I’m not even pretending to be on top of what the kids are listening to now-a-days (though, I did get the new tv on the radio album and it is way killer, although a little less edgy than their usual stuff). However, there is no question that, along with all that rock n’ roll noise that I’m so fond of, i adore old motown, soul, do wop, and blues. Its sort of a very 1968 moment in current pop right now, with, yes, Amy Winehouse, but also some great motown-y tracks like “Pretty Please” by Estelle and, well, everything Gnarls Barkley touches (including Pretty Please, since its actually a duet with Cee-lo). And Duffy, whose video for “Mercy” is featured above, falls right into that trend, but does it so well…

I first heard Mercy on So You Think You Can Dance over the summer when Mia Michaels choreographed a contemporary piece to it, and having now purchased the whole album (Rockferry) I am just madly in love with Duffy and excited to see what she does next. Yes, the album does refer back to lots of great vocalists and songwriters - I could imagine Etta James recording “Delayed Devotion” and while there is, and always will be, only one Aretha Franklin, you can tell that someone spent a lot of time with Ms. Franklin’s “Lady Soul” on the turntable, taking copious notes.

Anyhow, I highly recommend Duffy’s “Rockferry” (and for that matter, Gnarls Barkley’s “Odd Couple” while we’re on a nu-soul kick). It may make you want to run out and buy a bunch of albums released way before you were born…. not that there’s anything wrong with that *wink*

I’ve had a fab few days with danielle visiting for fashion week. Not only is it fun to see a friend I only get to hang out with twice a year, its great to see her illustrations in action… literally! At brunch on sunday she whipped out a notepad and sketched me and what was left (three potatoes) of my green eggs and ham… and oh my, was it cute!

So of course that put me in a doodling mood. I’ve felt like it was time for a new banner for a while, and i didn’t want it to be so sewing specific since I do a lot of jewelry now too. I’ve been enjoying drawing these headphones (and etching them into copper) lately, so i thought they might be fun in a header. What do y’all think?

Its that time of year again - Fashion Week! I’ve been watching the tents go up in Bryant Park for the last week or so, and now everything is in full swing. Granted, watching the tents go up is about as involved with fashion week as I typically get - though I walk past the tents pretty much daily, I typically do so on my way to getting something to eat, and everybody knows fashion people dont eat… (I kid, I kid)

However, its always fun to dip your toe into the Fashion Week waters, and so last thursday, Christine and I went to the Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion show, and had a blast. The Gen Art show is, as far as I am aware, the only big fashion show where you can buy tickets. Christine and I turned what seemed like a sticky seating situation into prime photo taking* territory - we were in the very last seats, but a kind Gen Art volunteer let us stand on the steps, which allowed me to zoom in on the catwalk. I can’t say that I loved everything that was shown, but I can certainly say that I am a newly minted Sariah fan. It was also especially fun to have a “friend of a friend” moment, as Danielle’s pal Phillip Sparks was one of the 8 designers in the show.

Also - a super fun moment at the end of the show came when we ran into Kevin and Jack from Project Runway Season 4 - I took a picture of them with Christine but was too silly to ask for one with me!

* These are NOT my best photographs from the night, but I may be writing an article for a magazine on the event. Until I talk with the editor over what photos she’d like to use, I’m only blogging photos I’m sure aren’t print worthy… but once I get the okay, there will be tons of photos from the event for your enjoyment!

Not only at stereoette, but at my apartment too!

My latest craft project is my bedroom curtains, and let me just tell you, I am *winging* it. The unfortunate result of that is that the right curtain is currently sliiightly longer than the left one (but that will be fixed). The only problem with my “fly by the seat of my pants” approach to home dec is that the curtains leave me a little bit unsatisfied. They need something to keep from being so “blah” and I’m thinking that “something” may be a little valance. Sarah has suggested a straight panel in turquoise, and I think I like that idea. Hopefully I’ll have enough turquoise fabric to make that work…

Prior to taking on my curtains, I flexed a little muscle (and injured my toe!) while putting up shelving in the craft room.

