Hello friends!
Wow, such an amazing response you had to our Advisors Circle idea! We had so many submissions it’s taken me several days to read them all, and in the process I feel like I’ve learned so much about you. What a wonderful and diverse group you are! You live all over the world, work in a wide variety of professions, and have many interests and hobbies. You also have many aspirations and ideas so I’m really inspired by your answers to the questions, and now I feel like I know you each personally and want to be friends with you all. Thanks again for your enthusiasm, and I promise to announce our panel very shortly, once I’ve made final selections and been in touch with everyone.
Last weekend some friends invited us on a skiing trip to Megeve, France, and we had such a good time with them. For me the the highlight was either skiing above the fog one day or it was the night we rode a snowcat to the top of the mountain, ate fondue, and tobogganed down the mountain–in the dark–after dinner. It was really crazy, but the entire weekend was loads of fun and a welcome break in the middle of a hectic winter.
In the meantime, spring photo shoot this weekend! I’ve sewn a lot of dresses this week, and I’m busy sewing for next week’s photo shoot as well. Next week I’ll also be finishing up my Spanish class and taking an exam, so keep your fingers crossed that I can keep my indirect and direct objects straight and remember my imperative tus and ustedes. We covered a lot of ground in this class–eight weeks of material in five weeks–so I’ll be studying this weekend, in between sewing buttons.
Pinterest Picks
Fun weekend projects with the kids. I think that envelope might be enough incentive to write a letter or two.
Both of these images could inspire beautiful quilts. The one on the left reminds me of Denyse Schmidt’s Hills and Hollers Quilt pattern, and I love the idea of adding contrast sashiko stitching to a quilt to get an effect like the dotted lines on the image at right, below.
I’m so tired of bundling up in sweaters and scarfs, all I want to wear is a crisp Classic Shirt!
And even better: summer wardrobe planning! Who else is thinking Cinema Dresses? The mother of a dear friend just gave me several yards of beautiful lace she made, so I’m definitely scheming.
Anyone else on a Playtime Dress kick these days? I love how versatile that pattern is.
Weekend Links
- This might just be the most beautiful version of the Lisette for Butterick B6244 coat I’ve seen so far. That fabric!
- Would you sew your own Oscars dress? (Me? Totally.)
- This is definitely something I’ve been thinking about as we rush head-long into the teens at our house. What is self care, really?
- It’s long been predicted by trend forecasters that the customization era is coming. And now I sort of want a Shima Seiki 3D-knitting machine.
- Which films have inspired your sewing and/or fashion? For me, too many to list! (But maybe I’ll give it a try, one of these days.) P.S. Phantom Thread is finally opening in Madrid today, and I’m definitely going to go see it soon.
- After I read this I started eating more yogurt again. I already eat a ridiculous amount of fruit and vegetables, but it’s fascinating to learn why any of this matters!
- One of you mentioned this post after I wrote about sewing responsibly in the new year, and I think it’s worth linking to again for all the excellent points it makes.
- I’d like to know how to make this happen. I’d even be happy if it was a voluntary thing–allow us to choose how much extra we want to contribute to ensure makers are paid a living wage. (I’d be happy to pay far more than $0.15, that’s for sure. You too?)
- Have any of you tried a Sawyer Brook fabric subscription? I’m intrigued.
So, what’s on the docket for next week? I’m glad you asked! I’ll be back to talk about the color of the year and whether it really matters, and I believe we have a special guest post or two as well. In the meantime, have a great weekend! I hope you’ve got good sewing plans.
Wow, love the white long tasseled cinema dress inspiration above. Anyone do a longer version of the cinema dress?
Absolutely! All mine are on the longer side: https://www.instagram.com/p/BT1eeR4gkW_/?taken-by=lieslgibson and https://www.instagram.com/p/BKlV3INhOi1/?taken-by=lieslgibson
Thank you so much for the mention! I do love my Lisette coat. Great pattern!
I am making it in the same fabric. Yours is gorgeous!
This week’s links are particularly good Liesl. Thank you. I am especially excited to discover the remnants at the Sawyer Brook warehouse which is about an hour’s drive from me. They look like they have some wonderful fabrics.
I am also loving this weekend’s links. The amount of pay that workers earn in India and other countries is atrocious. that is why I am still trying to start a small business here in St Louis for refugee women to learn to make children dresses. And I finally have a space for 4 months, thanks in part to Washington University in St Louis, Missouri which is my next door neighbor. I am hoping that some of the Syrian refugee women will be able to either have some sewing skills already or that they will be fast learners. they are exceptional cooks.
That is why I did not enter the Adviser’s Circle competition. It was so compelling. We also have a very big Sex-trafficking problem here. Refugee women are a vulnerable target population. no income. poor language skills. often working in hotels. If they can sew and make money it might help. and create.
thank you for the links. I hope to go to see Phantom Threads tomorrow.
susan
I’ve had Sawyer Brook fabric subscriptions on and off for years. I loved them. The swatches are great, but so are the descriptions. And the staff is super helpful. Right now I’m loaded down with way too much fabric. But once I wade through some of this, I’ll probably sign up again.
Joanne Woodward’s $100 dollars in 1957 would be about $895 today. Not sure I’d want to tackle $900 worth of silk, etc.
Thanks Liesl love the blue and white one. I’m going to try in something similar to the white chiffon. That drapes nicely and a bit dressed up.
I forgot to mention that I was disappointed by Phantom Thread. It was more of a psychological drama than a creative one. The dress styles we’re not especially original or outstanding for the era.
It is not sewing related, but I wanted to recommend, in case you and your daughter are not already watching it, the Prix de Lausanne that happened this past week. It’s the premiere ballet competition in the world. It is fascinating to watch the portions they make available online. You can look up their website or you tube channel which includes selections from the whole week of classes, coaching, and also interviews. Then the last day is the full performance of the finalists and winners announcement. If you enjoy watching the pre-performance process, I think you will enjoy it.