if i were a designer...

...i would make munisaks - a central asian garment worn as an outer robe - with luxurious silks or ikat on the outside and beautiful, soft russian printed cottons on the inside.

these are shots of the lush and gorgeous russian textiles by susan meller.

i picked it up at the library yesterday and devoured it in one sitting.

this would be so easy to make, i just might have to get out the sewing machine.

sometimes the linings were patched together of several fabrics.
but i think that makes them that much more charming.

such a marvelous collection of pattern meller has put together

in most cases, i like the inside better than the outside.
they lined the silks with cotton because it was considered too ostentatious to have silk next to the skin.

it's also possible to make other things, not just munisaks - here's a skirt and a top and some folded bags.
so much inspiration in this beautiful book. i'm already dreading giving it back to the library.

getting out of my own way

i've been mulling these little dresses over for awhile now. they're very simple and they're reversible. and they're made of the beautiful organic cloud 9 cotton (this is from heather moore's gorgeous cut out & keep line) . this is my prototype, but i've cut out more fabric and i'll be sewing all weekend - making some modifications, adding vintage buttons, pockets and maybe something that's only a vague notion in my head at this moment.

i have a friend who has a toy store and she also sells children's clothes, so they'll be available there, as well as on beecharmer. and i'm even pondering turning a little room at the front of our house (currently where we house our couchsurfers) into a miniature shop (saying it here because writing is the new praying).

if anyone is interested, i'm happy to make whatever size you'd like. sabin wants one too, tho' this prototype is for a 2-year-old. (note to self: find a two-year-old to model it.)

the wind was blowing, can you tell?

this is one of the many things i've been procrastinating, waiting for precisely the right picture to appear in my head. today, i just got out of my own way and got stuck in. i'm pretty happy with the result. and working with these organic cottons is like a dream.

i should do that more often.

(thank you, michelle, for our chat last night, it helped.)

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by the way, this is awesome.