The air is crisp, the sky is clear. You crave a dessert of some heft with the now abundant autumnal fruit. So first, you take some pears... Then, you slice 'em up, add some melted butter, flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and milk... Then, you bake it for 45 minutes and a golden, buttery, bubbly, puffy sumptuousness pops out of the oven... Then, make yourself a latte in a fancy teacup and enjoy a slice. Delish! Recipe is from here. ... Read more
Brown and Silver
Good morning! Hope your Monday is going well so far. Here's a little sophisticated matching top and skirt I worked on last week - the fabric is an earthy neutral color with streaks of silver thread. The back has an unexpected open design and is a bit sassy. Love! These are pattern F (top) and N (skirt), and I'm steadily working my way through all the patterns in this book (ISBN 978-4-579-11289-0): You can find other completed projects from this book here and here and here. Next ... Read more
Happy Friday!
My standard uniform nowadays consists of yoga pants, a tank top and hoodie. The I-plan-on-going-to-the-gym look ("plan" being the operative word), worn mostly for the comfort. Once in a blue moon, though, I wish I had an opportunity to wear something fancy like the Valentino-inspired dress above. K saw it and said, "Is that a witch's dress?" Hmmm...not the look I was going for. Even if I'm not presented with ball gown worthy events, I could probably swing something fun like this: I ... Read more
Roots
My parents met in New York forty-two years ago. They were in their early twenties, both from Japan, staying in a boarding house across Central Park. My mother had recently arrived via Germany, where she had been an au pair for a Chinese family (confusing, I know). My father was traveling around the world with friends. My mom boasts that there were several choice young men to choose from back in the day (she claims to have been proposed by an African prince), but my father was by far the ... Read more
Kid Fashion
Today I sketched some imaginary outfits for K. I love miniaturized grown-up clothes using sophisticated colors, shapes and fabrics. It's so easy to end up with garish and overly cutesy when it comes to kids' clothes, and that's probably why I gravitate toward patterns from Japanese craft books. The models are styled so simply and evoke a sort of nostalgia. Very lovely. I also love Oliver + S, and I recently discovered Figgy's, featuring fun, modern patterns for kids. I have a few patterns in ... Read more