a scene from my movie

Here is a little exchange that occurred at a grocery store near work today. I went there to buy Perrier for a reception we are having. I saw this elderly man wandering around the grocery store with a ratty U Penn bag, too-short dress pants, and an old briefcase- he sort of looked like the Nutty Professor. We got in line together.

Man: Will you hold my spot while I go get another box of these Toasteds?

Aimee: Sure, I'll hold your spot.

Man: I know you will.

(He leaves to get the crackers and I spend the next two minutes trying to figure out what he meant by "I know you will." Man returns to line.)

Man: I really love these Toasteds, and when they are 2 for 1, you gotta get 2. I like to have a few crackers and a some orange juice before dinner as a little appetizer. Yes, I do love orange juice........by the way, have you tried Sociables?

Me (playing dumb): No.

Man: Oh wow, you have to try Sociables. They are in a blue box by the other Nabisco products and there's a picture of all of the different canapes that you can make with them. The secret to Sociables is that they coat them with this mix of high fructose corn syrup and....(goes on for about a minute about the chemical reaction that occurs in your mouth when you eat Sociables and then looks at my cart). Wow, that's a lot of Perrier.

Me: Yeah.

Man: Can I look at one?

Me: Umm.....sure. Ok.

Man: (reading label) I see that Perrier comes from a place in France known as Vergeze, which is in the south near Arles. Have you ever had a glass of Rose from that region?

Me: Yes.

Man: It's delightful. I also enjoy the Rhone Valley wines.

Me: I love Cotes du Rhone wine.

Genius Man (lighting up with joy): See, you know about Cotes du Rhone!! (proceeds to segue, quite amazingly, into a story about Charles de Gaulle and then Winston Churchill and then back to wine and then Roman viaducts.)



Anyway, we finally both got through the line. I was quite charmed with him, but didn't really know what was going on. He was some sort of awesome, awkward, Sociables-loving genius that really brightened my afternoon. I hope I see him again.

belt for summer!

I think this belt from Nantucket Knot Works would look smashing on the #002 Girlie Dress. I love complicated knots, and this belt is really fun for summer.

I had a fantastic, roller-coaster of a weekend in Chicago and am honestly still trying to process everything that happened... in addition to the beautiful wedding of my good friends Neysa and Stuart, I spent almost a few day in an airport, did a lot of thinking over the weekend and had a few really intense, honest conversations with some good friends in Chicago. I also got to reconnect with Heather, an old friend of Neysa's who lives in Minneapolis. She told me that she is taking a class at Crafty Planet, an awesome store that stocks Betsy Ross patterns. Hi Heather! I hope to visit soon.

Here's a photo of the cupcake-cake that Kim created for the wedding with a little help from the fantastic Swedish Bakery. If you have the chance to visit that place, you'll be a happy (albeit fatter) person.

I was happy to have some quality time with Kim since we stayed in her beautiful apartment. I missed her superb storytelling abilities, bouncing ideas off of her, and generally getting to just waste time together. She didn't even give me too hard of time when I melted a full plastic bread bag on her toaster oven. The nutritional facts are permanently adhered to the top of the oven. Sorry, Kim.

While I get myself sorted out, enjoy these beautiful glass sculptures by Marina Borker that a friend told me about. I am particularly enamored with this one, and am excited to meet her this weekend at the Art Star Craft Bazaar.

Here's a genius magnetic wrist tray I found online at Spoon Sisters.

summer jam

My official mash-up of summer 2007: What I Like About Crunk. (Warning: this video might give you a seizure. Lots of blinky-blinky.)

In other news:

Marissa finished her quilt and her sweater that she's been working on. Dang, girl- slow down. You're making the rest of us look lazy. Marissa, her man and I are slowly taking over the Deuce Bar Tuesday night Quizzo game. It's nice to have a set date with them on Tuesdays. It gives us a chance to catch up and have a good time, even if we haven't won a game yet. We're getting close!

Art Star Craft Bazaar is in two weeks. It's the same thing every time with these craft fairs. Two weeks before the fair I start to panic. I look at my pile of stuff and realize it's not enough. I don't know where my tent is. All of my display stuff is dirty for some reason. I haven't thought about the layout of the booth. I have a ton of labeling to do. I have to print up a gazillion instruction booklets. I have patterns to fold. I have signs to make. And as usual, I have no time to get all of this done- I'm going to Chicago for a wedding next weekend and then a friend will be visiting next week while he apartment hunts in Jersey. Well....huh. Things always seem to come together miraculously at the last minute. And I can't complain- the show takes place about 50 paces from my front door!

