little red fox

girl crush: edith holden

 

During one of my last trips to Virginia, I came across my mother-in-law's stash of books related to gardening. She was a landscaper for a time, and more importantly, was president of the Garden Club of Virginia for many years. A few of the books looked really interesting and beautiful, but this one in particular caught my eye. As you can see, it's called 'The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady' and it...its just remarkable, is what it is. Aside from the description on the book flap, nothing--not a word--has been changed. 

On January 1st, 1906, Edith Holden started a journal to carefully record the countryside of Olton, Warwickshire throughout the year... 

Every word was carefully written by hand, and every single picture she painted into the book herself. This was a woman who loved nature...

...and also had the sensitivity of an artist...

I looked up the entry for this time of the year: for August 17th (close enough) she went cycling to Aberfoil. "Very bright, clear day, with wonderfully fine distant views. On the high ridge of hills between Aberfoil and the Trossachs I found the bright scarlet berries of the Bear-berry growing among the heather, and sundew in flower. Found some Gentian beside Loch Vennachar."

 

I can only guess how much time she spent on this and how much this object must have meant to her...and yet she never showed it to anyone. It was found 70 years later in an English country house. Isn't that both sad and amazing? I can't help but think at a time like that--when women weren't expected to work or have careers but keep a home and tend to the needs of others, she quietly and privately poured her heart into something she loved--and was quite good at--and never thought it important or interesting enough to show anyone. Ever.

And yet--over 100 years later a woman who was president of a garden club would be given the gift of her book and then years later her daughter-in-law would find it and obsess over it and stare at it and be filled with such admiration for her talent, and attention to detail and devotion to a project and be so moved by what seems like such a sweet shyness and feel so compelled to write about her on this thing called 'a blog' which happens on a 'computer'...wouldn't she be tickled to know? :)

 

 

More about her here. 

 

girl crush: amanda vähämäki

I have been meaning to share this. I bought this book a few weeks ago at the amazing Rocketship comic book store here in Brooklyn. Disclaimer: I don't know if I could say I'm a comic book "fan" per se--I love art, I love folk art, I love drawing, I love storytelling and some comics fit into that. I'm generally not crazy about super-hero anything so I don't walk into a comic book store and want to buy everything. I love looking at all of it, I get inspired by a lot of it but not everything is up my alley. So this was a total accident--this happy little find. I knew nothing of this brilliant Finnish author/illustrator but she might now be my very favorite and is a new girl crush only after this one tiny gem. This book is...how to say? It's so weirdly brilliant it's now a 'before and after' marker for me in terms of graphic storytelling. It's bizarre and beautiful and primitive and moving--and short!--and so stream-of-consciousness it feels very dangerous and spooky...and I wasn't quite sure why. I blazed through it the first time and then the second and third time tried to go slow and savor every tiny element. She channels some deep childhood/dreamscape/all-rules-are-off territory that is both dear and terrifying--it's very special. But reading this little treasure makes me want to hang out with her and see first-hand how her brain works and know more about how she sees the world. Some people are fascinating. The only other book of hers I've found I just ordered, and I'm convinced the love will only grow... :)

(If you're interested and don't have a comic book store near you, it's available for purchase here.)

***

In other news--I have finally taken a step I've wanted to do for awhile but needed to take the time to learn HOW and so yesterday--my day off--I spent the entire day learning how to and then building my official home site:

marycatherinegarrison.com

Whew!

I've only become computer-literate in the last 2 years or so, so this was challenging. And exhilerating. It felt so wonderful to cross that off my long-term list of things-to-do (and also weirdly egotistical to use my name). But after all--it's all me--and its always been my goal to have everything under one umbrella and now it is :) And I also feel like I have a bit of a new skill set which is fun!

(ps: that's the new working cover of what will be my new 'episodic-graphic-novel-comic-book'--is there such a thing?--starring someone you might recognize :)

And you probably already noticed but I gave ye olde blogge a much-needed facelift/sprucing-up. I was ready for something a little more subtle and streamlined and I think this does the trick. I also removed the music player I had over the the right. I figured it was a bad sign when it was getting on my own nerves :) The nice thing about these things, though, is that you can change them whenever you want and I definitely like that as an option! And--another giant thing crossed off the list! It's good to be productive sometimes...have a fabulous day!!

where i'm at.

