Hello friends!
Now that it’s officially summer, what are your plans? Travel for most of us will be restricted to some degree, whether directed by mandatory quarantines or simply by our own caution. Our borders are about to open, and we’ve just booked tickets for S to visit a friend in Belgium next Friday. But we won’t be returning to the States this year the way we usually do. Instead we’re thinking about trips closer to home, maybe to the north of Spain or to France or Italy. Our own neighborhood here in the center of Madrid is still surprisingly quiet and devoid of tourists. In fact, we went to a restaurant for the first time in four months the other day and we were the only people there!
S has been taking terrific photos of Madrid recently, so here are two recent shots to feed your wanderlust.
I’ve let her colors inspire this week’s Pinterest Picks, too!
Pinterest Picks
Is a cinnabar-colored Camp Shirt destined for your closet this summer? It’s pretty color, very flattering to most skin tones and goes well with white or khaki.
S requested an ice cream maker for her birthday this year, and now I’m dreaming of all the exotic flavors we can make. Cardamom or roasted fig, anyone?
Speaking of cinnabar, it would be a good color for our Montauk Trousers, too! I’m still partial to my unbleached linen, personally.
Two really cute summer clothing ideas for the kids. I love the buttoned pockets on the front of the linen shirt, which you could sew using our Nature Walk Pullover pattern.
Weekend Reading
- Are you attached to your craft projects, no matter how successful? This might be why.
- I’ve always wondered why line-dried laundry smells so good. Apparently so did some scientists.
- I thought this interview and book about why breathing through your nose is important for your health was so fascinating that I’ve been telling everyone about it. Must read the book next!
- How about making some fashion paper dolls this weekend?
- “Sarah Boone was one of the first black women in the country to get a patent, and certainly one of the few women [in 1892] in the country to do so.” A dressmaker with a very practical invention, and at the age of 60, no less!
- What a time to be a fashion historian, and a wonderful example of how we express ourselves with our clothing. (On a side note, I’ve always been relieved that the sans culottes didn’t literally mean they didn’t wear any pants….)
- What an absolutely joyful and creative way to get married during a pandemic! (I shed a tear or two while reading this one. Community, y’all.)
- Just this morning I finished reading the book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, and this article is closely related to the same concept. So the next time a loved one asks you why you dabble in so many different crafts, just tell them you’re working on your next genius idea! (That’s my rationale for all those open tabs in my browser window, too….)
OK, have a wonderful weekend! I’m hoping to finish a Classic Shirt I’ve been making slow progress on. What about you?
I think the Pinterest link for that shirt is wonky—I can’t post a link but it’s the Innes from Bridge and Burn! (I’ve been eyeing it and your good opinion of it makes me want it even more, haha. Such a great color and shape!)
Great links as usual, thank you. I particularly enjoyed the one on breathing. But Liesl, perhaps hold back on the travel for now? There’s a reason Madrid is still empty….
Liesl, do you think you might offer a paper pattern for the Montauk pants? I would love that, a bit afraid to try a digital p
pattern. Thank you!
If S receives her ice cream maker, I highly recommend the Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams cookbook as a companion https://www.amazon.com/Jenis-Splendid-Ice-Creams-Home/dp/1579654363. The base recipe uses cream cheese instead of eggs and I think the texture comes out better than that of an egg custard when using a home ice cream maker.
Line drying is the norm in Australia, dryers only used when hanging washing outside is impossible. My mother and grandmother always said they didn’t like how dryers made the clothes smell.
My hold on Range just showed up at our library! I’m excited to read it.