Miscellaneous Responses, Comments, Observations, and Blather

It's been a while since I responded to comments, so here goes. One of the things I love about Cathy Horyn's blog for the New York Times are her replies to her readers. So she is an inspiration for my periodic reply posts.

carolyndh, thanks for your email on the Easter photos, we truly have a great team at St. Michael's! Each of us has our particular strengths--one is great at the general vision and pitching our concepts to church leaders, another is a master at design and layout, even those who claim to be mere "grunts" (their term, not mine) provide a lot. I guess my role is primarily tech support on fabric and sewing in the planning stages ("...um, great idea but consider that fabric will behave a certain way once you scale this design to a full size church..."), followed by construction during implementation. We also have a lot of talent in flower arranging, which adds so much to our altar each week.

As for the skirt, it was a success! One of my church style mentors, an older lady who always looks well turned out, took the time to compliment my outfit. I hope I can look as nice as she always does when I'm her age--I'm guessing 70's. Apologies to this dear woman if I guessed wrong. We can get a little weathered out here in the desert.

To Anonymous who wrote on 4/8, I can't imagine living in Gainesville after the Gators' latest accomplishment. It must be an exciting time! They have earned their bragging rights, and I love reminding DBIL of it. He is an alum of the University of Miami.

MéLisa, don't feel like a "sewing hillbilly" (love that term, by the way). I have seen beautiful garments made from WalMart $1 finds and dreck made out of Britex purchases. Sometimes people make such comments to build themselves up at the expense of others, and it has more to do with them than you. If you're ever in Albuquerque on the 2nd Thursday evening of the month, do come visit our ASG chapter. We have a program for the entire chapter each month. Actually, that invitation is for all of y'all.

I'm sure I've neglected to respond to some of your inquiries. Excuse me for skipping over you; it was not my intention.

I also wanted to mention some new goodies that came from Amazon today: Rare Bird of Fashion--The Irreverent Iris Apfel and Tim Gunn's new book. Both are winners!

Iris Apfel's wardrobe was the subject of an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art some months ago; I believe the show is now in West Palm Beach. Iris has an amazing sense of style. She could best be described as a Fashion Magpie, combining anything and everything into fabulously unique ensembles. True, her style is not for everyone, but that was never her intent anyway. In her words:

"Style is quite impossible to define, but I'll give it a go. Like charisma, you know it when you see it. Not too many possess it: unlike fashion, it cannot be bought. Imaginative, one of a kind, it differs from individual to individual. It's an offshoot of personality, not a cover-all, and it's concerned with real life, not just high fashion...Most importantly, it must be real--yours--not a slavish copy of someone else's. Studying yourself to learn who you really are can be painful but it's crucial to be curious, as style can become a creative solution for personal shortcomings. It's wonderful to do your own thing--that is, if you have a thing to do...It's always best to be yourself. For me it's a tough balancing act. You have to care deeply and at the same time not give a damn..."

I've read almost half of Tim's book since opening the box this afternoon. What can I say? It's Tim's voice, especially his footnotes. I'm glad the publisher let Tim himself write (along with his Parsons' associate Kate Maloney), instead of insisting on a typical celebrity piece. I'll report more on this one later, but so far it's a great read, right up there with "Simple Isn't Easy".