The Color of Winter

After apartment hunting one weekend in Ann Arbor, we were looking for a place to picnic and thought we would visit the Leslie Science and Nature Center. We saw some amazing birds of prey, but I just kept looking around at all the brown out there... We will have to return later in the spring, I suppose, to see the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach and the Eastern Box Turtle. Incidentally, we noticed a neat mid century apartment place on the drive in and set up an appointment that very afternoon to have a look see. Two-bedrooms, hardwood, and close to campus- we will be moving in July!

Snagged this Baggu while visiting Brooklyn in April. I think it will be perfect for the lake this summer!

Baking and Waiting for Spring

This Easter pie looks better than it tasted- I should have trusted my gut instinct to never add gelatin to anything! Also, the shortbread crust was pretty much just a big cookie. 

After visiting Rose Bakery in Paris I knew that I wanted to get this cookbook but since I didn't want to lug it home with me in my suitcase, it had to wait for Christmas. Gorgeous illustrations and these banana oat muffins were pretty good if I may say so.

I woke up one morning really missing sultana scones and clotted cream which Ander and I ate for breakfast much too much while in Oxford last summer. These were tasty approximations but alas- no clotted cream!

Valentine's Day at The Z

This Valentine's day, we headed to Revolver for an amazing dinner prepared by chef Kate Williams. The Thai chile oyster and salmon bisque with pine nuts was perhaps the best soup I have ever had! Anyway, afterwards we headed to Detroit to drive through Dan Gilbert's latest project- the Z parking garage. Click here for a great promo video and short write up. It was around 1am, so it was really just us with a tripod and a security guard in there.

Round About The Fisher Building

These churches stand right beside each other near the now historical site of the Ford Piquette Plant.

 The factory is long closed but the churches are still open: http://abundantfaithcathedral.org/about-us/.

Russell Street Industrial Center- "Chimera" by Kobie Solomon.

"The Illuminated Mural" by Katie Craig.

We took a free and very informative tour of Detroit's Fisher Building which was designed by Albert Kahn who is also responsible for several of University of Michigan's most iconic buildings.

Thanksgiving Day Parade big head puppets on display inside. These were actually inspired by and made in collaboration with artisans from Viareggio, Italy.

So we had heard tell of Detroit-style pizza and knew that this is the place to go- turns out it's square, deep dish but not too greasy, and pretty tasty!

View from the top of the Fisher Building.

Barton's Pond Part II

Water's Edge

Polar Vortex three is just around the corner but the weather is fine for a Sunday morning walk.

Portraits: Friends, Family, and Animals too

I have been wanting to make the leap to a dslr for some time now and for Christmas I got a Canon Rebel T3i. Now the task is to learn how to use it properly- easier said than done but I love the process. Here are some portraits from the holiday break.

 Dr. Garton

 Best pizza in PDX and the man who makes it

 My parents

Elena on New Year's Eve (2013)

Childhood friends

 Kainoa's second Christmas

Allie @ Paxton Gate

The late, great Sachi Miura

Ikat Jamie Shift

This was a simple shift dress that I made up using a heavier weight ikat fabric and a pattern from the BurdaStyle Sewing Vintage Modern book. I originally made this in a size 36-38 but needed to size down to a 34 for the final version. I also added 2.5 inches to the hem rather than 1.5 inches. Overall, I am pleased with the dress and plan to wear it during the summer and into the fall.

Black Linen Oversized Shirt

I finally made up the Long-Sleeved Shirt (8a) from Simple Modern Sewing by Shufu To Seikatsu Sha using some plain slate-black linen blend fabric from my stash. I like that this book has been translated into English and contains standard US measurements. This was the first time that I have made anything with button holes or a Chinese collar and I now feel pretty comfortable with both, though I do think that the various gathers and oversized style make construction much easier. In the future, I would like to try the Archer Button Up Shirt from Grainline Studios.

Clutch II

Sent the shibori clutch to my mum and decided to try again with a different fabric. Some raw silk that I got during my last trip to Portland. This time I used interfacing on both sides and inserted a tie rather than the magnetic clasp. This is just the thing I needed to keep my various notebooks (love the Midori traveler's notebook) and kindle organized in my backpack/purse.

Also skipped the pocket this time since I don't really have use for one. Probably could have added a pen holder for my trusty fountain pen- oh well!

Shibori Clutch

I followed this Purl Bee tutorial to make a clutch out of my shibori fabric. I generally like the simple shape but probably should have used interfacing on both pieces of fabric. Also, the magnetic Dritz snap is insanely strong- is there any way to slightly demagnetize a really strong magnet?

At Home

Some candles I got thrifting and our new coffee-making set up. Switching from a french press to a chemex is a big deal around here! So far, so good-

New Sewing Books

Acquired some new sewing books for the new year. Have yet to sew something from BurdaStyle Sewing Vintage Modern but am excited about these Japanese pattern books. Also purchased some vintage patterns online.