Much too good for use

"Now everything must be washed in hot water and soap, because of the children's dirty hands,' said Mrs. Williams, 'and when it is thoroughly dry it must be wrapped in baize and locked up in the strong-room. It is much too good for use." (The Letter of Marque, 1988, Patrick O'Brian)...much too good for use. Where have we heard that before? Do you have china or fabric or napkins or some other heirloom that is "too good" to use? When my grandmother died I received a stack of hand embroidered pillowcases. They must have been 30 years old. They had never been used - they were Too Nice. I promptly washed them and used them. I swore I wasn't going to be like my grandmother, who had nice things but never used them, but I look around me and I see the signs. I work at home, so I don't wear my nicer clothes around the house. Oh no - those are for going out only. Why? I can't dress nicely for just me?
If I were to make a New Year's Resolution, this would be it. No Hoarding. If I have it, use it. I have stacks of beautiful fabric that I don't sew - why? Because it is Too Nice. So who am I saving it for? It's mine. I can do whatever I want with it. No one is going to punish me if I use it for something different that what I originally bought it for. If I don't use it, it will just sit there gathering dust and taking up space (and eventually be sold at my children's mega yard sale for $5.)
These traits run in families. When my son was little, he would only eat half of something and ask to "save it for later".
I used to collect cookbooks, but I found that I only really used about 25 of them, and they were getting out of control, so one day I went through them all and took all of the books that I was sure I would never use and gave them to my brother. He kept some and then happily released the rest into the wild by selling them on half.com. Now someone else is happy with them and I have more shelf space. (I am resisting the urge to fill it back up.) The remaining books I try to use all the time. I try to keep them clean, but I make myself not fret if they accidentally get a splash or a mark on them. That's part of being used; they are mine to use. (The splashes will be seen by my descendants as historical.)
I have to do the same with my closet. It isn't that I don't wear some of my clothes because I don't like them or they don't suit me. I don't wear them - the nicest clothes - because they are Too Nice. I don't sew my favorite fabrics because they are Too Nice. What if I wore clothes I loved every day that were made out of my favorite fabrics? Wouldn't that make me happier to treat myself like I deserved the nice things that I have? I don't have to save them for anyone else. I am not alone in my hoarding. Gretchen Rubin wrote that she saves her new underwear.
When I read that I had that cold shock of recognition. "I do that too!', I thought. And I have to stop that now.
So in the kitchen, I will try to use up all the good stuff every day. In the sewing room I am going to try to use my favorite fabrics FIRST. Because what am I saving it for? Today is all we have, really.
Happy Sewing!

Save the Date

It is a truth universally acknowleged that a woman in possession of a family wedding invitation must be in want of a new dress (and is also immediately on a diet.) We received the "save the date" postcard yesterday. Unfortunately all it asks is to save August 1st in North Lake Tahoe. Details such as inside? Outside? Formal? Barefoot with daisies? Sincere reading of poems written on birchbark? not indicated.
Luckily my daughter returns from Italy this weekend and we can confer on our strategy. The last family wedding we attended, I made a formal silk dupioni skirt which was worn with a silk kimono sleeved jacket that was admired by all. Mr. Hunting Creek says, "Why don't you wear that pretty suit you have?". "I can't wear the same outfit I wore two years ago!", I cry. Men! They just don't understand.
Outside, informal, the McCalls shirtdress above in silk would be appropriate.
Or maybe Vogue 1044 WITH the hat? I love hats and never get to wear them.

Maybe this will be an excellent excuse to use some of my vintage patterns and wildly impractical fabric stash?
What do you make for weddings? (My son says weddings are just an excuse for women to dress up and he isn't far wrong.)
Happy Sewing!

