A hand sewn surprise...

Alabama Chanin 

patterns and fabric

corset top::wrap skirt

Hi there.  I am so excited to share the secret hand sewing project that took up many mornings in December.  I let my oldest (who is home from college) sleep in each morning while I quietly stitched this special surprise.  The skirt is made from two layers of mid weight organic fabric in plum and is soft and warm and super comfortable.  The shirt is made from two layers as well.  The bottom layer is mid-weight organic black knit and the top layer of fabric was a much loved but totally falling apart concert t-shirt from Lollapalooza 2007.  It was tucked away as a keepsake but stopped being wearable 2 or 3 years ago.  I snuck it out of her closet, mustered my courage, and cut it up hoping the project would turn out the way I planned.   It came out better than expected, fits her perfectly, and she absolutely adores it.  I love the process of sewing by hand and I really love the visible stitch work.  I have also made myself a long black skirt and was given a kit for the polka dot factory dress which I will start in a week or two.  I feel as though I've been on a creative walkabout with hand sewing.  I dove into these 1st projects with intention and a deadline, but now, with a few pieces under my belt, I'm ready to slow down a bit and integrate sewing into my creative process.  I'm looking forward to getting back to painting, finishing up some knitting and starting a new hand sewn project in the new year.  But, for the next few days, I am just hanging out and enjoying the company of my oldest before taking her back to school next weekend.  Wishing you all a peaceful end to the year full of beauty in all its forms.

xx-

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...

{holiday prep}

The weather outside is frightfully warm is more like it.  It's 60 degrees right now and severe thunderstorms are expected in the area tonight.  It feels like a California Christmas, which isn't a bad thing, just a bit disconcerting.  People in Michigan don't usually do last minute holiday shopping in Birkenstocks but I actually had mine on today.  It's been a busy couple of weeks with lots of secret sewing (which i will share after x-mss...shhh!), a last minute visit with two special friends, choir concerts, baking, cooking and wrapping.  I'm closing the Etsy shop until the new year and sending you warm wishes for a quiet end to 2015 filled with love and good will.

xx-

b

Hello, it's me...

MMuseumm (unexpectedly crowded)

looking up in Cortland Alley (gorgeous in the rain)

 Sara Berman's Closet (with random garbage)

Get it?  Honestly, I had not that heard that Adele song before Thanksgiving but then it kind of took over our road trip (in a good-laugh-out-loud-bonding-moment-kind-of-way).  We hosted a cast party for 60 Teenagers the night before we headed to Maryland to celebrate the holiday with C's parents. The days leading up to the trip and the days after we returned were crazy busy which is why I haven't been in this space much recently.  But, there is some good stuff going on here so I wanted to pop in to share a few things.  First, my oldest completed her 1st trimester of college and is home thru the new year....so good to have her home for a bit.  Second I am taking on the challenge of making slow fashion even slower and hand stitching some clothing with two friends (more on that later.)  The third thing involves going to see Maira Kalman speak the week before Thanksgiving at the Michigan Theater.  She was authentic, witty and insightful and when she mentioned this installation she created in a NY alley, I felt compelled to see it in person, in the alley.  So....I mentioned my crazy idea to C, took swift action and altered our travel plans slightly. We headed up to NY from MD and saw Sara Berman's closet, Mmuseumm, stopped in to Purl Soho, ate at The Meatball Shop, visited The Drama Book Shop and (right across the street) Muji, saw Something Rotten the 1st night and then wandered around Bleeker St the next morning, stopping in at Bantam Bagels(for my Mom), Murray's Cheese Shop(for me) and an amazing Patisserie(for everyone) before heading to Pittsburg for a night and then heading home the next day.  It's amazing how much goodness you can squeeze into just under 24 hrs in New York.  The traffic was terrible on that Sunday and I don't think we will ever drive in holiday traffic again but I'm glad we did it this time.  Totally worth it.  So grateful for my husband's lovely family, my open to anything husband, my funny and fun road trip companions and to the amazing city of New York which lives up to the hype every time I visit.  So much to be thankful for and am trying to keep it all in my mind and heart.  We all need to find a light in the dark these days and spending time with loved ones and working with my hands is where I'm finding comfort.  Where is your light coming from this season?