My most recent spoils. One of the perks of the theater district abutting the garment district and its many, many fabric stores and having a 2 hour break between shows...

It seems with the changing of the seasons, I get mentally inundated with new ideas for clothes I want to make. I always (and have for years) sketched them out, and dreamt about how to go about making them. Occasionally I have a corresponding pattern, but most often not. That used to be a real problem and resulted in some ridiculous attempts at winging it as well as utterly unwearable items and loads of wasted fabric and endless frustration. I probably learned a thing or two but who really cares after all that?

That is one of the many, many reasons I am forever indebted to these books, as well as this newer addition to my How-To library. Without them, I would be unable to do exactly what I am doing today: sew some of my own clothes from my designs from my very own head (dresses, in this case).

I thought I'd show some of my sketches as well as some of my progress so that maybe we can be amazed if I get somewhere in the ballpark of what I was attempting, or be...amused, shall we say...should I fall a bit short :) Either way--I think it will keep me motivated to actually finish something which can be a problem in these parts. What can I say--I'm a sprinter not a marathoner.

I should mention here that I am completely obsessed with the black/ivory combination. As you could maybe tell by my fabric choices. So all of these are of that world.

This is one I drew in my dressing room while I was off-stage last night. It's actually changed quite a bit (in my head) since then, but the basic idea is the same. Details to come.

This one is a black sateen cotton, a beige-y net tulle at the top, and a fabric belt with vintage buttons. (At least for now.) Details to come on this one, too.

And this is one I'm working on today. I started it last night using the raglan t-shirt pattern from the BBW Sew U: Home Stretch (I'd like to marry her, please). And using my fledgling drafting skills, I altered it in many ways, including re-working the arm seams which totally confounded me for an hour or two but I finally figured it out. I wanted to err on the larger size knowing I could always take it in if I needed to and it ended up being big enough to fit 17 people inside it. It meant I wasted some fabric, but what the hell it had been lying around here for ages and its way better than making something too small because then what? So I took it in here and there, shortened it and here's where I'm at so far:

It's a black knit, by the way. The idea was a cute-throw-it-on-comfy-but-still-classy-and-great-that-vaguely-resembles-the-silhouettes-of-the-20s-and-30s-with-a-sprinkle-of-sexy-but-never-over-the-top-sexy-because-thats-boring kind of thing. You know, the usual :)

So today--I've got a hot cup of coffee, Radio Dismuke playing and I'm about to start drafting out the collar. Which shall also be a black knit, and lined underneath with a cream-colored knit, as will be the cuffs, and possibly cream covered buttons (and oh, what I wouldn't give for a dress form...truly. I'm desperate). And I will be posting the progress to keep me honest!

And that, sweet folks, is where I'm at! (Dangling participle and all.)

Hope you're having a lovely day!

 

P.S. Thanks so much for the sweet comments both here and on Facebook for the new drawing. It feels so good to get back into something/try something new and feel the hugs :)

mental rest.

Oh man. I am in the thick of it. Looooong rehearsal days, catching up with friends at night combined with total exhaustion makes for a bad blogger. I also haven't had too much to show, since I'm not making too much, and wearing head-to-toe knits at reherasals (i.e. not cute). I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up and I was right. However--as tiring as a rehearsal process can be (and this is a farce so there is a lot of running around), we do have a day off (Sundays) and mine have been spent at home, slowly making my way around various projects. It feels like someone shuts off my master switch for a day and I completely shut down personality-wise. If I didn't live with Mr. Wood, I probably wouldn't utter a word all day (unless you count cooing at kitties). I can literally feel the quiet restoring me.

Above are on the current 'to-do' list. A vintage repro pattern, and a new sewing book.

The pattern is from Wearing History on Etsy which I first caught wind of over on Casey's blog. The shop's proprietess is Lauren and she's a dear. So I am very excited to try these sweet little 1940s tap pants/panties/potential shorts. I am also drooling over this:

And this because I am a freak for 1930s sportswear:

I am also sooo happy with the new Sew U: Dresses book! It has kept me company on many of my train-rides home, and inspired a bunch of new sketches for potential spring-time dresses.

