weekend links

Hello friends!

I’m half-way through an intensive one-month Spanish course, and it’s keeping me busy! Every morning I attend class for two hours, then spend the afternoon working. The class has been a great experience so far. I’ve made new friends from all over the world, and I really enjoy traveling across town to a different neighborhood because I get to explore the streets on my way to and from the metro. At present it feels like I’m working two jobs, and I’m sure those of you who have gone back to school while working know what I mean. All the same, I enjoy doing my homework since it means S and I sit next to each other at the dining room table every night. She loves it, too, particularly since her schoolwork is considerably more challenging than mine, so she gets a little confidence boost. Half her classes this year are in Spanish and the other half are in French (which she’s learning in Spanish), so when I feel frustrated or overwhelmed I get a little taste of what she experiences on a daily basis. Learning a new language is really difficult, and learning two simultaneously sounds almost impossible to me! Kids just seem to take growth and change more in stride than adults, so I’m learning from S and her calm outlook, too.

Thanks for your fantastic response to our Advisors Circle idea! I’m glad so many of you are interested in this opportunity. It’s going to be difficult to pick just six to eight people, but keep please the applications coming. To be honest, I’m not exactly sure what I’m looking for yet, but I can tell you this: writing skills and good photos are important, as are enthusiasm and a desire to challenge yourself. This is going to be a lot of fun for everyone because I think together we’re have lots of ideas and inspiration to share with this community.

Pinterest Picks

I don’t know about you, but this time of year I just get tired of feeling cold all the time. Shall we take a moment to appreciate how bundled up these women are? I feel a little warmer just looking at them.

Building Block Dress ideas, in case you needed more inspiration. By the way, I loved seeing the holiday dresses many of you sewed using the book! The Oliver + S Friends Facebook group was filled with adorable sewing from all of you in December especially. So many amazing projects!

Do you ever sketch your sewing projects while planning them? I think it can be really useful to help you think about the proportions and details before you get started. It’s nice to have a croquis on hand to make the process easier, too. Just slip it under your paper and use it as a drawing template so you don’t need to stress about it all. Here are two croquis you could use, and the Pret-a-Template app looks quite intriguing! (If you go to the website there are more printables, too.) I’ll look at this a little more closely when I have time.

So often the most frustrating part of sewing is not being able to find just the right fabric for your project. These two fabric ideas are really beautiful and inspiring. I’m still hunting for something fun for my Lisette for Butterick B6526 trousers. I’ve scoured the local fabric shops to no avail, but I’m hoping the spring fabric deliveries will include something I love.

Weekend Reading

• S and I thought this little advertising series for Prada felt very Wes Anderson-y.
• My own personal style has always tended toward tailored pieces, so I was immediately drawn to this French shop owner’s personal style.
• Using discarded silkworm cocoons to produce silk that can replace plastic? This innovation just can’t come soon enough for me. You too?
• We’re long-term fans and subscribers of The New Yorker, and I can only wish there really was a real Parisianer to read as well. These covers are lovely!
• We’ve been giggling over this bot-written imaginary Harry Potter chapter. “Ron’s Ron shirt was just as bad as Ron himself.”
• Who else is excited to see Phantom Thread? It hasn’t opened in Madrid yet, but I’ve put it on my calendar. Daniel Day Lewis learned how to sew–at the New York City Ballet, no less!–for this part!
• It so very true that there are social codes in our dress. It’s been on my mind a lot since reading it. Your thoughts?

We’ll be back next week with all sorts of things: beautiful and inspiring new fabric, a fabric-shopping trip to Singapore, and Todd has some helpful tips for printing PDF patterns. In the meantime, have a wonderful, warm weekend! I hope you have a cozy sewing project planned. (And if not, come over and help me–I’m up to my elbows in spring pattern samples I need to finish!)