Announcing...

our new friend Eden Mae Drew, born on May 23, 2009 in Newcastle, England. She will hopefully soon be wearing a new dress!

I love this sweet 1950s notecard, with its balance of pinks and blues, so either sex could send it.

Hello to Eden Mae (we can't wait to meet you), and hello to Mark, Helen, and Clarence Schwaebe. Where are you now?

Coughing Wolves

I was reviewing my portfolio the other day, and thought you might like to see this commercial I made over 2 years ago here in London. I don't want to use this blog to sell things, but I'm posting it since it's one of my favorite commercial projects.

Unfurled: Now Unraveled

I know I'm a "blogger", but if you know me, you know I hate social networking sites. I'm not on Facebook, I'm not reuniting with friends, and Myspace is not my space.


Having said that, I've finally joined Ravelry, and I think it's pretty great. It's one of the few places on the web that actually inspires me. On Ravelry, I'm "Unfurled" (of course), and hope to offer original patterns and designs. Of course, I'll always post them here as well, but if using Ravelry can be called networking, consider me connected. See you there!

Ruffle Her Feathers

I made this dress, from this book, which I got out of our library.
The front:


I made it for the upcoming newborn of our friends, but I'm rethinking it.
The back:

I want to make another one for a little walker, since I think a dress might be lost on a (lying down or sitting up) baby.
The ruffle, close-up:

I'm putting a copy in my folder of favorite patterns, to one day replicate...even better!

Thread Bear Down Under

Thread Bear is in Australia, making friends with Koala Father and Son. Since it's almost winter there, he's confortable in his sweater, but not so great with heights!

Bee Yourself!

Remember this dress? It has found its rightful owner, and has created quite a buzz! How adorable is she??!

Blouse in the House

It's been a while since I made myself something to wear. This blouse is cut from New Look 6754, and made of the 100% linen I had left over from Meg.


I made Liberty fabric facings from some leftovers as well, but I found the pattern facings too thin and unshaped. I'll be making my own pieces next time.


I'm out to find the perfect tank top pattern, in hopes of adapting it for some handmade treasures. How mysterious! If you know of a good pattern, pass it along?

Love 4 England: Strange Food

I love going to grocery stores in foreign countries. You never know what you'll see! One of my fondest memories of a trip to Austria was going to a grocery store with my friend's family. They put what I thought was a fire extinguisher in the basket, and it turned out to be cheese. In moving to England, I've noticed these incredible foods lining the shelves:

Branston Pickle is chopped gherkins, in a sort of thick and vinegar-y sauce. It's sweet, and almost always paired with cheese in sandwiches. It must be a pickeling idea that's a remnant of World War II, and good lord, is it nice. This is the "small chunk" variety, my personal favorite for ease of spreading.


HP Brown Sauce was my first ever gift from Mr. Jones. I had no idea what brown sauce was, and the next day a bottle was waiting for me on my desk. It's put on chips (aka fries), but mostly on breakfasts, "full English breakfasts" to be exact (see below). It's sort of like ketchup, but made of dates and molasses! Best of all, the company is called HP, which of course stands for House of Parliament, with an illustration on the front. Shall we call him Gordon Brown Sauce?


Speaking of English breakfasts, they're another favorite of mine. Called "The Full English" or "Fry-ups", they're served on every corner of this island, at any time of the day. It's a set menu of eggs, baked beans, sausage, bacon, tomato, and toast, served with some other bits, or a vegetarian variety (if you're lucky), and a cup of tea (of course). This lovely institution has morphed into a canned variety for about £1. It reminds me of that gum in "Willy Wonka" that lets Violet taste a three course meal. That, or dog food.


And finally chips, or as they call them here, "crisps". You have never seen a country of people who love potatoes, and more specifically potato chips, like English people do. I was in a corner shop the other day and literally half the place was just crisps. As you can see by these flavors, they're getting more experimental by the day. I haven't tried the squirrels yet, but they are vegetarian, and since I love fake meat, these could be right up my alley.

So if you see any of these foods in your international food aisle, my friends, buy them up! Are there any strange foods you particularly enjoy?