The Buck Stops Here

Anyone who has ever tried to quit smoking or drinking or any pernicious addiction can tell you the tricks the mind plays on the addict to try and tempt said virtuous abstaining addict to fall off the wagon. As I discussed a few months ago, my children (who up until that point had seemed like nice, well behaved and affectionate children) claimed that I had a fabric and pattern "problem". They claimed that I was an addict; I denied it. (Which is exactly what an addict would say.) I found myself telling Mr. Hunting Creek this weekend that I had not bought any fabric or patterns since last March and we both realized: that's when the recession began! Yes! Mrs. Hunting Creek, mild mannered textile artist, quilter and sewista-poseur may be responsible for the worst recession since the Great Depression! So I expressed this belief, and asked Mr. Hunting Creek if I should, instead moderate my fabric fast in order to jump start the economy, patriotic duty and all that. For those of you not fortunate enough to know Mr. Hunting Creek personally, let me just say that he is a trained economist and responds to comments like that with statements that include terms like "declining marginal utility", "St. Milton Friedman", and "Keynesian."
What I took away from his possible Nobel prize winning discourse is that OTHER sewistas should support their favorite fabric pushers, but not Mrs. Hunting Creek. It was his opinion that addict that I am, I may have caused the whole Global Financial Meltdown in order to thus have an excellent excuse to purchase yards and yards of fabric, claiming to be doing it to "save the world". "Addicts are like that", he says. "They'll do anything for their fix".
So my fellow addicts (you know who you are), get out there and spend. Do it for the country, do it to save the economy, and while you are buying some lovely Italian wool doublecoth, think of me. Your country will thank you later.


p.s. if I were going to buy a new pattern, this new McCalls shirtdress caught my eye. Would it be cheating if someone bought it for my birthday?...just asking...

On the cutting table

Jalie's sweetheart top. Every version I have seen is just so cute, and who doesn't need a new long sleeve top in the winter? I am so not a winter person, so I am making it in my favorite color to cheer myself up. I traced off the pattern this afternoon and compared it to my TNT T shirt pattern. I've never made a Jalie before, so first, I will cut a muslin out of some leftover Christmas knit and see how it fits. Then I'll make adjustments and cut some lovely turquoise and black knit(sold out, sorry!) from Gorgeous Fabrics that has been aging in the stash since last winter, waiting for its closeup. I'm sad that I have to go back to work tomorrow, but happy that the holidays are over!
What's on your cutting table?
Happy Sewing!

Inaugural Ball Faux Pas Prevention

Do you lie awake at night, drenched in a cold sweat, chilled to the bone with worry that someone else will wear the same gown that you are wearing at the Inaugural Ball? Oh the horror! But never fear! Some good samaritans have invented an Inaugural Ball Dress Registry to prevent this future social catastrophe.
Of course, if you make your own dress, no one will have one like it. The Balls are not until Jan 20th. Since I always make everything at the last minute no matter how much time I have, that is plenty of time to whip up a ball gown.
If I were going I would make Evening separates in jewel tones, so that I could wear the pieces again in other combinations. I like Vogue 2607
After the ball, I'd make the short skirt and another harmonizing blouse to complete the ensemble and I'd be set for weddings, the Georgetown cocktail party circuit and evening receptions. But maybe this is too practical for you? Maybe you have a killer figure and you want to show off a little?
Then why not wear Vogue 2880?

Don't forget that there is a lot of standing, it is very crowded and it gets really cold in Washington in January, so don't forget a wrap and a handsome date in a tuxedo. All you need now is an invitation!
Happy Sewing!

Slow is IN

My secret vice: the IN/OUT lists, especially in our hometown paper the Washington Post. Some things I even get to explain to Mr. Hunting Creek, which makes me feel delightfully au courant.
What these lists tell us is what they think will be in and out. My list below is what I want to be in and out.

