Oh my goodness (fans self)

So IndigoTangerine left a comment here last week asking if knew that this blog was mentioned in a book called Breakfast At Bloomingdale's. Which, um, no, I didn't! But it is!



I think most of you know that I'm a dictionary editor in my "day job", but when I was working for OUP I was also an "acquiring editor," which meant that I noodged, nagged, harangued, and otherwise coaxed books from ideas to publication. I have a shelf of books in my house that I can point to and say "I midwived those" (and in some of them I can point to the acknowledgements to prove it). Occasionally, when I am having a bad day, I go look at that shelf and I say to myself: "Those are some mighty kickass books that wouldn't be here if I hadn't helped." (I'm even prouder of those books than I am of my own.)

So anyway, of *course* I ordered this one. I may even put it on the same shelf!

Today's Pattern Story

Pink: Boo-yah! Let's get this party started! Holla back!

Blue: I hate this part of the movie, when I'm no longer queen bee. It's almost like being blonde is a handicap these days. Sheesh. I remember when I got to wear pink and go sleeveless. That's it, when this take is over I'm coloring my hair. Screw continuity, I'd be a fantastic redhead.

Gray: Ptarmigan. How'd that "p" get there? I wonder if that key grip would know?

[Special not-so-secret shoutout: Happy birthday, Mom!]

Such Great Heights

Anthropologie actually calls this the Great Heights Shift, so they are to blame for the instant earworm I just gave you, not me. Honest. (Anyone earwormed with the Iron & Wine version? Raise your hand in the comments.)

Eirlys sent me the link to this dress (I'm pretty sure -- Eirlys, was that you?) and I've been a-thinkin' about it something fierce. Not that I will buy this dress, because (given the reviews) it probably wouldn't fit me very well, but because I love this fabric. Love. It. So I keep thinking of ways to get me some. Like, "calling Anthropologie headquarters, tracking down stalking the manufacturer, and begging" ways. None of which will work, because, given the way modern retailing works, this dress was made months ago and there's probably, like, a yard of this fabric left (and it's being used to re-cover an ottoman, or make a cat-bed). Sigh. Anyway, that little picture up there doesn't do the fabric justice, click on the link and do the mouse-y close-up thing. (You know. That thing.) THEN you'll see. This would make the cutest A-line skirt with pockets ... or another Heidi, of course.

Completely unrelated: I found an awesome new (old) word for "someone who sews": sewster. You're welcome.

More Liberty Stuff

I recently set up a news alert for Liberty of London and I wish I hadn't. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have heard about the new MAC cosmetics/Liberty collaboration, which looks amazing (and I don't even wear that much makeup).




Man, that lipstick looks cute. Although I never wear lipstick that isn't lip balm with color in it, and rarely even remember to wear that. I swear, with regular lipstick, I'm like a dog wearing a hat, doing my best to rub the damn thing off, already.

Liberty is also supposed to be doing a huge collaboration with Target, due to launch at about the same time. Will I want one of everything? Probably. There's supposedly everything from "bird houses and bicycles to lingerie."

Anyone else know of more Liberty stuff coming down the pipe? I have to plan for this stuff, people!

Today's Pattern Story

Cindy: You're sure it was here?
Mindy: What?
Cindy: That we were to wait.
Mindy: He said by the invisible chair. (pause) Do you see any others?
Cindy: No, but I wouldn't. If they were invisible.

Cindy: He should be here.
Mindy: He didn't say for sure he'd come.
Cindy: And if he doesn't come?
Mindy: We'll come back tomorrow.
Cindy: And then the day after tomorrow.

Mindy: Day after tomorrow I have a hairdresser's appointment.
Cindy: Then Thursday, then. Thursday good for you?
Mindy: That's fine. Thursday.


Today's pattern is available from Jen at MOMSPatterns -- it's so cute, isn't it?

(With apologies to Samuel Beckett.)

Of Course You Can Buy This

So a brief mention of goings-on in Avonlea in yesterday's post made me start thinking about all the dresses in the Anne books (one of which I posted about the VERY FIRST month I blogged) and that led me to this, Anne's wedding dress.




I think this is from the widely panned miniseries/movie that I haven't seen, and not the actual books, but no matter. It's still pretty! (Click on the image to visit the Sullivan entertainment site, where the pattern is for sale.)

It would be well-nigh impossible for me to tally up all the hours I spent reading about Anne and Gilbert [heavy sigh]. Who's with me in still not-so-secretly thinking that Gilbert Blythe is one of the best too-good-to-be-true romantic heroes of girlhood literature? (And he's not even a vampire! Take that, Twihards!)

(I now feel a compulsion to watch that movie, despite the fact that it's not based a) on the books or b) set in Canada or c) in even remotely the same time period. Given all that, is it worth it?)

Am I Blue?

One more Heidi ... for now (evil laugh):



I'm not sure if the color really comes across on your screen, but this dress is BLUE. Blue blue blue blue blue. The closest I can come to describing it is that this is the blue that I assumed they painted the Avonlea hall:

a deep, brilliant blue, the shade they use for painting carts and wheelbarrows.

Despite it being probably not so good a color for a community hall on Prince Edward Island, I quite like it as a dress!

Here's the bodice -- note the lining which I deliberately pressed to show, for a kind of piping effect without the work:



And the same lining as the bodice for the pocket:



I have at least one more Heidi left to come -- I managed to cut out FOUR of them in one evening, assembly-line style, and have finished one. Seriously, at this point I hardly want to wear anything else -- they're just so comfortable!