While not 100% complete, I think the room is looking pretty good. I especially adore my swimming pool blue bulletin boards that I painted while watching the opening ceremony of the olympics… It gives the room a little color without painting the walls.

Finally, I’ve started a little renovation here at Stereoette, as well. It was time for a new look, and while the layout is a work in process, I’m enjoying the change. I’m also rethinking the look and feel of my etsy shop, so do check back over the month of September to see what changes will be brewing there, as well!

Check y’all later…

Anyone who know me well knows that I love a good “how to” book. I taught myself to sew and to make jewelry mainly by reading books and surfing the internet, and I consider them a valuable resource for any crafter. Accordingly, I’ve decided that Stereoette needs a little series of book reviews on the blog, and I’m starting it out with one I just got in the mail today: Wendy Mullin’s (see my last post) new book Sew You: Home Stretch.

Knits are both my enemy and my friend. I like making things with knits, and you can see above that I have quite the stash, but I’ve never quite mastered getting results like I want. With knit garments, I usually wing it by starting with a (sloppily drafted, I should add) sloper and figuring out everything else as I go - sleeves, hoods, hems, etc. I’ve been in need of a good book on knits for a while, and so I was pretty jazzed to hear that the new Sew U book would be on that very topic.

One of the reasons that knits are tricky (at least for me) is that they are best sewn on a serger. My little simplicity (see above) is anything but simple - while threading it could be a lot worse, its still a real pain in the bottom, and I’m just not adept at setting the tension correctly. My solution has been to lust after one of those new fancy Babylock sergers with the jet-air threading and automatic tension settings. However, since I just bought myself a new fancy television, my gadget budget is up for a while, and I better learn to love the simplicity.

Back to the book. Wendy starts from the beginning, explaining the various types of stretch fabrics, materials you’ll need, and gives helpful hints on dealing with knits (very useful if you’re used to working with wovens, which can behave very differently while you’re trying to cut them, etc). She even gives basics on using your serger, and how to use other machines - regular sewing machines, as well as coverstitch machines - to complete your projects. There are also instructions on how to attach elastic (something I am REALLY BAD at!) at waists, etc.

The book also includes three basic patterns (t-shirt, raglan (baseball) t-shirt, and dress/skirt), which brings me to what I think is the best feature of the book: the ability to customize.

Not only does Wendy explain how to sew each pattern in detail, she gives explanations of steps at varying levels of difficulty (for example, the easy, intermediate, and advanced methods of sewing a basic tshirt). She then explains how to alter the 3 patterns to make a variety of different styles - with different necklines, sleeves, waistlines, etc. I have figured out how to do many of these alterations on my own through trial and error, but I usually screw them up and waste super cute fabric which is never any fun. I’m looking forward to having something to fall back to when I’m just not quite sure how to make the sleeve puff just so.

I haven’t sewn anything from this book yet, but based on a review of the instructions and patterns, I think I will very much enjoy it. And hopefully, by the time I get a few projects under my belt, I’ll be ready for that fancy new serger…

I thought y’all would enjoy this video about Wendy Mullin from Built By Wendy, which I found on the Etsy Youtube stream. Wendy has every crafters dream life… going from sewing in her bedroom to having retail stores on both coasts. She designs an adorable line of sewing patterns and has written two books on sewing (I have the first and it is excellent) as well.

So its taken me all week to recover from Renegade (well, the recovery process was hindered by several late nights at the office) but boy, what a rockin’ show! It was only about a billion times better for me than last year, and despite the constants (that awful pool, the rain, the blistering heat) I had a blast.

My pal Alison (of King Popcorn) and i braved the elements (way to go, holding down a metal tent in the middle of a lightning storm!) and managed to sell a few things along the way… a few happy customers:

not to mention a few props sent via blog comment and photos found around flickr.

I also tried out a few new things, like the etched pieces, that I completely love and will be permanent parts of the stereoette collection:

Anyhow! Thanks so much to everybody who stopped by! I’m slowly working to get merch photographed and into my etsy shop but like I said, its been a loooooong week and I’m a little slow moving. But despite that, yay renegade!