In many ways--this is exactly the book I've been waiting for. I always have tons of ideas of new dresses I'd like to make--and of course you can never find a pattern for exactly what you want. And since I've taught myself some (very) basic pattern drafting--this is just perfect. She gives you 3 different basic dress patterns with no seam allowances so they're ideal for alterations. It's a bit of work because you cut them out, trace them onto paper with whatever alterations you want, then add seam allowances (though much less work than drafting it from scratch). She also gives you lots of ideas for each of the three dress shapes--some of which are super cute--others not really my style. I've read some reviews saying they skew a little young, but for me some of them are just a little...uninteresting. But thats my taste and the whole point of this book is to make them what you want which is exactly why I love her books.

My first project was to try and reproduce this dress/jumper I saw on The Clotheshorse:

(photo by the clotheshorse)

And though I'm not done yet--it's close:

 

(Sorry about the bad light!) I used the dirndl pattern from the book, omitted the sleeves, and created arm-hole and neck facings. I have the pockets ready to be sewn onto the skirt, and I need to figure out the placket-part at the chest, and hem it. The fabric is a light black cotton denim that I found for about $20. I considered corduroy, but I thought I could get some spring-time wear out of it if it was a light-weight denim. I am also really excited about the zipper-part:

I've seen the exposed zipper on a lot of clothes lately and I just love it. Apparently it was prominent in the 40s but I just love details like this. So I found a few at a trim shop in the garment district and I'll use either the red or black one on the jumper.

In other news:

• Sweet Mathyld pointed out to me this nice little mention which was so neat! (You have to scroll down a bit.) It was so cool to see my valentines in their natural habitat!
• Results/photos from our press day here and here and here (and other places, too, I'm sure).
• This cake recipe seems to be THE perfect yellow cake recipe and will make its debut in the Wood-Garrison household very soon. I first read about it here--and she definitely knows from cake recipes! I actually couldn't believe there were other people out there-- and apparently quite a few--who love a beautiful yellow cake more than anything--frosting included.

And that's it for me for now! I'm going to retire to my sewing machine for a bit and continue the restoration. I sure do miss my crafting life...!

happiness via books

I am almost completely incapable of sitting and doing nothing. Unless I'm in Jamaica and doing my best impersonation of an oyster, of course--although even there I had my sketchbook and pencils out the whole time. I just feel best when I'm doing something that feels productive. Not necessarily important, but often something that crosses off one of the items on my mental "to-do" or "to-learn" lists. Is anybody else like this? Mr. Wood would love for me to just sit on the couch and watch a movie with him without 11 craft projects around me on the floor. I do try! And sometimes listening to a movie is just as interesting as watching one! But I'm afraid it's only getting worse...

One thing I looooooooooove is how-to books. There's a special place in my heart for non-fiction, and especially the ones where you learn a new skill. I've taught myself Photoshop, all kinds of new sewing techniques, digital camera stuff, plus all the cooking and baking, all using how-to books. Those two above are new ones that I'm currently devouring and loving.

The Vintage Hairstyling book I first heard about via Twyla and it's excellent. If you know nothing about hair--like me--she is so specific, and the step-by-steps are so clear. I bought it specifically to learn (once and for all, dang it) how to do finger waves. There are quite a few semi-helpful tutorials on YouTube that I've been perusing, but ultimately I'd rather somebody else do it for me :) I'm still looking forward to trying that as well as some of the later-period styles. You can get it here.

And Design-It-Yourself Clothes by Cal Patch is fabulous. It doesn't include patterns, but actually teaches you how to draft your own! It's a great start for beginners, and doesn't get too complicated. I also may have to get this at some point...

But right now I'm insanely, inappropriately excited about this. I've pre-ordered mine :)

dreams sometimes do come true

I think I just scored the find of my lifetime.

Today--a gorgeous, lazy fall Sunday--we wandered up to Barnes & Noble because I wanted to get the November Italian Marie Claire after seeing these photos on Liebmarlene Vintage. They're just so amazing I have to own them--it's not enough to just bookmark them and look at them whenever I want. This particular B&N, however, didn't have it. I huffed and stamped my foot and accidentally wandered into the 'bargain books' section--where I never go! Because I don't remember ever finding anything worthwhile in that section ever. So it was completely random--and there it was.