OUT: those horrible, trashy, Real Housewives of...shows. Because what is so OUT as a Housewife, anyway? Words cannot describe the horror these shows are. They are all so yesterday anyway. Who has that kind of time to conspicuously consume anymore?
IN: Shows about sewing, designing, creating and running a creative business. I think it would be interesting. Also travel - but real travel, not glamour travel. Not just 100 best beaches stuff.
OUT: Those awful babydoll dresses that make women look pregnant. I don't like them. I say they're spinach, and I say the hell with them.
IN: Fashions that make women over the age of 19 look sexy yet not slutty
OUT: Sexism. I still see, hear and read comments from our elected leaders, newspeople and others that make me cringe. What planet are you on, Bill O'Reilly? Planet 1965? (Not to pick on just Bill alone, there are countless examples of men who should Know Better being sexist. Let's resolve for 2009 to quit this bad habit.)
IN: Feminist men. Brad Pitt as an example.
OUT: Money
IN: Making do and enjoying what we have. Of course, we should have done this before, but now, no one has any money, so we have to. We might as well make it enjoyable.
OUT: Socialites
IN: Women of achievement. Let's celebrate women for something more than their gene pools, checkbooks or marital accomplishments, shall we?
OUT: Shopping
IN: Sewing at home. It's fun and mastering any craft is good for our mental health. One of the surprises of 2008 was the popularity of apron patterns. This tells me more people are sewing AND cooking and that's a good trend.
OUT: Fast Food
IN: Slow Food. Cooking at home is enjoying a renaissance. Eating at home with your family is not just good for the bottom line but also good for strengthening family ties and mental health.
OUT: Recession Gloom and doom. 2008 is over baby! Out with all that gloomy recession-speak.
IN: 2009. New Year, New President, new direction, NEW New Deal, new economy, new everything.
As my idol Tim Gunn says, "Make it work".
Slow is good, fast is out. Flashy is out, REAL is IN. 2009, you are my new favorite year.
Happy New Year to all, and thank you for visiting Little Hunting Creek.

Coincidence?

Is it a coincidence that Best Sister Ever (along with best Brother Ever) gave me about 200 vintage patterns and most of them are her size? Just asking...

Favorites so far:
Miss Moneypenny jumper and blouse


I always loved Miss Moneypenny. She seemed to put Commander Bond in his place; I like that in a gal. A proto-feminist. All business. Maybe someday we'll see a movie where SHE gets a license to kill. And she can do everything a man does but in high heels. (A great concept, call my agent...)
I see this one in wool crepe with an English (of course) shirting. The cool striped kind.



Lolita jumper (is it just me, or is this pattern illustration ten kinds of creepy?)
Those knee socks, that school girl hair, those SHOES! Unless the wearer is 9 years old, this one is a definite DON'T. Simplicity made it up to size 16 Misses, so someone at some time thought this was appropriate for adults. The 60s were a strange time, class. The social scientist in me says that maybe someone wanted desperately to infanticize women so they would stop agitating for equal rights. Or they just had a weird Lolita thing going on. If I were 16 and had a Twiggy figure I'd make this in wool plaid. No knee socks, Go Go Boots. And fishnet hose. In for a penny...




That saucy minx in blue; doesn't she look like Doris Day? (I love her movies; she has the BEST clothes. Pattern companies- you should make a retro movie star pattern line. It could have categories like Doris, also Audrey, Katharine, Elizabeth and Marilyn... That's a million dollar idea! Call that agent back! Ari, baby, have I got a product tie in for you.) I like the use of rick rack on this one. We need more rick rack opportunities.



This one has both Dorothy Hamill and Farrah influences. I love the top with the flutter and long sleeves option - cause one sleeve isn't enough.

I know the 16 year old me would have made this pattern if I had seen it. I even had a Dorothy Hamill haircut when I was 16. I wonder if I made it now, if it might be a classic example of mutton dressed as lamb. At least views one and two. However, I reserve the right to make view 3 out of scarf print fabric. I'm not that old. Also Mr. Hunting Creek says I have been looking younger lately. I really must have his eyes checked...or maybe not. :)
Who is going to argue when he says stuff like that?
Happy Sewing!