A few weeks back I took a look at the laundry pile and thought “I need to make another 1577.” So here it is:

Here’s a better look at the bodice, which is Liberty city poplin ordered in a weak moment from Shaukat:

And here are the pockets:

As usual this dress is super-comfortable, with huge pockets (I can fit a whole Moleskine notebook in one). This particular Liberty print, as well, is super-powered — I’m traveling in it today because it is SO BUSY that it’s nearly impossible to stain. Seriously, I bet I could take a full ketchup dousing and come off fine. It’s that good.

Speaking of Liberty, I just noticed that Shaukat has a new category — “Seymour Stretch Poplin“. Has anyone sewn with this yet? Supposedly it has 2% elastane, which is a good thing, but they also say it’s lightweight, like Tana lawn … it’s so pretty, though!

I like this pattern (McCalls 6402) because I think that views A/B are ripe for pocketization. C too, but that’s not so much of a challenge. (D/E: please to ignore.)

Doesn’t it seem as if you could hang a couple of pocket bags off that curvy main piece and boom, pockets? I still have to actually BUY the pattern and check it out, but it seems so plausible. (Of course, all my worst ideas seemed perfectly plausible at the outset …)

My other idea for skirt B here is bright pink satin with a yellow lace overlay on the main pieces. Not so plausible, but a hell of a lot of fun, right? Also, the lace overlay will hide the creases-from-when-you-sat-down marks on the satin! Not sure either 1) what I’d wear with it (black t-shirt and Jack Purcells?) or 2) where I’d wear it (Bollywood-themed party? Nightclub Easter-egg hunt? A locked ward?), but man oh man that hasn’t stopped me thinking about it since I saw this pattern in the last issue of Threads.

So, weigh in if you can as to where you see this on the pocket difficulty rating scale (with “1” being “They make themselves and fill up with candy when you’re not looking” and “10” being “Can only be achieved by dousing the fabric liberally with antimatter”) and also on the potential wearing opportunities for a bright pink and yellow satin and lace skirt (given that I am a 40-year-old mom and most of my social events involve stick-on nametags). All letters answered by return of post.

Happy New Year! I spent all my blogging hiatus/holidays (well, it felt like all my blogging hiatus/holidays) cleaning up my office/sewing room, and in the process I found this:

It’s a pattern for this hat:

Pretty cool, huh? I have absolutely NO idea where it came from, but it came to light as I shoveled through piles of paper. So I ran it down to Fedex and their nice large-bed scanners and got it digitized for y’all. Here’s a PDF to download.

If you make it, send me a picture! Veil optional. (Extra points if you make in gold lame for that chic nimbus effect.)

So: I will be in Paris for twenty-four magical hours next week. Next week Tuesday, to be precise. 

What should I do? All suggestions gratefully received (although I am unlikely to: rent a Vespa, drink absinthe, or visit the Folies Bergère). 

This book has not been much help (although very entertaining): 

Hello folks!

Does anyone have a line on a good place to buy a used industrial straight-stitch machine in the Bay Area, or have one they would like to donate to my son’s (incredibly wonderful) new school? 

Any help or pointers gratefully appreciated!

In the meantime, enjoy this link to LEGO word search posters.

Thanks ChickLitBee, for featuring me in your "20Q for Authors" series!

An excerpt: 

Celebrity crush? Still Lord Byron. I mean, he was obviously a total jerkface, but still. 

Favorite television show right now? A tie between "House" and "Eureka." I like me the science.

More at the link above … 

Millicent: I find a twenty-degree upward tilt of the head (perfect for blimp-spotting!) is the best accessory for nearly any outfit.

Carla: The really chic bolero this season includes a hidden detonator switch. 

 

Pattern from Sheila at OutofTheAshes — she's running a sale today through Sunday, 15% off!

So I played hooky from my overflowing email inbox on Saturday (um, if you're waiting on something from me, I'm sorry) and finally hit Urban Burp, the oddly-named vintage fabric store in San Francisco. I had a Groupon (thanks to a tip from Mena at Sew Weekly) and it was burning a hole in my wallet.

I bumbled around for a bit — UB is heavy on the mid-century barkcloth, great for upholstering chairs, but not so much for upholstering one's self — until finally I saw the "juveniles" section (up on a high shelf, counterintuitively) and this great 1960s fabric. (I will let someone else point out how often I seem to find the fabric I'm looking for in the "juvenile prints" section, and how fitting that is, given my personality.)

I forgot to include anything in the photo for scale, so let me just say: these numbers are BIG. (We're puttin' up big numbers here, folks.) The six above is a little shorter than a pencil. This will probably end up as a shirtdress. I'll have to fondle it for a while first, though, to be sure … 

Electra at UB was extremely friendly and helpful — I think I'll be going back!

Not being one of NYC's glamorous people, I didn't know that Elaine (yes, that Elaine) was a big dress-wearer. She sounds awesome, in every sense of the word:

“Measuring and creating clothing for Elaine was like painting a mural in motion.”

Read the rest of the story (in the New Yorker) here.

So at first I was thrilled to hear that Liberty and Apple were collaborating on a line of Liberty-print laptop cases and bags: two of my favorite things, together! My current laptop sleeve is nicely utilitarian, but is the world's most boring taupe-y gray. (I think it's the color androids paint their living rooms.)

And then I actually clicked through, to see: 

Meh, right? I mean, there are literally dozens of Liberty fabric designs currently available, and they picked one that shouts "Grandma's Nightgown"? They also do a leather Ianthe, but Ianthe is the Liberty version of Death By Chocolate—sure, it's nice and all, but it's not SURPRISING.

I mean, even Strawberry Thief would be cooler than this pattern (Edenham). C'mon: Apple, Liberty, I know you can do better than this. WWSJD?