I just can't believe it. I know I've talked a lot about my fascination for all things old-timey-circus related-blahblahblahI'mabrokenrecordetc. But get this: I have had the above book on my Amazon wish list for well over a year--never hoping to get it since it cost around $100. But there it was--and it was $20. Twenty dollars. I gasped out loud. And almost dropped my coffee. I picked up the book and held it to my chest, flooded with 14 emotions like guilt, joy, maybe a tear or two--and distinctly feeling like I was getting away with something and the feeling was delightful.

How could this beautiful beautiful book be only twenty dollars?? This book is huge! It's over a foot tall and almost 400 glorious color pages of the history of the circus. It is jaw-dropping.

 

 

Look at these drawings! My heart is beating so fast right now...

Oh my goodness the colors...

And these are just random pages I'm turning to. I can literally turn to any page and there's another thing to blow me away:

 

I will get the Italian Marie Claire because the photos are just too amazing, but this. This is my prize.

In the same section I also got the Vargas book for $15! I have to say--I do think I had some good luck coming to me and I think I just cashed in all my chips today. Look how beautiful:

(Yeah I didn't quite get the silly cheapy sticker off the front...)

 

 

Look at these women. I could look at them all day. I probably will...

And then outside we see this!:

It really was a day filled top to bottom with all kinds of beauty! It was so wonderful--we slept in, had a big breakfast, walked out into a gorgeous fall day (I liked my outfit even!)--sipped cappuccinos surrounding ourselves in piles of books and magazines and these amazing picture books...I really needed a day like this too. It's inspired a little project for the shop, too, which I hope to have ready to share in the next week or so...until then--I so hope you're having a nice day or night wherever you may be :)

a mental getaway

You're looking at a very important part of my week last week. I was doing a workshop for a new play all week that ended up being pretty exhausting. That will be my last one of those for a while. It's usually very helpful for the writers, but as an actor, unless I'm in love with the play--they can be frustrating. UNLESS you happen to find your new favorite little cafe in the city in which to exhale on your breaks...which I did. Cafe Keko--(on Madison between 30th and 31st for you NYCers) I had never noticed it before but it was just what I needed on these gorgeous gray fall days. Croissants, crepes, quiche, cappucinos, a sweet little atmosphere...

(photo from yelp!)

great reading material (my favorite issue of Lula so far!)...

...and I was able to mentally salvage a good attitude as needed.

After falling behind last week (albeit with a few extra croissant pounds) I am trying to catch up with a bunch of custom orders. I also made this stew which turned out pretty good--the perfect fall/winter meal in my opinion.

Off to sew! Be back soon with a fabulous recipe we made up the other night with my favorite fall vegetable--kale! (I actually get legitimately excited about vegetables.)

i have a new interest (because i needed more things to be into)

We have some friends who are waaay into graphic novels and comic books. I have to come clean on my under-appreciation of (read: total lack of interest in) anything comic-book related heretofore. I would put them under the same umbrella as role-playing games and long black trenchcoats. You know--Spider-Man, super powers, etc. These are the items that are typically the property of the boy-nerd. And that is not to offend the boy-nerds out there. I know who you are and you are the best-kept secret of the dating world in my opinion! There is no better combo than sweet and smart and the nerd boys usually have that in spades. 

I was browsing through a cute little local Brooklyn bookstore yesterday on a gorgeous fall Saturday (oh, fall...you are so pretty) and I picked up this book, "Stitches" and within a few seconds was completely sucked in. And I officially stand corrected on everything I previously thought about them. I was completely unaware of how moving emotionally they can be. And I'm really blown away with the beauty of telling a gripping story cel by cel. Especially as an artist, I got completely schooled on image-storytelling. In a good way.

This is the main character joy-riding on a hospital elevator at night.

And his first x-ray...

I love discovering new worlds of things and I'm really excited about this one! I already have "Persepolis" lined up to read next and a series recommended by our comic-book friends the name of which I can't remember right now. I would love any other suggestions anybody out there might have on this topic--I'm a newbie and I'm ready to learn!

