here is the latest:

i got some new fabric from the fabric store, so, as it is summer once again, i guess it is time to take out the sewing machine. what i love about the fabric store is that all the Slightly Odd Fabric always ends up in the sale section. and guess what? i LOVE the Slightly Odd Fabric. so it works out perfectly. i never spend more than $3 per yard. the fabric i got is polyester and it has what i believe to be a very lovely vintage floral print. i intend to make a dress of it. everyone always talks about polyester as though it is the Very Worst Thing, but this was soft and silky. so, i'll take it. (i will keep you posted on my process and my final product)

here is another pretty idea for my summer and yours. nightgowns --> dresses!

you can find more information about that here:

vanilla & lace

furthermore, i'm reading some great books right now:

1) A Place of My Own by Michael Pollan

he's the food guy, but now he's talking about architecture, and he's doing it quite intriguingly. the book is about his quest to design and build a writing hut in his backyard. the research he puts into his work is very fascinating. he talks about how his work as an editor and writer made him very weary of abstraction, and it was that itch that led him to consider building. he wanted to create something physical, and real, and learn a new way of knowing that was less about heads and more about hands. i can sympathize. i think that's why i bake bread.

2) God of Small Things by Arunhati Roy

this is a delightful novel that takes place in India. it is not very plot driven but the language Roy uses is so playful and refreshing. it is very reminiscent of other magical realism stories that i have read, and more particularly one hundred years of solitude - for it's odd family relations, meandering plot line, strange yet endearing little girls, and general magic and mystery. i love it very much, and one of my favorite things about it is how Roy capitalizes whenever she feels like it. like, when she feels something seems to be an Important Thing. this is very great and here is why: a.a. milne does that too in winnie the pooh and it is one of my Favorite Things. which brings me to my final point:

3) Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne

is still so so good. even better, i might say, than it once was. i want you all to read it if you haven't read it in a while. and i want you to read it aloud to someone, should the opportunity present itself to you around the hour of Bed Time.

yours,

LLW