This website has all of the contact information and photos of the fabric stores in Philly. On a related note, I finally went to Jomar, which was quite an experience. I wasn't really super impressed with the selection and was surprised considering all of the hype I had heard about it. I was also expecting it not to be so unbelievably filthy. I did manage to find one cute Free Spirit floral print fabric for a reasonable price. I also picked up a tetanus infection. Just kidding.

review of a skirt, and review of a weekend

One of my retailers, Sew, Mama, Sew! posted a review of my #001 One Hot Skirt pattern. And what a great review it is! I actually learned a lot from this one- I love reading these, because the person that writes them is inevitably a better seamstress than I am. The lady who penned this one has some mad skills!

I had a great weekend. On Sunday, Jessica, Mr. D. and I went for brunch at this restaurant by our place that we've passed 500 times but never gone into, North 3rd, which was great. We also went to the Italian Market Festival, where we hooked up with Leya, who was back for seconds after not getting her fill of it the day before. It was a wild scene down there. Lots of people all trying to get cannolis and water ice at the same time...Mr. D. won a jar of tomato sauce that he carried around like a baby for the rest of the day, which was pretty funny. Basically, all of Sunday was spent loafing around with friends and walking around Philadelphia which was really nice. I never do that in my own city, and it's good when someone comes to visit because you have an excuse to do so.

I was sad to see Jessica get back on the train to head to the airport yesterday. Can I tell you why she rocks? She's one of those people that you can walk in silence with and not have to be talking the whole time. When I'm telling a story I don't have to give her backstory- she knows all of the characters. She's known me since the weekend after I got married. She's witnessed my bad Halloween costumes. We've sat on the "muck table" of a lake in rural Indiana in plastic lawn chairs together, drinking Coors Light. We braved employment at a dysfunctional art museum together (and then she went on to work at another dysfunctional, but more prestigious art museum). She can laugh at herself. I taught her how to drive stick shift and she claims I was a good teacher. She calls me "Dolber." She's been supportive of all of my crazy schemes. She's seen me in some ugly situations and loves me anyway. She's one of the most patient people I know. I know that when I meet up with her we're going to laugh. Jessica- thank you for coming to visit me out here, and making this weekend so much fun!

on cap sleeves and ghost towns

Irritated with tight sleeves? Want to shorten your long sleeves to something more summery? Hop on over to Wikenstenmade for a great tutorial on cap sleeves. I stole that photo from her, too. Why don't I just have Jenny write my blog? That would be a lot easier. Jenny? Looking for a second blog??

Reading her post makes me wish I had more time and energy to sew things for myself. I think I have too much going on lately. When I am home, looking at my sewing machine just makes me sleepy. I think that means that I need a vacation.

I have been thinking about this farmhouse that my aunt bought a long time ago in this little town called Goblesville. It's this ghost town in rural Indiana about two miles from where I grew up. I used to ride my bike over there in the summer to do some chores for a few dollars and then sit in the lawn for awhile. I loved that house. I loved how creepy-quiet the road was - every so often a car would go by, but mostly you just heard the sound of small birds and the hum of the electric lines above. (side note: during the summer when you hear a car go by, you also hear that satisfying snap-snap-snap of the small bubbles of tar popping under the car tires.) It was so interesting to me how Goblesville used to be a thriving community but then everyone left. Anyway, the point of the steory is how that brick farm house was so awesome, and I wish right now I was sitting on the back porch in one of those white wicker chairs, lemonade in hand, music playing....with absolutely nothing to do.

Ah, but I do have things to do, so I have to snap out of it. My friend Jessica is visiting from Chicago this weekend. I'm going to take her to the Italian Market Festival, the art museum and the Muetter Museum (she's been dying to go there to see the world's largest colon). Hopefully we'll still have time to sit around at the Standard Tap and gossip about people we know. Can't wait!

for my library

Aimee want book.

(practicing simple language in preparation for simple sewing...)

well, do you?

Joe Heaps Nelson, oil on canvas, 1996.

organic fabrics

What's that you say? You want to buy some organic bamboo fabric?

You're in luck.....I just found out about Organic Culture, a Philadelphia company that sells organic cotton and bamboo fabrics. If you're lookin' to order wholesale, it's a pretty good deal!

The website is a little hard to navigate, but I eventually found photos of the fabrics. I would love to feel this stuff in person and see what it's like. Good thing they're local...perhaps I will invite myself over!

Fabric now on Betsy Ross website!

