite so far! I LOVE the fabric and that it buttons up the back. Yes! I made a placket!! I think I need to change the buttons though - something darker might be more in order, after all the work that placket was - I want it noticed!


Close up of the back:


And hey, ta-da! A NEW dress! Made with some of the fabric I picked up in Portsmouth. I love it even more since I got it in Portsmouth...Surprisingly, they had one of the best (most dangerous) selections of fabric I've yet some across.

I realize I'm on a bit of a kick with super simple shifts, but what can I say, I really like 'em. I used to scour stores the world over looking for something perfectly pared down with rare success. Now I can and AM indulging to my heart's delight.


Lastly - Jess made some new jewelry! Earlier she created another necklace based on a Duncan Phyfe chair at the Merchant's House Museum. This design (necklace & earrings) is based off of a detail from the main staircase at the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park. Pretty soon you'll be able to pick up a set of your own at their gift shop which is pretty darn awesome I say. You can already pick up a Duncan Phyfe Chair necklace in the Merchant's House gift shop - limited run so hurry up - an pay a visit to the Merchant's House Museum while you're at it.

New Dress

Jed & I decided to take a little day trip upstate yesterday to visit Locust Grove, a place I've been dying to visit for years now but has always been closed whenever I find myself in the area. So worth the wait!

I felt I needed a new dress for the outing so I stayed up till 3:30 am whipping this little something something up (I started late...). I just LOVE this fabric. The cotton is SOOOO soft (and becomes more so after every wash!) and the colors are just perfectly muted. This will be fantastic for layering come fall (though I'm having a hard time thinking about fall right now...) I'll be sure to post some more pics of the dress in action later!

Portsmouth

Portsmouth, NH! Just got back from the most incredible few days there. Amazing food, old houses, great fabric shopping, beautiful beaches. I could die a happy woman now.

Megan's New Shirt

I made this shirt for my dear dear Megan visiting all the way from Tel Aviv where she's been living for the past several years. I saw this fabric and never had anything felt more perfect for a particular person! I had to buy this fabric and make her something totally awesome. After I was done with the shirt which actually took quite awhile since It was my first placket attempt....ummmm....there were definitely a few days of 'do I really want to give this away??....She'll never know!....'


Of course being that I so very specifically picked out this fabric for HER and knew how much she's dig it, I HAD to give it to her. I decided that the pleasure of giving it away would certainly be more than just wearing it a few times myself and then simply relegating it to the pile with everything else I've been cranking out...And I'm so glad Megan has it now cause it looks so DARN good on her (I'm so glad it fits!)! And most importantly Shechi likes it too!


**Pics courtesy of Yakir!

A 19th century watch fob I got on ebay awhile back (HAD TO HAVE IT). I really need to find a decent chain for it as it's a dang shame for it to be sitting idle in my drawer....

A Little Preview

Finally an actual sewing related post! Still need to get some decent shots but here's a little preview in the meantime.

My Internship at PRESERV

I know, I know, this was intended to be my 'sewing blog'. Jess & I were planning to shoot my work this past thursday but rain intervened. We got comfortable at our favorite little cafe and decided not to budge. So in the meantime, bear with me. Humor me while I ramble on about old buildings and all things history for a bit. Till I get some decent sewing pics to add to the mix.


Since February I've been lucky enough to have a fantastic internship at PRESERV in Gowanus. Once I made the decision that I was without a doubt going to return to school for Historic Preservation I decided that the next step was to wrangle myself an internship to get some experience. The folks at PRESERV were kind enough to take me on inexperienced as I am which landed me smack in the middle of a pretty amazing project - the restoration of the Church of the Ascension, an 1827 church located in Greenwich Village. Wowza. The best part is certainly the wide access to all the fascinating nooks & crannies of this almost 200 year old structure. It being a church, 'renovations' are few and far between which means a lot of original details fully intact and virtually untouched. Just how I like it! Wish I had some interior pics to share but in the meantime, these shots of the old brownstone facade and bell tower interior (!!) are pretty darn awesome.

Feather Balls

This is a little belated but I thought this was something certainly worth sharing, even a couple of months after the fact.

Featherballs! I found this 1930 Manishewitz cookbook at my Bubbe's over Passover and found the old graphics and printing completely irresistible so I brought it home.

And then I met Sarah Lohman, Culinary Historian extraordinaire. She proposed we actually tackle some of these recipes to see what might come out. So we met up, poured over my well loved cookbook and picked out a few recipes that we thought best reflected the funny Americana/Old World hybrid spirit of the book.

First go round, Sarah tackled some oatmeal cookies....Made with shmaltz. Oh yes. Did I mention, at least two-thirds of the recipes in this book call for shmaltz? Oatmeal cookies with shmaltz. Sarah went ahead and made the cookies which apparently weren't bad at all! The chicken smell seemingly cooks off in the oven, becoming completely undetectable. She even tricked her unsuspecting roommate into happily munching a few. Unfortunately, the chicken taste seems to come back the next day somehow so I suppose these cookies are best eaten right out of the oven...


But yes! The featherballs! Attempt number two. Sarah came over to our place, where she, Jed & I attempted to recreate this bizarre twist on the classic matzoh ball - the main differences being the shmaltz and some nutmeg or ginger. Sarah arrived with a tub of shmaltz and we got to work. I have to say, balling up these featherballs was one of the grossest things ever. Our hands were literally coated with chicken fat. But once the balls were ready and in our bowls.....AMAZING! Jed & I rated these featherballs a full blown ten on the matzoh ball scale. Like every other jewish kid, we grew up with matzoh balls. We KNOW matzoh balls. And these were undoubtedly tens. The shmaltz was delicous but I really think it was the nutmeg that made the matzoh balls something really different and unexpected. Next time I make matzoh balls, I'll probably forgo the shmaltz but I'll be curious to see how the nutmeg works out.

You can read Sarah's whole account of the featherball experience HERE.

My New Blog!

As surprising as it may be (or not?) to anyone who knows me, sewing has become something of an OBSESSION this summer. I can't be pried away from it (though unfortunately my machine is already on the fritz and needs a trip to the repair shop. Ha! Hence the reason for me finally pulling this fine blog together I suppose...). This will now be the place for all my sewing projects, history musings and anything else that might tickle my fancy.

Good news, later this week I will be meeting up with my buddy Jess to get some decent pictures of all the pieces I've cranked out this summer. I can't wait! Hopefully that will also lead to the etsy shop I've been planning all summer long. Yes, I will be creating copies of many of the pieces and selling them to order....Hey, anyone fancy a new dress or shirt??


In the meantime, here's a picture of a house in my neighborhood I have been obsessing over as long as I've lived here in Fort Greene - corner of Vanderbilt & Lafayette Ave. I recently learned that the house was built in 1826, back when the entire neighborhood was still nothing but bucolic farmland. First house in the neighborhood! I always suspected it seemed a little out of place and seemed to predate the rest of the neighborhood's architecture (might the summer kitchen to the left be a dead give away?). The first house! Fancy that.

And on a completely seperate note, I had an amazing glass of THIS yesterday. WOW OH WOW! I'm really gonna have to stock up on a few bottles soon as finances permit....

Cheers!