“Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.”
― William Shakespeare, Shakespeare’s Sonnets
One of my favorite things is my garden and playing in the dirt in general. I have had time to work in my garden recently. It had been neglected this year due to various factors that kept me away from it and focused on other things. Gardens need attention or they become overgrown and/or perish. I find great comfort in gardening. It provides a lovely splash of color in an otherwise green space and it sooths me. I enjoy having a little order, a bit of chaos, and loads of color in my garden. I like to sit at the close of the day and enjoy a glass of iced tea or wine while I sit and listen to the birds having their evening trip to the feeders and bath. Life happening around me and the sounds of nature is grounding for me. This is why I missed having my garden in order this year.
Another of my favorite things is fashion. I enjoy a well put together outfit. Even more, I enjoy finding and pairing fabrics to make clothing. It is rare to find a good fabric store these days since sewing clothing is becoming a lost art. I used to love to go to the fabric shop with my mother. All the colors and textures to browse through was a joy we shared. I loved mixing and matching fabrics in different ways to create fun and unique outfits. I liked that I was wearing things I had made that no one else would be wearing. These days, with life being so fast paced, it is hard to find the time to sew much. If you do find the time, it’s hard to find quality clothing material. Most fabric shops are devoted to craft fabrics and unless you are sewing for a four year old, craft fabrics are not suitable for creating an (adult) outfit.
There was a wonderful fabric store in my home town run by a lovely young woman. She would take buying trips to New York to buy wonderful fabrics and buttons from London and Europe for her clientele. I miss that store. It was the last local shop I can remember going to that had great clothing fabrics. I suppose I will need to make a trip to New York to find a well-stocked fabric shop. I will also have to bring my wallet. Fabric is not as economical as it once was.
This love of sewing is what connected me to the world of fashion and brought me to know various designers. I loved seeing a designer look and trying to create something inspired by that for myself. I learned pattern making and how to take a pattern and adapt it for what I wanted. Vogue patterns were some of my favorites. I liked taking simple designs and using different textured fabrics and unique buttons to make something special. I was in awe of Coco Chanel. She was a ground breaker for fashion and women designers. I made myself a classic Chanel suit once and the whole time I was sewing I played Edith Piaf’s music in the background. Maybe I thought it would help my sewing be more authentic. I remember one of my first Vogue patterns was from a design by Issey Miyake. To this day I love his work. Claude Montana, Tom and Linda Platt, and so many others are a part of my pattern collection. It was so easy to look chic with such fabulous designers letting Vogue deliver their designs to the home seamstress.
The last favorite thing I will mention here is my love for a great suspense novel. While I don’t read as much as I once did, I love sitting down with a well written suspense novel. I like trying to figure out the solution to the puzzle before the final pages. I am overjoyed when a writer puts in a final twist at the end that you never saw coming, but makes sense once you read it. Agatha Christie, John Ramsey Miller, Jeffery Deaver, John Grisham, and Dick Francis are some of my favorites; all for different reasons. It’s a mystery how some of those writers can craft such detailed stories that hold you from the start to the final page. Agatha Christie was the first author I started reading at a very young age. I was totally amazed how she wrote so many books all with a different plot and each book able to take you down a path of intrigue with a flare of the dramatic that could only come from her era, yet they are still as captivating and interesting to read after so many years since they were first published.
Thank you for letting me ramble on about my favorite things. What are some of yours?
Goodies:
Gardens:
Top – Osito, Stitched Frilly Top, Pink Gingham
Shorts – Blueberry, Jimena, Denim
Shoes – Unisex Sneakers, Black
Tool – Toolshed, Gardening tools, Shovel Narrow, Green
Chanel:
Jacket and dress – Lybra, Coco Set, White
Leggings – Izzie’s High Waisted Tights, Black
Shoes – Azoury, Loola Shoe, Black
Necklaces – Maxi Gossamer, Knotted Shimmer Pearls
Maxi Gossamer, Alexa White Choker Pearls
Bracelets – Mandala, Pearl Rain Season 3, White
Maxi Gossamer, Copacetic Tallulah Bangles, White
Suspense:
Coat – Cheeky, Trench Coat, Creme
Hat – Meli Amako, Mesh Summer Floppy Hat
Glasses – Zara Sunglasses, Black
Shoes – Tres Beau, Takeover Heels, Brown
Jewelry – Sigma, Wooden Bead set, Charcoal
Cell Phone – Elan, Cell phone