There are some sewing projects I feel I can do on auto-pilot – I barely have to think about drafting a circle skirt or creating a complex vignette out of felt pieces. But, while I love my comfort zone, I’m always itching to try new techniques. Even if they fail spectacularly, the scientist in me has a relentless need to find something new to learn.
When I was a kid, I remember getting to watch the Wizard of Oz each year – I can’t remember which aunt’s house marked the annual occasion, but I can still feel the carpet on my elbows as I propped myself up, the excited butterflies that would come a-flutterin’ when the MGM lion would roar at the start of the film, and the brave face I would (un)successfully put on any time the witch would appear (all I can say is, she had some serious unresolved anger management issues).
Ever hear the phrase, “If you want the rainbow, you’ve got to put up with the rain”? Never has this been more true than the strange world we currently find ourselves in. Between important protests worldwide, quarantine, murder hornets, and sandstorms, the world feels like it’s experiencing some important long-overdue changes, coupled with apocalyptic catastrophe. I feel we are somehow both barreling forward and standing completely still. I guess this is the very definition of the rain before the rainbow….
As much as I’m a gal who likes to take risks now and then, there are always certain old favorites I come back to. It’s no surprise why, no matter how far I stray, you’ll see me inching back to circle skirts, nipped waists, border prints. I mean, tried and true exists for a reason, and there are a lot of cases where one just shouldn’t mess with perfection. And nothing says perfection like the perfect appliqué skirt…
The USDA recommends eating between five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day as part of a balanced, healthy diet. I don’t know about you guys, but my isolation dietary habits has been pretty shocking of late. I’ve always been someone who tries to eat healthy (I actually crave salad more than sweets. I know, I’m weird). But, all bets are off nowadays, as the only thing on my mind to crave right now is comfort: pasta, cheese, warm glorious homemade bread, and wine (ohhhh the wine). So, while I’m sure the USDA (and my waistline) are looking at…
My husband, Mr. Dressed, is a champion gift giver. Truth be told, he stresses about it before every birthday and holiday, but the man has skills. He will occasionally pull something from my wishlist, but more often than not he will brave the cyber streets and find something I never even knew I needed. He’s amazing at pushing me out of my comfort zone or finding a stunning vintage piece that reminds me of just how well he knows me.
I grew up in New England, where differentiated seasons abound. This means we plowed through 2 ft snow drifts in winter, melted in the summer heat, and watched the world bloom around us in spring. But, my favorite season was always fall. One of my most vivid childhood memories was always of that first crisp fall weekend, where my family and I would make a trip to the apple orchards to find the most perfect pie-worthy apples to commemorate autumn.
You probably noticed that it’s been a bit quiet around here this past week, which was very intentional. Following the murders that include but are certainly not limited to George Floyd, Ahmaud Arberry, and Breonna Taylor, it was important to me to give space to voices that needed to be heard more than mine, and work to listen more than speak. It was just as important to take time to reflect on the horrific nature of current events and the manifestation of centuries of systemic racism here in the States (and around the world) – both to find ways that…
Sometimes, I swear I see the world around me like a kind of Rorschach test. You know – the psychological ink blot tests that ask you to describe what you see in a series of swirls and smudges? We do this all the time – people seeing faces in a piece of burnt toast, getting frightened by a pile of clothes out of the corner of your eye that looks like an intruder, or laying on your back in the middle of a field, staring up at the clouds and suddenly seeing creatures created from cumulous before your eyes.
I think it’s always important to be proud of the things you do well – either from an inherent skill or years of practice, there is no harm in patting yourself on the back. It’s just as important to acknowledge the things you do not excel at. Come on, we all have them. The things that, no matter how hard we try or how many books we read or YouTube videos we memorize, it’s just never gonna happen.