Thursday, August 27, 2009

Bob Dylan

OK, quick random rant this morning. My husband took the camera to camp, so I have no photos, but here goes:
1. Bob Dylan is releasing a Christmas album, the proceeds of which will go to charity. Great.
a. Can you imagine his voice wheezing "Drummer Boy"? I really like his music - a taste I must enjoy on the sly when my husband is not around - and I think he's a genius. But I don't think I will be able to hear him singing "Here Comes Santa Claus" without laughing.
b. The statement they wrote for him to announce the release sounds so unlike him, it's comical! They should have had him do his own. Even if totally unrecognizable as a plug for the group the album will benefit, it would have been BOB DYLAN, and people would have tried to figure out what on earth he was talking about!

2. Bob is working on a deal to be the voice on a car GPS. Can you imagine hearing that voice for hours on end on a road trip? Wouldn't you wonder if he would get you lost on purpose to help you come to an epiphany of some sort? And, what if he was being ironic, and when he said "Go straight" he meant "Do a u-turn to save yourself from the giant cliff ahead of you"?

For me, music is all about the lyrics, and Bob Dylan is a master. He shouldn't waste his time on songs with lyrics like, "We'll sing a love song as we go along, walking in a winter wonderland."

Come on.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Burda !!!!!

Yesterday I went to Vogue Fabrics, and checked at a magazine store up there for Burda, since Amazon said I wouldn't be getting my Burda subscription until October 1st. Well, they do carry it up there, but hadn't gotten the latest edition yet. Sadly, I went to Vogue, bought some fabric, and came home. At home, this was waiting in my mailbox:

Woooo Hoooo!
I scoured it for ideas, and decided to make this skirt in a dark denim, without the pockets. I traced it, added seam allowances, and cut out the fabric around 10 p.m. last night. (Fingers crossed that I traced the right size...)












I also want to make this jacket.
It is August in Chicago, and we should be sweltering in 100+ heat and 90 % humidity, but it's in the 60's and I'm wearing wool slippers and a long sleeved shirt! Hence the fascination with jacket patterns, I guess.

I also had to show this:

I love how non-English speakers can make their English perfectly correct, but somehow wrong. It cracked me up!

So.... Burda, thanks for coming! I look forward to all of your issues and I plan on making a "suitable outfit for a pleasant evening" very soon!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Birthday Bags

Last week was my son's birthday. He turned 9, which seems like a milestone- we're halfway done! I have a feeling the next 9 years will be somewhat trickier than the past 9, but hopefully cleaner. He's off to camp soon, and so I decided to sew him a camp bag for his toothbrush, toothpaste, etc. I figure he will probably not actually USE the toothbrush or toothpaste, but we mothers comfort ourselves by gamely sending things along in case our children are magically transformed into sanitary people when we are not around. Right.
Anyway, it is a basic box bag pattern, and it opens really wide in case he needs to get at some personal hygiene products in a hurry. (Because he will surely be thinking about keeping his teeth and armpits sweet smelling at camp!)



The next bag I made is for my friend and neighbor who has a birthday Wednesday. Where do I even start describing her? She is the fittest, tidiest person I have ever known, and not real into frills. She commented on another of these purses I'd made and I thought I should jump at the chance to make her something. The colors match her favorite Keens. The nice thing about this purse is that the wide gusset makes it hold tons of stuff. (What impressed my friend the most was when the owner of the other purse spent all day shopping, and at the end of the day whipped out a Diet Coke from it. It holds A LOT.)
So, that's some of what I've been sewing lately, and now I'm off to the library to pick up a craft book that's waiting for me.