Yay! I have fabric for sale on my website now! That means you can get the pattern, notions and fabric all in one place! I have some great fabrics on there. I even have some special dot fabric...from Spain. Nothing says "exotic fabric" like the kind you get from Spain. Right? Right?

Soon I will also have my second downloadable pattern ready. There's a photo up there now so you can see what's coming- a super-chic envelope style clutch purse.

Today was a pretty nice day, despite an ongoing saga with our rental company that makes my stomach hurt when I think about it. This is getting ridiculous. Oh wait, it was ridiculous six months ago. Now it's just tired.

But as I was saying, overall it was a good day. I had lunch with Megan from the Philadelphia Sewing Collective at Tokyo Lunchbox, a great Japanese joint in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. Then, I took advantage of a gift certificate at Ovations Spa my girls gave me for my birthday. I had a facial and a massage. I'm embarrased to say that the following conversation took place not once but twice during my massage:

Aimee: (shifts shoudlers around jerkily and exhales loudly)
Masseuse: Uh....are you ok?
Aimee: Yeah...I'm just....just trying to relax. (exhales again)

It was pretty bad. I feel like after the hour appointment I was just letting go. Oh well. I really liked the masseuse so maybe I'll go back. If you're in Philadelphia, go to Ovations and ask for Carolyn!

I came home and made grilled chicken with squash and tomatoes on this great little iron grill pan we got awhile back but we never use. And then some strawberry sorbet. I wish I was a better food photographer, because then I would take some photos of my feast. I'm afraid everything would look glossy and gross, so I'm going just stick with photographing fabric. I'll leave the lovely food photography to Leya.

Saturday entertainment

Great video and great song by Dr. Dog. I can't get this song out of my head!

up to speed

*NOTE: I removed the photo from NYE that was at the head of this post because it creeped me out. Instead, I am posting this astronaut diagram, which I love.

Wow, it's been an eventful few days. First and biggest, on Saturday I had a rockin' birthday party with my nearest and dearest. I got some kickin' gifts, including some lovey threads that Marissa got from her wool excursion (Marissa, you're going to have to comment with some details for this to actually make sense....) and a sweet vintage scottie dog planter from my girl Leya. Party featured mash-ups on the stereo, tons of food, a slew of interesting people and one rosy-cheeked, giggly Aimee.

I spent the rest of the weekend recovering, reading the new Blueprint Magazine, scarfing cupcakes, sewing over at Leya's, going to Quizzo, recovering from a curry-induced fever (it's a long story) and working on a new downloadable purse pattern. I'm still working out the kinks, but hopefully it will be posted soon.

After all of the end of the semester activity, Mr. D's defenses are down and he's sick with a cold, laying on the sofa, watching "The Incredible Mr. Limpet." He must really be sick. Hopefully he'll keep his cooties away from me so I can stay productive...

Wait...seriously...I feel like "Lost" just keeps getting weirder and weirder. I am so confused right now.

Anyway, I think that's about it. Have a good Thursday, y'all.

new free downloadable pattern

I have made a new section on the website for downloadble patterns!

There's a free pattern right now for Heel Flair, and I hope to have a second one up there very soon for a sweet little wallet/clutch.

Let me know what you think of them!

buttons and birthdays

Today I turned 30. When I woke up this morning I hadn't turned into a princess with a pet unicorn like I was hoping when I went to sleep last night. But I *did* get carrot cake cupcakes and Henriot, so it's cool.






I realized that I never mentioned the sweet stash of vintage buttons I got from Julie for the vintage button swap. Doh! It's probably because my digital camera broke and so I don't take photos of anything anymore. Oh well. Here's a photo of the buttons I dragged off her blog. :)

belt making for dummies

Ok, when Sugarpunch was still in action and Neysa and I were crafting up a storm, I wish we had realized that Belt Stabilizer existed. Maybe then we could have used some of the flimsier, cute ribbon we had found. Sigh. I miss Sugarpunch.

Speaking of ribbon, there's a lot of ribbon to chose from on Les' Bon. I also found this awesome belt ring. I love the simplicity of it, and I think it would look great on all of the summer dresses I have. 3 bucks. Score.

website

Well, I think my eyes might just fall out of my head. I have spent my days off trying to redo my website. I TOLD you that this is a train that is unstoppable...I decided that I hated my website and I had to change the whole thing. So it's changed. I'm still not finished, but it's pretty much done. Check it out!

I am excited to have a new site up! I'm also excited about some new things on the site, like the addition of notions, which I have to have on there within the next week or so. Woo hoo!