In other news:

• I absolutely must make these at some point this fall. This might be the best idea ever.
• On TCM tonight, they are playing some silent shorts starting at midnight. If I can stay up (Hi, Grandma) I will be watching. Very exciting.
• I made these as a thank-you for some friends who fed our kittens for us while we were in DC. They looked exactly like the picture so I didn't even need to take pictures of them... I Lie. It was my first attempt at biscotti and though they weren't visually as...smooth, shall we say, as I would have liked--dang, they were tasty. Super chocolatey and the perfect texture: crispy on the outside and just slightly soft and chewy on the inside. They're very rich (and yet somehow my husband ate about 6 in one sitting :). And for my first batch, I didn't find it too difficult. The only picture I got was of the big 'log' or 'loaf' shape before you slice them up and bake them again:

I can't decide if this picture is weird or beautiful...maybe both. Either way it's a pretty impressive baked object. I used almonds instead of pistachios and taste-wise it was still delicious. I missed the bright green of the pistachios, though. I bet you could also use pine nuts if you had those on hand.

putting up

This is the best phrase I've heard in a long time. It sounds so Southern. And it's the perfect title for a book all about canning in the Southern tradition. My mom bought this book for me last week during their visit (it's also here) and I am terribly, terribly excited about it. I actually had it on my Amazon wish-list though I had never seen it in person and it's so much prettier than I even imagined it would be! Beautiful photography to whet the mental appetite:

 

And the set-up of the book is really great. It starts out with the details on the hows/whys/whats of canning and then it goes into month-by-month with what's seasonally available for canning, with tons of recipes throughout like pickled okra, basic tomato sauce, sweet potato butter, all kinds of sauces and preserves, etc and delicious etc. All of which feeds into my independent/fringe-society-member longings:

 

Right now, according to the book, blueberries are the thing. So the plan is to get my hands on some and get on blueberry preserves. For the record: I have never canned anything. I have never made preserves. But my grandmother--who was not unlike Martha Stewart in her domestic prowess and organizational abilities--always did and I just bet you some of it seeped in. And maybe it will be a nice way to feel close to her again. 

Completely unrelated:

• I'm not sure where yet, but I definitely have to make this. And I do love tutorials. They're so generous.
• We are still eating the everyday cake for breakfast and snacks. Which means I'll be baking it again. But not until after I make this. Again, no icing (unless a glaze counts?), and humble origins. Sense a pattern? I'm learning about myself via baking!
• I am so excited--ridiculously so--about the new things I'm making for my shop. Everything's taken me waaay longer than I expected, but in a way, I expected that. Drawing, packaging, and photographs happening today, hopefully up by tonight! But first, cake.
• I have to work on a long, rather emotionally demanding audition for tomorrow and all I really want to do is watch TCM and draw. It's so hard to get it up for anything acting-related when I'm like this. My brain does not want to switch modes. And it seems mean to force it.
• I neglected to mention two new members of our household. Meet Earl and Cricket, two little rescued brothers who have flipped the switch on one avowed "Non-cat person." Color me in love :)

hey, that's me!

(french toast and hash-browns, made by my hubby)

I really love Flickr. Since I naively dived into this blogging universe a year or so ago, I felt like I found something new and exciting basically every day. Finding Flickr was a very good day. I didn't even know that I was missing something in my life, but it turns out, I was in a wardrobe vacuum! On a philosophical level I was facing this question: if you wear a cute outfit and nobody sees it--did it really even happen? Enter the Flickr group 'Wardrobe Remix' and lo, it hath been writ and witnessed. I upload my outfit photos with such gusto, such wild abandon, and it satisfies me on such a weirdly deep level, I swear it's added years to my (already very young) life. So imagine my delight (and the postive health benefits to boot!) when I happened upon this post! Thank you, Tricia, for the gift that is Wardrobe Remix. It is infinitely pleasurable to see what everyday, creative, self-styled people wear. And for my money, the interest-quotient is through-the-roof for street-style as opposed to Vogue magazine and the like.

Which was, as it turns out, a perfect segue to my next item (love it when that happens). Another lovely connection made via Flickr and Wardrobe Remix is the delightful Sam of Daily Fashion Boost, who very sweetly inquired if I would do an interview for her fashion blog and here it is. She was so sweet about it!! But, lord, I have NO qualms (at all it would seem :) putting myself out there so I am thanking her for the opportunity. It was fun to answer all her questions and you can read it here.

Oh, Sunday, how I love you! Until my show starts, that is, when it is a 2-performance day...Then I will write my ode to 'Monday, the Holy Day of Showbiz Freedom'... I have been away from my blog longer than I would like, but I've had some custom orders and some soon-to-be-not-secret project collaborations that have been occupying my brain space of late. After this week I should have a lot squared away, lined-up ducks, etc. Happy Sunday all you lovely readers!!!