cross stitch

 

This inspired me to put my knitting aside and pick up a new hobby for the winter.

[by chezsucrechez, via designsponge]

book covers - then and now

If I had any artistic talent at all, I would design book covers. Design is never more relevant to me than on the front of my favourite works. I love Flavorpill's overview of classic book designs reinvented.

pictorial webster's beautiful words

I'm likely among a dorky minority that thinks dictionaries are a gorgeous thing. So many wonderful words in one place! Even with the advent of dictionary.com, I still consult my giant Merriam-Webster's Collegiate to ensure I am using a word JUST RIGHT. Heck, I used it just today when I suspected I was abusing the word 'parlay' in a sentence (indeed, I was).

But no one can argue that Chronicle Books' new(ish) Pictorial Webster's is anything short of stunning. Even the subtitle (A Visual Dictionary of Curiosities) is enough to set my heart aflutter. But crack open the pages and you'll got lost in a sea of pictorial delights. Maybe that's why there's an octopus on the cover.

Last week while exploring West Queen West (not a typo, non-Torontonians), I stumbled upon Pictorial Webster's WALL CARDS—teachers and contemporary mommies, take note! I can't think of a more stylish way to learn one's ABCs. 

going sew-lo

My dear, generous hubby gave me a pretty amazing sewing machine for Christmas. I'd been wanting one forever and had been itching to try my hand at projects that didn't involve knitting needles, crochet hooks or a keyboard.

My pretty little Janome sat in its box for a good month while we made the move to Toronto and then got our new home in order... and then it sat there for another two weeks while I tried to source the perfect sewing desk on Craig's List. After driving all the way to Newmarket to view a desk that turned out to be a dud, I realized that I could wait forever to use my new machine, and that it was time to just sit down and use it—perfect desk or no.

I've sewn an item or two in my day, but always under the helpful guidance of my Momma or auntie. So the other night, I set myself up at the dining room table (not suggested if you are having company in the week ahead) and taught myself how to sew all over again.

I ran through all my stitch settings on a piece of scrap fabric. I threaded a bobbin for the first time. Then I unthreaded and rethreaded it properly. And then, I embarked on my first solo project. I turned some old scarves into a wee pillow case.

The end result is too ugly to display here, but it was a start!

And to reward myself, I am indulging in some of my favourite sewing blogs and websites :)

Today I'm loving Colette Patterns for good vintage inspiration. She also has a free pattern for an adorable pair of mini bloomers, which I'll be making as soon as I get my printer up and running.

I also love the smock-y APC inspired clothes at Wiksten-made. Really, simple designs like these are what made me want to sew in the first place. I love this stuff.

And lastly, always the best spot on the web for sewing 'shareware' (did I totally misappropriate that term?) is BurdaStyle. How many patterns have I bookmarked here for future reference? I've lost count. Enjoy!

point blanket dilemma

Watching all the Olympic footage has made me a very proud Canuck (and Vancouverite!) this past week. I get the same feeling when I stroll by the current window displays at the Hudson's Bay Company—alongside all the Olympic paraphernalia are stacks of thick woolen Point Blankets and like-striped clothing that make me drool and feel a certain Canadian-ness that swells the cockles of my heart.

And lucky me: a couple years ago I inherited a genuine vintage multi-stripe Point Blanket, in all its dusty, smelly, scratchy goodness. I love this blanket dearly but at the moment it is collecting even more dust in our linen closet while I figure out just what to do with it—and for that matter, how to clean it!

It looks great as a bed spread, but is just too heavy to sleep under, so I've been thinking about other uses for it besides emergency-car-blanket.

For starters i love love love Smythe's hooded swing coat. But this might be beyond my sewing ability.

 

[via pretentiousbitties.blogspot.com]

Likewise, if I'm feeling uber ambitious I could use it to reupholster our cheapo/aging Ikea Klippan sofa.

Slightly less work would be to convert it into a bunch of throw cushions and maybe even a sturdy tote.

[image via faffaround.blogspot.com]

But the question I keep coming back to is: is it sacrilege to cut up a vintage Point Blanket? Am I destroying a valuable piece of Canadian history? And, I'm not kidding, how does one un-dust an 80-year-old wool blanket?!