Perchance to Dream

Our friends at Simplicity think that we are either getting very sleepy or that all that we require for our fall wardrobe sewing projects are Pajamas. Twelve Pajama Patterns!
I blame myself. Earlier this year I made a list of sewing projects, and one of my projects was Make Pajamas.  Simplicity must have  misunderstood and thought that I wanted to make nothing BUT pajamas. Of course, with the world becoming much more casual, Simplicity might think that pajamas are all we need.
It is a little known fact among sewists that you do not really even need a pajama pattern at all. Anything can be pajamas. Basically they are nothing more than loosely fitting pants, a T shirt top or a basic shirt. My kids wear their pajamas all the time when they are home. I've seen teenagers wearing them to school, and my daughter reported seeing people, both men and women, wearing them around campus when she was in college.
I hate to buy pajamas because they are so easy to make, but I seldom make them because they are so simple that they are boring. Therefore my existing pajamas had become somewhat threadbare. I've made three pairs this summer, two for Mr. Hunting Creek ( I had to surreptitiously seize and destroy some of his old ones) and one for myself. I dd not use an official Pajama Pattern; instead, I used an elastic waist pants pattern that I designated Pajamas, by virtue of using classic car fabric for Mr. Hunting Creek and a pretty paisley cotton print for mine.They are are boring to make, yet so amazingly useful.Like the potholders, lap quilts and pillowcases I sometimes make, these get used all the time. (there's a message there somewhere about utilitarian sewing,but I am willfully ignoring it. I like to have fun in the sewing room. I like a challenge. Pajamas are not remotely challenging to make .Not even silk ones.)
So why did did Simplicity make the majority of their fall patterns "loungewear"?
Is it because many new sewists don't really know how to sew anything more complicated? Are they dumbing down their offerings? Do they think that all we want to make for fall is sleepwear?
If I could tell them what I'd like, my fantasy sewing list would include a chic winter coat, a stylish jacket, cute, different t shirts that remind me of the stuff at Anthropologie and J Crew, a dress or two and a nice men's shirt and pants pattern. Is that too much to ask?
Instead all I get is pajamas..Thank goodness for Independent Designers.
What would be on your fantasy sewing list, if you could have any pattern you wanted? I'm betting it's not pajamas.

No Comment

Several others have admitted to a shared enjoyment in reading the reader comments in online recipe blogs. I will also confess here, in public, to my addiction in the comments everywhere, but especially for products offered by online retailers. You’d think that people would not care enough to offer an opinion on, say, men’s pajamas, but au contraire! They care, and care deeply.
For example, these comments on men’s pajamas from the Gap:

“The colors were different than I expected when I ordered. The stripes are grey and teal or aqua on a white background- there was more white than I expected.”

.  Colors - most men don’t care or even know the difference between teal/aqua/blue etc. There was more white than she expected? Really? Does that matter?These are pajamas, not tuxedo pants-- your husband does not care about the stripes, I guarantee.

Love these thoughts on the sweatshirt hoodie, a slacker staple:

This won't function as a garment to keep you warm, but it is really cute and simple. I returned mine, but it fit me flawlessly. I got the Medium Tall size, I'm 6'4 and 170 lbs for reference. But yeah, if you want a layering hoodie or something to wear in the spring, this is good. Not for winter though.

So...he liked it but he returned it? and why would you buy a hoodie that wouldn't keep you warm? Isn't that the raison d’etre of the sweatshirt? The whole point of the hoodie(besides being warm and cozy) is to be emphatically Not Fashionable. To loudly display your complete disinterest in playing the fashion game, and also, to show that YOU don’t have to wear suits and ties, those are for the nameless drones who work for The Man.
I was pleasantly surprised to see a man use the description “cute” in his comments.

My favorite comments remain the comments on cooking blogs. The range of experience in cooks is so great that the review on a plain old cookie can be anything from 1 fork to 5 forks, depending on the cook:

I think I have to stop trusting the forks on epicurious. I now have a huge bag of these in the freezer. There is something they lack...I think it might be salt but I'm not sure. I even added some orange zest and chopped hazelnuts to some of them...still too crumbly and buttery in a bad way and not much better in the taste department. Maybe they're better with nutella?

The answer here is EVERYTHING is better with Nutella..;.next question?

These brownies were too cakey and not chocolaty enough for my taste. The former could probably be addressed by reducing to 4 eggs. But to address the chocolaty issue I'll probably just poke around for another recipe.

I think I could have a career as a recipe commenter therapist. The real problem here is a Fudgy Brownie Person has made a Cakey Brownie recipe. Like the Hatfields and McCoys, those two tribes should not be mixed. Also, brownie recipes with five eggs (!!!) should be avoided.. It’s not chocolaty enough because it’s made with melted chocolate, not cocoa - very zen but true.
Find a brownie recipe made with cocoa and fewer eggs.

And of course, some people take recipes personally, and are insulted by the very existence of a variation on a traditional bread::

First of all, challah is a bread for the Jews and it is made by certain standards and none of those standards are met with this recipe. Secondly, only Rosh HaShanah challah is round and it is made with raisins, cinnamon and honey/sugar but no seeds. The rest of the year the dough is braided as is shown in your kneading video. In my entire life I have never heard of a challah recipe with so little flour and not being kneaded. I would have no objection to this recipe if it were not called challah but this recipe is an insult to the Jews and to Challah itself.

Can’t non-Jewish people bake challah? Isn't that one of the reasons that makes America great? And what is so horrible about a quicker, easier version?
Something else is going on here besides her horror at a non-traditional baking method.
As a Recipe Therapist, I have to say, “Lighten up, sweetie”.

What’s your favorite comment? Please share.

(on a side note, I find it deeply amusing that Google spell check questioned the spelling of "hoodie". You'd think that they of all people would know , since that's all they wear at the Google campus.)

Eileen Fisher Wishes You Happy Birthday

picture Courtesy of Nordstrom

Eileen Fisher must have some secret pact with the Census Bureau or Social Security Administration, because on my 52nd birthday (just about 10 days ago) I received an Eileen Fisher email from Nordstrom. I was looking at it (like all oldest children, we obediently read what is sent to us; we're polite that way.) and Mr. Hunting Creek looked over my shoulder. "Those look like wrinkled pajamas," he said. "It's Eileen Fisher," I told him, "They always look like that. I think it was Nora Ephron who said that Eileen Fisher was for women who have just given up."
"But YOU haven't given up," he said, (a little alarmed at the prices, I think.)
"No, I can make my own wrinkled pajamas." I said.
This is more my style, Eileen, or this. Can you do something like these?
But thanks for the birthday wishes!