Sunday, August 31, 2014

Remnants of Hurricane Marie





Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we have earthquakes. Tropical Storms however belong to another realm. We did see a little of what my elderly neighbor from Minnesota used to call, "buttermilk sky" as a result of Hurricane Marie however.

I'll take earthquakes over hurricanes and tornados any day.

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Web Resources

Hurricane Marie impacted beaches in Southern CA - making all the surfers happy, but causing death and destruction as well

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/565624034424189681/?fb_action_ids=10204519521856518&fb_action_types=pinterestapp%3Apin&fb_ref=565624171858495096%3A5ab44a8b6e1c4b4cba6d&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Ench By Sew-023: Capping off Summer, The Tapestry Cap (Technicos/Techniques)


My latest cap creation is a faux-tapestry print
Hey! 
The latest Enchanted by Sewing Podcast has been published!

~ OR ~
Listening Option II)  Click on this link to iTunes  to download this and other Enchanted by Sewing shows to your mobile device (iPhone, Android, etc.) free from iTunes 
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/enchanted-by-sewing/id566370325)

Did I miss any links mentioned in the show? If so, please post those links below and share them with everybody
Email- EnchantedBySewing@gmail.com
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This show is created, produced and brought to you by me! - Laurel Shimer. THE Enchanted by Sewing PODCAST IS, An  EXTENSION OF my regular sewing blog - Me Encanta Coser, which,  roughly translated means, Enchanted By Sewing

My blog is written in English. The name celebrates the historical and modern use of the beautiful Spanish Language in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, where I live
* * *

I've gotten lots of use out of this sage green cap (and another blue one) that
I first made two years ago. Both caps match shorts, which I wear together.
I also wear the caps on their own with other things in my wardrobe.
Every one of my daily walks, includes a cap.
http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-lady-wears-shorts-part-2.html

I’ve worked on a couple of different sewing projects in August. Of the four I’ve worked on I’ve finished three - a wardrobe building elastic waist black denim skirt (like the blue one I finished in June and have been wearing so much), another semi-fitted sleeveless cotton blouse (like Amaryllis the subject of last months 'cast - I haven't post about this yet, but plan to soon) and a tapestry cap.

That cap is especially important to me. As you might have noticed in previous shows I am kind of a preacher when it comes to protecting our skin from the elements. I listened back to my shows from the last couple of months, and it seemed like I went into great detail in both ones about wearing my sun screen and a cap whenever I head out the door, whether for a walk or even a ride in the car.

I figured if it was so important to me, it was time to do an episode about the kind of skin protecting garment I’ve made a few times now, sharing the techniques and some of my inspiration.
  
1)         Pensamientos Primeros/First Thoughts
Why do I need to make my own caps and hats?

Wayne Wichern's Millinery is in the San Francisco Bay Area. I took my first millinery class at Cañada College, from Wayne. He has a lovely private studio where he conducts further workshops and open lab. He's a wonderful man and teacher .http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2013/09/matters-millinery-making-my-own-hats.html

 2)Technicos/Techniques  
-       
 How I create caps, based on the "Good Hat Day Hat (cap)" in the first One Yard Wonders Book.


3)         Pensamientos Finales/Final Thoughts

The Louisa Mae Alcott book I referred to in the cast was An Old Fashioned Girl. You know you can download books in the public domain (that volunteer readers have recorded) for free from Librivox, right? 
https://librivox.org/an-old-fashioned-girl-by-lousia-may-alcott/


Blue Skies Hat Sewing, Ideas for future hats and caps I hope and plan to make

I've got plans to take Wayne's 3 day workshops. Wayne Wichern's Millinery is in the San Francisco Bay Area. I took my first millinery class from Wayne. He also has a studio for more intense workshops and open labs. He's a wonderful man and teacher - http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2013/09/matters-millinery-making-my-own-hats.html

There's a pretty cloche-esque hat pattern in this magazine, which has a lot of other fun stuff as well.



Sunday, August 24, 2014

I See the Moon


I see the moon,
The moon sees me,
Shining above the old oak tree.

Please let the moon,
That shines for me,
Shine for the one I love.

(traditional song)

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Mission San Juan Bautista (haiku, Bay Area Field Trip)




More than two hundred years
Since Ohlone and Yokut folk
Built for Spainiard's God.


How long since a woman's hand first began
to form this grinding stone?

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Web Resources

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Pelican Haiku (San Mateo County, San Francisco Bay Area)

Pelicans over San Mateo County Coast
Pescadero CA, south of Half Moon Bay

Pelican soars low.
My heart flies out to greet her.
She just wants to fish !

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Cliff House - Primed for Time Travel Perfection (San Francisco Field Trip)

The Neo-Classical, Greek Revival Art in
the Cliff House is a strong clue to any regular historic traveller, that
there's at least one time travel portal nearby!
I'm pretty sure there's a time portal in or around The San Francisco Cliff House. Perhaps my difficulty in finding the entrance to a trip back in time, is the number of eras this quintessential bay area locale evokes.
The Sutro Baths finally closed down in the 1960's.
The ghosts remain.

There are a limited number of public buildings in the area that survived the 1906 earthquake. This restaurant, with it's beach front location and view of the one time Sutro Baths public bathhouse, is one that did. And it's also one of my favorite places to return again and again. Locals, in and near San Francisco, have been traveling to the Cliff House for a special supper in a prime ocean location since 1863. The baths and associated marine recreation activities opened to the public in 1894


Upstairs at the Cliff is a little more casual, but the views are still there.
This week we went up for a birthday supper, we'd put off a month back. I'm glad we waited until it was just the right night. We chose to eat upstairs. It's less expensive than the reservation-only downstairs, though definitely not a budget meal! The scenery and setting made our tasty, simple prix fixe suppers stellar. We thoroughly enjoyed our supper at the Cliff House, followed by a walk along the promenade, with a view of the historic Sutro Baths, and ended with by walking back along Ocean Beach. 



I didn't manage to find my way back in time to take in the sights of 1920's swimmers cavorting in the classic Grecian inspired entryway of Adolph Sutro's baths, or catch a glimpse of late nineteenth century railroad baron  university founder Leland Stanford or famed newspaper owner William Randolph Hearst chatting over a racing form and cocktails.


But, then again, maybe my own time's the best for travelin' to...




                   
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Download a free copy of the music for the golden age tune, "Moonlight at the Cliff"