DC and ME!

Julia Child's kitchen! So warm and welcoming. Not blurry in real life.

Thumbs up America!

A thoughtful dog ponders our nation - where it has been and where we are going. Arf.

WWII nic nacs from the Air & Space museum - it is a business card that says,"I'd like to make a date with you. If your answer is yes, just keep this card. If no, just hand it back." I guess this was how dating worked for the GIs? Pretty ingenious.

Stewardess Apparel in the 60s - H-O-T! I checked though - I'm not eligible, should I come across a time machine. There were very strict specifications for these ladies. With outfits like these, of course!

A weekend away from NYC is refreshing every once in a while - I spent this past one in our nation's capitol, Washington, D.C. It was so fun being a tourist! We went to a billion museums and walked everywhere so I guess its ok that I skipped the gym for a few days.

Highlights: the newseum was so awesome! Although it does cost $20 for admission, while all of the Smithsonian museums are free, it was definitely worth it - and I'm a cheap bastard so that is saying a lot. We spent 4 hours there! And there is a 4-D ride so that is always a bonus - I'm a sucker for multiple dimensions, especially when you are expecting less. There is a whole giant room filled of newspapers dating back hundreds of years - dorky, but its really so cool to see a part of history that might have seemed as ubiquitous as the Metro or AM NY seem to me today - or, maybe not, what with the whole lack of a free press, in some instances.

Crafty-wise, I dragged my very patient companion to the Renwick Gallery which had craft exhibits - a small (but lovely) building/mansion that had some cool stuff! Like knit super hero outfits! And a whole gallery of the super girly type of paintings that I like, of fancy ladies in vintage finery, and fairies, and impressionism and all sorts of romantic stuff that gets might get neglected amidst more Important Art. Well, I am here to give it some love!

The American History museum was good - super crowded of course, which made it difficult to appreciate since you had to wait on line for the more popular exhibits and couldn't really take your time with things without being jostled. I did love seeing Julia Child's kitchen, especially after seeing Julie/Julia last week. It was funny to see a bunch of people sitting on the floor watching episodes of her show playing inside the exhibit - even after so many years, its easy to see her appeal.

But my absolute favorite part of the trip...next post! (That's a cliffhanger, see?)

Little fail

To Get a Sense of scale, you can compare it to this dino-binder.

Ta da! for the time being...

A little cavernous as gym bags go...

My first Model!

I got my first commissioned order yesterday so I whipped up a tote bag last night. No pattern for me, which led to a few issues, size wise, but I do think that the patterns I've used over the past few weeks have given me a bit more expertise when flying blind.

Its still a little scary to cut into a piece of shiny new fabric, but I'm overcoming my fear - and was even able to improvise after realizing that my original measurements were a bit off.

After stitching everything up the bag was a little bit gigantic - perfect for a beach tote (note for next summer) but too bulky for a gym bag. No worries though - I think I can just trim off a few inches from the top and put it back together pretty easily (famous last words).

Tune in next week for the thrilling conclusion of...tote bag tribulations! In the meantime I think I'll go here to feel a little better about myself.

My Shoppe

My first item for sale! Chinese Zodiac Wine Tote, on etsy.

I much prefer the word "shoppe" as in "Olde Tyme Shoppe" to plain old shop. BORING! What this is about: putting together an etsy shop! I'm slowly but surely making my own - right now I've posted two cute wine totes. Will anyone buy them? I hope so! Otherwise I'm going to be giving out a bunch of wine totes for Christmas! Not a bad thing...but judging by the stash of other holiday handicrafts I've already completed (I know its August, I like to be prepared) I might have a surplus.

Here is the shop if you want to take a look: Emma on etsy!

Welcome to My Blog!

Me in my first all-by-myself handmade dress! A little wonky around the edges but no one notices but me!

Hi! It's a bit daunting to begin my first blog post...this has to set the tone for the whole shebang, get people hooked and all that - so much pressure! Since I'm the only one here so far I guess I shouldn't worry too much. Anyway, here goes...

Here is my blog! Oh technology! Let me introduce myself, and tell you why I am here:

My name is Emma, and I'm a young lady living in Brooklyn with some time on my hands. I decided I needed some sort of creative outlet to add some pizzazz to my life. On a whim, I dusted off the Singer sewing machine my mom got me for Christmas two years ago and signed up for a simple sewing class. Seeing the machine next to my dining room table still in the box made me feel guilty, lazy, and wasteful - but I couldn't seem to figure it out on my own without some help (and without mom by my side to help me out of a fabric related jam, as she'd done when I was a wee lass putting together a scrunchie or two, or ten).

Fast forward a few months, and here I am, obsessed with creating fun pretty things! I still do the daily grind of getting up and going to work every morning, but now instead of coming and watching some crappy summer reruns, I can't wait to pick out a new project and sew into the wee hours.

Added bonus: Up to my elbows in needles and thread, I'm less likely to grab the ice cream - my hands are full!