October colors II

I like the way flowers mark the change of the seasons. That's why, for me, one of the fun things of autumn/winter is growing flower bulbs indoors. This is my first amaryllis of the season (I haven't seen hyacinths or narcissus yet). The stem couldn't support the flowers anymore, so I had to cut it and put in in a vase.

ca 1900 embroidered dresses at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

I love browsing on line museum collections, and that's how I found these gorgeous dresses. I can totally picture myself wearing each one of them :-) Click on the link below each dress to read more about it in the Met database.

ps: I'm typing away a lot of deadlines these days. I've decided to spare my arms by taking a little crochet and knitting break.

French ballgown, ca 1902


Evening dress, 1910


Silk dress, 1880

The Columbia Book of Yarns, 1915

The Columbia Book of Yarns (1915) is a charming collection of knitted and crocheted clothes for men, women and children. The cover really speaks to me, which must be because this is one of my favorite shades of red:


I would really like to try some of the crochet patterns (my list of things I'd love to make one day is growing longer and longer...), such as this scalloped, shell- like border:



I also love this jacket. The book doesn't give directions for sizes, which makes me wonder what size this might be. I'm quite tall, so it may not fit me..


All images are taken from The Columbia Book of Yarns. You can browse and/or download this book for free here.

Floral prints and Pinterest

Last week, I found this vintage tin in my local thrift store. A friend told me she owns the exact same one, which once belonged to her boyfriend's grandmother. So, it's probably from ca 1930, and not very rare. I just love its flower print: it was a great excuse to play around with some floral fabrics from my stash :-)

And something completely different: Finally, I have a Pinterest account! I'm addicted to sites where you can collect and store images, and I'm really happy with Pinterest (so many beautiful moodboards!) . You can find me here, and if you happen to be on Pinterest too, I'd love to hear from you.

New type of granny squares

Last week, I decided to change my crocheted throw a little, because I thought it was way too much for a quiet bedroom. This is my new type of granny square, and I think they will make a much nicer throw :-)

ps: this image was featured on Emma Lamb's blog here :-)