A couple new-to-me pattern companies

What's better than discovering a new, independent sewing pattern company?  Discovering TWO new, independent sewing pattern companies!

In the past couple days, I have come across a couple of new online pattern shops offering some extremely cute designs.  The first is Salme, which sells PDF patterns in their Etsy store. Below you can see a couple of my favourites. 

Salme's patterns are simple, stylish and totally customizable. The top with the gathered waist and centre pleat would be so cute made up in a small-scale floral for spring. And the top with the horizontal pleats could look totally different depending on your fabric choice -- girly in pastel, classic in black, punchy in a bright colour. Look at this adorable neon version from Kelli at True Bias.

The second pattern company I've come across is Victory Patterns, which gets a special shoutout for being from Toronto.  These patterns are really the opposite of Salme - super trendy, intricate, and totally original.

The pattern that particularly caught my eye is the Madeleine skirt. I'm wondering if I could pull it off - it has the potential to be almost too sweet -- bordering on twee. But I think with the right fabric choice, it can be cool and sophisticated. I really like this version: 

So,  hopefully over the next few months, you'll see a few of these patterns pop up as finished projects on the ol' blog. In the meantime, hope you find them as exciting as I do! 

Garden scheming

Has anyone else been seized by a sudden desire for spring? I want it to be May, like, NOW.

With warm weather and sunshine on the brain, I've been daydreaming a lot about the gardens at our new house. We actually have some really promising garden space - a decent patch in the front yard and several wide open empty beds in the backyard. For the front, I'd love a garden of mostly perennials (because I want pretty flowers, but I'm also lazy). Right now I'm thinking of some ornamental grasses, peonies, daffodils, lavender, and black-eyed susans.

The backyard is where things get really exciting. I'm thinking of making a raised veggie garden (or, if I'm being totally honest, getting my husband to make it for me). In my excitement over gardening possibilities, I ordered some heirloom/organic seeds from Cubits, a cool Toronto-based company.

I'm very excited about these veggies. Here's what I chose:

Cosmic purple carrots... (and yes, that is the real name of these beauties...)

Florence Fennel...

 
Little finger eggplant...



Cherokee purple tomatoes...

Old Ivory Egg tomatoes...

and Genovese basil.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little intimidated by these vegetables. (Yes, I just wrote that). I have really limited experience with gardening - I've only done small herbs and hot peppers in pots on my front porch. I've never had a vegetable garden, nor have I ever really planted anything from seed (I always buy small plants from the garden centre). So, this may be a little ambitious for my first attempt. But even so, I'm already picturing myself sitting on my deck on a beautiful summer night chowing down on the veggies I grew in my garden. 

Now, if only spring would hurry up and get here...

Gettin' back in the saddle

I can feel it, dear readers. That little tickle...that urge to sit down and sew. I have to admit that it's been awhile since I've felt this way. Between the excitement over the new house, the move, Christmas, and putting all of my creative energy into setting up the new place, I just haven't had the time or the inclination to sew.

But, for whatever reason, that changed today. Perhaps it was because I'm sick of staring at my closet every morning and feeling like I've worn everything I own 7 million times before. (Okay, okay. That MAY be an exaggeration). Perhaps its because I'm having a slow day at work and finally had some time to check in on some of my favourite sewing blogs. Maybe it's the fact that the days are getting slightly longer that's waking me up from my creative hibernation. Whatever it is, I can feel myself getting excited to sew clothes again.

I have a few patterns that I bought a few months ago that have been sitting unopened for far too long -- one of which is a simple A-line skirt from my beloved Colette Patterns. One of the versions of this pattern is cut on the bias, which can create a cool chevron pattern if you use a striped fabric. Kinda like this version from the Colette website:

After Googling around for some fabric, I found this very cool striped cotton twill. I think this will make a great skirt - multi-seasonal, neutral, but still interesting.

Now, all I have to do is wait until it arrives and get cracking!

