Video interview with Valerie Steele, the director and curator of the Museum at FIT: Italian Vogue
Taking this advice to heart, especially when using a rotary cutter: Radiolab
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water, in Legos: Apartment Therapy
Keds, with unicorns: Heather Ross
Another in our occasional series of links to brilliant music videos describing the roots of the financial crisis (remember this gem?). The complicated Magnetar trade explained in 90 seconds of song: This American Life (Vimeo)
Take out lids: SwissMiss
How thread is made: AllPeopleQuilt.com
The most haunting, tear-jerking story you may ever read is this year’s Pulitzer Prize winner for feature writing. Gene Weingarten on parents who accidentally left their children in the car: The Washington Post (Update: this is a very important, but troubling and difficult, article to read that you may not be able to stop thinking about once you’ve completed it: hence the word “haunting” in the description. If you’re a very sensitive person you might want to read the comments on this post before following the link.)
That story is about the saddest thing I’ve ever read – what anguish! What a gifted writer, too; I felt like I was watching the scenes vividly unfold in my mind.
That article was one of the most disturbing things I have ever read. Well written and Pulitzer-worthy, but traumatizing. I had horrific nightmares all night after reading it. You might consider a disclaimer…
After reading Traceys comment I am glad I didnt read it
I read the article when it was first published, and it is truly wrenching. The most important take-away, if you have (or will have) a baby and are not planning to read it, is to ALWAYS, every single time you get in a car, put something that you will need — a purse, briefcase, lunch, whatever — in the back seat so you’ll have to open that door and look in before going in to work, the store, wherever. Because — the point he makes so well that he won a Pulitzer –it really can happen to ANYONE.
Heather, thanks for that comment and, especially, for the pointer to always put something in the back seat. I don’t remember seeing that idea in the article (and I’m not about to read it again–once was almost more than I could stand), and I think it’s a great way to make sure that this tragedy doesn’t happen to you.
You make a great point, Heather. As disturbing as the article was for me, I would hate for someone to miss out on the message that it really can happen to ANYONE. Anything that helps to eliminate these tragedies is a good thing, for sure.
I think Heather’s suggestion is a great one – but I think the transition from unicorns to quilting thread to…dead kids in cars was a bit jarring and unnecessary. I would have posted this on a private blog – it seems odd to post it on a commercial sewing pattern blog. (I understand that we might be the target audience, but it doesn’t make me want to sew!) I come here for inspiration and sweet, lovely memory making posts – I go elsewhere for gutwrenching, and I mentally prepare myself for that. Whatever…horses for courses!
I am glad the link to the Post story was posted, as I hadn’t heard of it anywhere else. It was hard to read, but worth seeing and sharing (although i want to share it with moms i know, i haven’t actually done it yet).
Emily, the “notches” posts are where the author puts interesting internet tidbits that are not always sewing-related. It’s my guess that, as a mother, this article hit home especially hard for her (I’m not a mother, and I was in tears by the end of it). The topic and nature of the article were evident from the first paragraph, so it shouldn’t have been a big surprise.
This was really a great piece of journalism, totally deserving of the Pulitzer. It seems that this problem is like the postpartum depression of a couple decades ago; no one wants to talk about it, even though open discussion could make a big difference in raising awareness and protecting children and parents alike. Really interesting stuff. Thank you for posting it!