take flight

The house I recently moved into was formerly occupied by one of those bird-lovin-ladies. I am sure they will all miss her...until I get into the oiseau-groove. She left behind the baths and houses and we watched the little brown birds (wrens? sparrows?) dart in and out of their abode  even as the snow slowly melted away. Then they were gone, but they left this lovely nest to grace my shop window. I am really getting a kick out of painting on my windows. Usually I confine the paint to "sale" messages, but I am anxious to come up with my next image. My public canvas.

quotidian

These are busy days of sewing , as shown by the workroom floor at end of day. I am still on my one-garment-a-day schedule. As the spring and summer bring in more people, the stitching gets squeezed into smaller bits of time. Cutting at home in the morning helps, so that I come in armed with packets of work for the day and can get right to it. I never in my life have sewed this much .

review

I had the pleasure this week of being on the review panel for MECA student, ERICA. An Illustration student, she has recently turned her talents to fashion- something that I, too, studied way back in art school. I especially enjoyed these gesture sketches, which captured both the mood of the body and of the nature of the garment.

window candy

I know that I design clothing and own a shop, but truth be told, I am not much of a shopper. I am much more likely to frequent galleries or museums with the free time in New York. This trip offered up a couple of inspiring venues, though. The one pictured was not even open at the time I photographed. I think it is called "Really Great Things" and is on the upper West Side, where we usually stay. I tried to catch a taxi reflection in each photo, just for fun. Very pretty stuff.

getaway

A quick couple of days in the city. In New York the sun was out, the flowers were out, the dogs were out, and we were out ....walking, cafe-sitting, park-sitting. 

Miki is missed

Miki may be in Japan for a few weeks, but her creations keep me company in the shop.Moondance is all about fun: the whimsy of men's shirts made feminine and the "welcome summer" green check of a sleek structured dress. She will be returning with new ideas, inspirations and fabrics. Then we will both be busy with our much-talked about project: some children's dresses for summer.

hot cha

One of the unexpected outcomes of moving house was the reappearance of my childhood games in my daily life. We now have no attic! Games mounted on the wall, puppets in the shop window....old friends all. The horse racing game was played not only by the children, but by the money-wagering, Manhattan-sipping adults. Especially on Kentucky Derby Day.