For Angels

One of my favorite children's books is by Wolf Erlbruch, Die fürchterlichen Fünf (roughly translated "the horrible five". I found a Spanish translation, Los Cinco Horribles, but not an English one. Go figure.). In a nutshell, some rather pitiable creatures--a rat, a spider, a toad and a bat--bemoan their miserable fate, that because they are so horrible and unlovable, that they have nothing to offer. Then, a hip hyena pulls them up from the depths of self-pity by making them each aware that they each possess a musical talent.

Well, everybody has a musical talent, that is, except Toad. Poor Toad.

Then, however, this kimono-clad toad pipes up and says "I can make pancakes!" And thus, our not-so-horrible heroes set about to open a very successful and popular live music venue serving pancakes.

About five times a day, the image of this kimono-wearing toad confidently announcing, "I can make pancakes!" pops into my mind. It reminds me that we all have something to offer, some talent we can contribute.

The Boutique Angels is a loosely organized group of women who sell their handmade creations, mostly on Ebay, to benefit different charities, primarily to benefit children. The leader of the Boutique Angels, Tiffany Hageman, was included in the Ebay Community Hall of Fame in 2006. I think of the afflictions and disasters countless people face and I realize my own helplessness and even apathy. But then, as I think of the Boutique Angels, I envision myself a toad in a kimono and saying, "But I can make sewing patterns!" It's not much, but if I put up a charity auction of these patterns, well, I've contributed something. I recently pulled up my donation receipt for my tax files: A charity auction now and then and I've contributed a handsome sum! This has been more donated, frankly, than I would have otherwise taken from our family's budget. And because of sewing patterns! I like that idea.

As a way to thank the Boutique Angels, I have sent a limited number of pre-release LAGUNA patterns to two retail partners, Banberryplace and SewzannesFabrics. Now, you can't buy this particular pattern. Not yet. But if you can show Banberry or Sewzanne's that you listed a Boutique Angels' auction recently, they'll send you a free pattern. Gratis. If you're not making a purchase, they'll probably ask you to cover shipping costs. This is about a $13.00 retail value. LAGUNA is a spiraling twirl skirt and--if the (trust me) simple skirt proves daunting, we have as a small consolation--leggings. You gave of your time, talent, ideas and materials, and now you can get a little something back. And that's not so horrible.

Please check with Banberry Place and/or Sewzanne's Fabrics for the exact details.

This promotion has received the kind consent of the Boutique Angels' moderation.

Oh, and, as always, no mass production of my designs. Really. Soooo not cool, people. Okay-dokey?

Drop-in visitors

My son has a special gift. Beautiful insects like his head. This has been going on since he was a baby: We'd be playing in the yard and along comes a butterfly to sit on his head. And stay there. Think about it: How often has a butterfly landed on you in your life? And if a butterfly landed on you, did it stay very long? It is very odd indeed, but very occasionally, a butterfly or, as we see here, a big green cricket, will sit on my son's head.

Conversely, my son likes to put frogs on his face.

Mein Sohn hat eine besondere Begabung: Schöne Insekten mögen seinen Kopf. Seit er ein Baby gewesen ist, landen Schmetterlinge auf seinen Kopf und bleiben dort sitzen. Überleg' mal: Wie oft ist ein Schmetterling auf dich gelandet? Und wenn, blieb er da lange sitzen? Gewiss sehr kommisch, nichtsdestotrotz recht oft sitzt ein Schmetterling oder, wie heute, die grüne Krille meinem Sohn auf dem Kopf.

Andersrum mag es mein Sohn Frosche auf dem Gesicht zu tragen.

2226 E 4 L B

I had a little homework assignment: A friend was voted by her illustrator peers to be included in an exhibit, which is housed at a terrific used--well, "used" is not really the correct word here. The owners are very particular about their selection. It's more "curated" than recycled. But I digress--terrific "curated" bookstore. And I thought I'd take a few photos of her work being exhibited for her.

This bookstore is in Long Beach. Long Beach is a town dominated in all things by the busiest seaport in this hemisphere. It is a town marked by granite-covered capitalism-induced office monoliths shadowing, not a single street over, working-class, gang-tagged pre-war bungalow neighborhoods. And the gang tags are good. No, boys and girls, street gangs are not good. No: Street gangs are bad. Bad. Bad. Bad. But they do keep the property values down. And that is good. It is good, because the lower lease rates allow for rare economic ecosystems of alternative consumerism to thrive. Wildflowers that grow between the cracks in the concrete. Anytime a halfway interesting store goes out of business in my neck of the woods, the location is quickly replaced by a day spa or a hair salon. Now, these are high-margin businesses, to be sure, but just how much hair do people have? How much maintenance can a face handle? I can walk for three blocks and get a different hair or skin treatment everyday for a month and still not be done. I simply do not want to be that beautiful!

East 4th Street appears to be a fragile, self-contained ecosystem. The vintage clothing seller buys from the vintage furniture seller, who buys from the used bookstore, who buys from the weirdo knick-knack place, who buys again from the vintage clothing seller. There is a real danger that if one of these independent entrepreneurs needs to step out of this tiny eclectic economic cycle--say, if the weirdo knick-knack lady purchases a fax machine at CostCo one week--that the whole system may collapse in on itself. Purely in the interests of conservation of eclectivism, I contributed to the economic activity of this street as best I could (Purely. Just an overwhelming sense of economic benevolence that caused this table to enter into my home. That's all. Really. Utter selflessness.). I bought two great books; one book on "Objects of Desire". I think I know now a thing or two about such things. Including said table. And how do you like my new impulse--I mean--end table? It goes great with my new books.