What I'm reading

I've always been a big reader. When I was a kid, I would spend my summers trekking to my local library and devouring as many Baby Sitters' Club and Lucy Maud Montgomery books as I could. My love of books and reading led me to study English Literature at university. I still keep lists of all the books I read each year -- a habit I started when I was about 10 that gives me a perverse sense of nerdy satisfaction.

So, in the spirit of book-loving and list-making, I thought I'd share what I've been reading lately. First up -- a few that I've just finished and enjoyed.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

 This book was lent to me by a colleague with the promise that I'll love it, but with the caveat that it's hard to get into. She was right on both accounts. This is one of those multi-layered books where the interconnections between the characters and storylines don't become clear until the mind-blowing conclusion. It's set in Spain in the years after WWII, when a young boy named Daniel comes across a rare novel that changes the course of his life. It's a spooky, sad, romantic, and addictive read.

 Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James

 I could. Not. Put. This. Down.  As a hardcore Jane Austen lover, I loved getting a peek into the post-marriage life of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. I kept forgetting that I wasn't actually reading Jane Austen. My only complaint is how P.D. James interpreted my beloved Lizzie -- in this book, she's more of a dutiful wife who says all the right things rather than the spitfirey single gal who tells it like it is.
 
 As Always, Julia - The letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto

This book made me fall in love with these two women. Everyone knows Julia Child, of course, and her sassy yet down-to-earth style. But the biggest surprise of this book for me was Avis. She's smart, sharp, plugged in, self-deprecating, witty, and accomplished. She was certainly a tour de force and the reason why "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" was published. I was blown away by the sheer volume of the letters these two women exchanged -- hardcore (and hard-copy) correspondence like that just doesn't really happen anymore. This book made me want to write thousand-word letters to my friends, cook things like duck and goose and travel back in time to have dinner with Julia and Avis.

And here's a few books that are on my to-read list.

 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Everyone I know keeps telling me to read this book, which chronicles a morbid kill-or-be-killed ritual in post-apocalyptic America. I gotta get to this one before the movie comes out in March! 
 
Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

Ever since I visited Fallingwater in Pittsburgh last fall, I've been a little obsessed with Frank Lloyd Wright. This book is a fictional account of his real-life affair with a married woman. I've heard nothing but good things.

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides 

The main character of this book is an English major writing her thesis on George Eliot and Jane Austen -- so clearly I couldn't resist. This book is a love triangle that takes the "marriage plots" of Austen and Eliot into the 21st century.

Have you read and good books lately, dear readers? Have you read any of these? Any more recommendations for me?

New year, fresh start

I'm turning over a new blog leaf, readers. As you can tell, I've been a little light on the posting -- a whirlwind house purchase, a move and the holidays have kept me busy. But this year, I'm determined to finally get serious about the ol'blog. Because, really, what's the point of having a blog if you never post?

As well as relinquishing my "worst blogger on the planet" crown, here are a few other things I'd like to tackle this year. 

Learn a new piece on the piano.  
Now that we're in a new house and finally have space for it, we're getting a piano! I used to play growing up, but haven't given the piano any regular attention in years. If I can have one piece memorized by the end of the year, I'll feel pretty darn good about myself. 

Experiment with food
We have a big, beautiful kitchen in the new house -- and I want to use it! I'd love to make some cheese (possibly using the kit I wrote about here). I'd like to try and branch out to other meats that I seldom prepare, like lamb and duck. I'd also like to try making my own condiments, especially ketchup.

Walk everywhere possible.  
Our new house is close to everything. I can walk to shops, the farmer's market, work, the movies...and I intend to. Driving everywhere is for sissies!

Start a regular yoga practice.
Every year, I always make some sort of health-related resolution (Go to the gym twice a week! Lose 10 pounds!) but I never stick to them. This year, I'm hoping that by setting a more abstract goal that I'll actually be able to pull it off. There's a studio that's only about 3 blocks away from the new house (see? I can walk EVERYWHERE!) and I'm hoping to work some yoga into my routine.

