Hello, friends! We just learned, last week, that I’ll be headed to Vicenza, Italy, to exhibit at the Abilmente Fair next weekend! I’m very excited, especially since I’ve never been to Italy and have heard that Vicenza is the most beautiful city there. (With apologies to all those other beautiful Italian cities–I mean, how does one choose?) In any case, I hope to have a little time to explore when I’m not at the show. Any suggestions for places I must go and restaurants that can’t be missed? I’d love your recommendations. It looks like Teatro Olimpico, below, needs to be on my short list.
At the show itself I’ll be sewing and chatting and generally hanging out, so if you go I really hope you’ll stop and introduce yourself. I’ll bring a small collection of patterns to sell and some other goodies to give away, and I’ll be sewing with my new Woodland Clearing fabrics so you can see them in person before they are available in stores.
What else? I’m going to try to finish my Gallery Dress in time to wear it to the show, but since we didn’t bring any samples along to Spain, I’m also trying to sew a few things to display. It’s going to be a few wild days of flying pins until I leave on Wednesday! Wish me luck. Sewing is slow going these days until the delivery of my tools arrives.
In the meantime, here are a few things I wanted to share with you.
Pinterest Links
While in Vicenza, I hope to find a fabric store or two, and I’ll be looking for fabric to make a skirt like this one. I’m dreaming of a wool or silk/wool blend, and I’ll use the Lisette B6182 A-line skirt pattern, maybe without the center pleat. The addition of a half-tie belt like this is a must and would be so easy to do. I love this length.
I’ll also be looking for fabric for my upcoming Lisette pajama pattern! It will be included in the next Butterick catalog (winter collection, due in a couple of weeks). Many of you have requested a pajama patterns over the years, and I’m very pleased with this one. I’ll give you a complete introduction soon, but in preparation I’m thinking about fabrics. I really like this trend of wearing the pajama top (in fancy fabrics, of course) as a shirt. Done well, it’s really cute and not too sloppy or lazy looking. Silk pajamas? With piping? Um, yes please!
This photo reminds me of the Playtime Dress, which would be so cute in plaid, and especially tartan, for fall. I think I included a Kaufman tartan in our equipment shipment (we had to ship my dress forms and sewing machines, a few books, and our big computer monitor for editing photos), which should be arriving any day now. Who’s with me on this sewing project?
Is this not the most adorable sewing box?
I forget where I found this photos, but it’s such a clever and unusual way of finishing edges and seam allowances: use a bias binding applied to the outside of the garment so the edges are emphasized and become an essential design element. I think it would be fun to sew the Carousel Dress this way.
Weekend Reading (and Watching)
- Video: If you see someone walking around with a bean sprout sticking out of their head, now you’ll know why.
- I really enjoyed this interview with Aaron Sorkin, but I especially liked this question and answer, which made me laugh out loud:
Q: You’ve said you would fit in well in the 1940s. Do you long for that era’s more firmly delineated cultural roles? Less moral ambiguity?
A: Honest to God, what I meant was that men wore hats. - Video: A real penguin with a penguin backpack? This totally made my day. Wouldn’t it be fun to send him one of the penguin backpacks from my book?
- I linked to this article on Tuesday, but it’s worth linking again. Why your next clothing purchase should be expensive, and how that purchase will cause you to buy less and to buy better.
Monday is a holiday in the U.S. and in Spain. What are your plans for the weekend? Whatever they are, I hope you have a wonderful time.
There are three blog posts that I look forward to each week and this is one of them. You pick beautiful images and interesting links. I love the Quartz article and have been trying to follow this philosophy with our (kids included, which is hard) clothing (and my fabric) purchases. In fact, I am taking this to heart for the Gucci Loafers I want. I would rather buy one pair of shoes to wear most days. (And cross my fingers the quality = the price.
Oh I am quite excited about the pajama pattern! I am just planning some Spring/Summer pajamas for myself at the moment so it will be nice to look forward to some Autumn/Winter ones too when the Southern Hemisphere winter rolls around again. I love the plaid dress. My favourite fabric store has a beautiful collection of shirting weight plaids that I’ve been eyeing up. A plaid sew along/challenge could be a fun follow up to the monochrome challenge?
Vicenza is a beautiful town. We have cousins who live there in a little town called Malo. There are many pretty towns around that region so get a car and drive. It is also famous for all the Palladio architecture… Again a driving adventure.
Enjoy !
Is the skirt pattern 6224 available yet?
Kathy, I’m not sure which item that is. Here are all the Lisette patterns that are available: http://oliverands.com/category/lisette-patterns.html
I read that article on expensive clothing and it does make so much sense. I rarely buy clothing for myself anymore – I tend to only purchase things that I REALLY like. The main exception being dressing this post-baby figure. I hope I am not at my final size so I have been hitting the thrift store for jeans to last “in the meantime.” I also thrift-shop for my kids – they grow so quickly, often they grow out of shoes a couple months after I buy them. It’s a pickle. I think my kids have too much clothes (the vast majority handed down from friends) but with four of them I can’t stand the thought of paying too much – honestly $20 an item makes me wince at this stage. Maybe that should be my spending floor!
Those hairpins are hilarious, we love the penguin, and I think I need a loopwheeled sweatshirt.
i am obsessed with that silk dress with the striped bias binding. so gorgeous!
Hi Todd,
The pattern stated is Lisette 6224 A-line skirt pattern, was wondering if it is an upcoming pattern?
Cheers
Kathy
Apologies, Kathy. I’ve fixed the pattern number and added a link–it’s B6182, which is available in our shop.
Thank you.
I spent an afternoon in Vicenza in July, we had a delicious pizza right next to the Palladio statue downtown. We stayed closer to Verona, a heavenly place called Villa D’Acquerone. Or you could see the castle in Soave, and enjoy the white wine….Have a wonderful time!
Do you have any more information on the sewing box that looks like a doll house? Would love to purchase one.