Across the street from the bookstore, someone wove this unfinished thought between the links of the chain link. I found this answer inside the bookstore.

You are beautiful.

Hier, Perlen in den Muschlen, Wildblumen die zwischen den Betonspalten wachsen, eine Einkaufsstrasse mit Altbüchern, -möbeln, -kleidungen. Ja: Der Beistelltisch hat uns irgendwie nach Hause gefolgt. Gar keine Ahnung wie das passiert ist. Zu der unvervollständigte Frage, "Du bist ..." habe ich im Buchladen diese Antwort gefunden. Stimmt: Du bist schön.

FYI: Lunada trousers pattern and fabric available from Banberry Place. Sabine made the shirt.

Thanks.

My thankfulness sometimes overwhelms me. I'm really thankful for these rowdy, using-the-wrong-fork *ahem* not-using-a-fork-at-all, giggling, dirty-socks-on-the-floor-dropping, too-long-in-the-shower-taking, random-love-note-leaving, homework-forgetting, sand-in-the-house-traipsing, whining, splashing, digging, planting, painting, sculpting, running, falling, knee-scraping, toe-stubbing, early-rising, pancake-making, no-waaaay-a-crush-on-someone-in-class-having, snuggling, reading, laughing, dancing, goal-scoring, sibling-teasing, golden-haired, sunny-smiling children.

I know what love is: It is this boy and this girl.

And then there is all the magic around me: The computer, the Web, the date buds sprouting from the tree in front, the radio in the kitchen, the music, Claritin (no more sneezing!), the warm water from the faucet, these Sharpie pens, the grocery store, human speech, written language, paper, the ports of Los Angeles and San Pedro, the spider web that stretches from the sycamore to the corner of the house, the perfection of natural systems, the beauty of all nature ... I am truly overwhelmed and I am thankful also for the sense of wonder.

And then there is the goodness all around me: The awesome neighbors, the friendly emails from strangers with a compliment, the sewing sisters around the world, the friends I still have from junior high, high school and college, my new friends, who feel just as gold--not silver--as the old, my dear husband, my retail partners, Sabine and Farbenmix, my dad, my sister, the guy who jumped out of his truck to help me gather up the boxes I dropped going to the Post Office, the moms with whom I exchange play dates...

My kids are pretty finicky eaters. I have discovered, however, that they are more likely to eat something if it is "mini": Mini burgers, mini pizzas, mini potatoes, mini-eggs (quail), mini trees (broccoli) and so forth. Thusly, the centerpiece of our Thanksgiving dinner was mini turkeys (a.k.a. rock Cornish game hens). Everybody gets their oooown turkey. Everybody gets their o000wn wishbone. I get my wish, too: Just one hour babysitting baking poultry instead of 3 or 4.

Thank you, too, for reading this.

Oh, this is kinda fun!

I put up a couple of quick Zazzle Christmas Cards. Just for the holiday of it. Totally easy. Kinda fun for those with designs they'd like to share.


make custom gifts at Zazzle

Und extra für Diba, dies hier. Besos, Diba!

Winging it.

I made something with garlic. Garlic promotes cardiovascular health, keeps mosquitoes, vampires and unwanted kisses at bay and now inspires creative hours. This is Claudia's Knoblauchrock, or "garlic skirt". Quite an original design: The finished skirt sort of has the form of a garlic. Very tasty indeed. And Claudia is quite the creative talent. I admire her greatly.

This skirt seemed to say "lady-like" to me and I wanted a little lady-like blazer. I didn't have a pattern at hand, so I tried my hand at drafting one. How tough can that be? I just need to get that one lapel/front piece right and the rest should just follow right along, right? And some ruffles. Yeah, ruffles across the back. Lady-like ruffles. And maybe one ruffle to come around the bottom. But not all the way. And some puffy things on the cuffs. Puffy lady-like cuff things. And lined. Of course, fully lined ...

Flying a bit close to the sun here. I spent a good day on drafting and got bored and then careless with the whole thing. I should have measured the lining pieces instead of winging it. Anyway, my laziness resulted in the Mystery Half-Inch Too Much. This Mystery Half-Inch Too Much sort of traveled its way about the blazer only to be scrunched up and hidden under that yo-yo/button blob on the right ... and then finished off with a silly bit of bias tape ... Ta-Da! I can almost hear the collective cringe among Home Ec teachers.

Scrunched up blobs and emergency bias tape are nothing a good hat, some sunglasses and a great purse can't cure, I say.

I let Anna have free reign in my let's-play-dress-up, um, vintage curations. I think she did a fine job in stying.

FYI: Stenzo corduroy. Fabrics from Beseme Baby and Fabric Bliss.

Sternenbrücke ... Let me explain

A rare opportunity.

"Sternenbrücke" could be translated to mean "bridge to the stars". For hundreds of families with terminal children, this hospice is a happy, helpful, healing place.

Many, many members of the klickundblick.de community and other German sewing forums have set up charity auctions to benefit "Sternenbrücke", a hospice for children. Many of the sellers in these auctions only very rarely sell anything. They put so much love, detail and work into each piece, that their things only go to friends and family. Now is a chance to have these items for your child and also benefit a beautiful organization for children and their families during their toughest months, days, hours and minutes.

Now, a note to my American Ebay friends, some of these ladies may not have the photography and photo editing skills that are de rigueur on Ebay.com, but don't let that hold you back from purchasing some of the most beautifully made clothes in the world.

Sabine even has a 10-piece set up. Ten. Count them. Even a fully lined winter coat. I see each of these items of clothing as hugs we can give our children to wear each day and with which we can be so thankful that we have not heard the words, "There is nothing more we can do for your child."

I will gladly help with any communications.