Make our house a home.
This one is a given. We have spent about 2 weeks in the new house, and I. LOVE. IT. I'm having a hard time stopping myself from walking around the house spinning and singing with my arms outstretched. Sort of like this:

But I digress. Though the bones of the house are practically perfect, there are a million little additions, changes and tweaks that I'd like to make. I'm hoping to get everything on my extensive to-do list done by the end of the year.

There you have it, folks. My goals for 2012, proclaimed for all to see on the interweb. What about you? Any new years' resolutions?

Giganto-blanket

Is it crazy that I kinda want to do this?

Moccasins!

Guys. I just signed up for a make-your-own moccasin class. And I'm SUPER pumped.

The class takes place during two Saturdays in March at the workroom, a beautiful sewing studio/fabric shop in Parkdale. (It's run by Karyn, one of my fave bloggers whose photos have made several appearances on this blog -- including the one above).

I have been dying to take one of the workroom's classes for ages, but the timing never seemed to work out.  Well, my friends, the stars have finally aligned. So, not only do I get to take a class at the workroom, but I'll end up with an adorable pair of moccasins. I've never sewn with leather before, nor have I ever sewn anything for my feet. Exciting things all around!

I will keep you posted on my progress once the class starts. One of the best things about it is that I get to take home the commercial pattern - meaning I can make moccasins again and again, if I so choose. Now I just have to contain my moccasin excitement (mocca-citement?) for another few weeks...

Project 365

I hope you all had Merry Christmasses and that Santa was good to you! My fella and I treated ourselves to a new SLR camera for our mutual Christmas present, and I am VERY excited about it. In fact, I have decided to beef up my photography skills by taking one photo a day for the entire year (known around the blogosphere as Project 365).

I'm not hoping to achieve feats of great artistic genius with these photos. All I want to do is challenge myself to do something creative every day, to learn how to use my camera better, and document little slices of life. By the end of the year, all I'm hoping for is a cool collection of interesting shapshots.

I'm still getting the hang of my new camera and haven't uploaded any of my photos yet -- so in the meantime, here are some snaps that have caught my eye on Flickr recently. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Pretty vignette from one of my favourite Toronto bloggers - Karyn at Make Something

A sweet appliqued tea towel from Angelina 79

Another shot from Karyn at Make Something. I like this one because it was taken at the coffee shop around the corner from my house (called - you guessed it - Hula Girl).

Cross-stitched ornament from Lena Corwin

Rachelredlips' beautiful version of the men's shirt from Collete Patterns. I got this pattern for my fella for Christmas and he wants his in black and white gingham too.

An adorable mitten garland by jbonikowski. This is on my must-make list for next Christmas!

PS - I feel like I should name my camera. I have a habit of naming inanimate objects that I have a special attachment to (I named my wedding dress Evelyn, and my KitchenAid mixer is named Beatrice...because she beats things).  Any suggestions for my new camera??  Ruby? Stella? Sanchez?

The honeymoon sweater

After we got married in August 2009, my fella and I went on our honeymoon in Nova Scotia. It was a perfect place to relax after the wedding -- charming, interesting, and full of stunning views like this:

One of the most awesomely surprising things about our trip was when we stumbled across an amazing yarn store smack dab in the middle of rural Nova Scotia -- the Lismore Sheep Farm. It's actually a working farm where they take the wool from these guys:

An actual Lismore Sheep Farm sheep

And turn it into this:

My personal knitting nirvana

And, as if finding this treasure trove of yarn wasn't enough, each skein only cost $4.75. Yes, $4.75 for 100 per cent wool from sheep grazing about 100 feet away. Needless to say, I went a bit nuts. I got enough yarn to make a sweater for me, a sweater for my fella, and a couple skeins to bring home for my Mom and sister. Plus, we went back the next day to buy at 100% wool blanket. I broke the zipper of my suitcase trying to stuff in all the woolly goodness.

So, fast forward a year and a half to the present day. You would think that would have been ample time to finish at least one of the sweaters I intended to make with all of that honeymoon yarn. Well, my friends, I'm sorry to report that this is as far as I've got:

Kind of pathetic, no? I'm about three inches into making the Cobblestone Pullover for my fella. With any luck, it will eventually look like this:

Did I mention my husband is 6'6"? That's a LOT of torso to cover. Maybe that's why this is the first sweater I've ever knit for him. But I've decided to pick this up again and devote some serious time to this honeymoon sweater over the holidays. Who knows? With any luck, I'll have it finished by our second anniversary!

Bits and bites

My fella is away on business for the next week, so I'm planning to hermit-it-up at home for most of the weekend and hunker down with a few crafty/domestic projects. I'm planning to paint two pieces of furniture -- a craigslist couch and a side table I found on the curb (I have a serious addiction to curbside funiture) -- and make some headway on some sewing projects.

These efforts will show up on m'blog sometime soon, but in the meantime, here are some things from around the interweb that have ticked my fancy over the past week.

This recipe for Moroccan Spinach and Chickpeas looks really good to me. Plus, since I'm only cooking for myself for the next week (sigh), it looks like I could make a big batch of it and use it for dinners/lunches over the next few days.

I really, really want one of these.  But, the $65 pricetag is a little steep, so I'm considering trying to make one myself. It would be easy enough to find a frame and paint it white, but I'm stumped on how to handle the vase. Is there such a thing as a wooden vase that I could cut in half? Or is there an easy way to cut glass? Any suggestions?

I think my sewing to-do list just got longer. This is one of New Look's new fall patterns, and I am in lurve. I always tend to overlook New Look, but then they hook me with these adorable retro-y dress patterns.

And yes, I realize this dress is ridiculously similar to the one I posted about a few days ago, but this one has a cool hip detail! Which means it's totally worth adding to my list, right? Right??

Hope you all are enjoying your weekends!

To-do list

So many beautiful patterns, so little time. (Or should I say 'sew' little time?? Ha!)

Cheesy puns aside, I have quite a list of patterns I'm hoping to sew. I might not get to them all (or it may be a year before I finish this list) but a girl can dream, right?

First up on my to-do list: A Joan Holloway-inspired sheath dress, made with New Look 6968, in a beautiful springy green green crepe. I've already bought both the fabric and the pattern.

 

I'm going for the look Joan wore on her last day at Sterling Cooper, when that ditsy secretary ran over the British guy's foot with a lawnmover and she ruined her beautiful dress. (Just ignore the bloodstains! Couldn't find a pic without them).

Next on the agenda is Simplicity 2724, a faux skirt/blouse combo. I think this would be perfect for work in a solid skirt and a floral top.

 I have been obsessed with this version by Sunni at the Cupcake Goddess. I love her fabric choices so much that I may copy them when I make my own.

I also like Vogue 8511 as a winter work-dress (apparently my sewing to-do list consists mostly of work dresses. Go figure). The drawings don't look like much:

But I really like these versions from A Sewn Wardrobe and Jorth:

 

Finally -- arguably the scariest and most challenging item on my to-do list -- the Lady Grey coat. I have to say that I"m extremely intimidated by this pattern. Gertie is doing a sew-a-long right now, and all the tailoring steps are totally freaking me out. But look how pretty it is:

 

Is your to-do list as long as mine? Or are you more sensible? :)

On my wanty list

From Pickles

We've had a sudden shift from sticky summer weather to beautiful, cool, fall days - which means a return to cozy wools and knitting. I've decided I must (MUST) make myself one of these beautiful knitted stools in an oatmealy-coloured wool.

From India Annabelle

From India Annabelle

There are some great patterns available from Pickles, a Norwegian knitting blog. I think I may have to ignore my seventeen other unfinished knitting projects and start one of these bad boys.