On Sitting Between Two People Having a Conversation

Every so often one has occasion to be stuck between two people having a conversation. In some cases, those to one’s left and right are acquaintances and one is content to listen to the friendly chatter. In other cases, those on either side are complete strangers. When this happens it is usually due to no fault of one’s own. First, one pretends not to be listening, however this pretense soon proves unnecessary as the conversationalists become so engrossed in discussion you feel they have forgotten you are there. At this point one contemplates if there is possibility to move or if it would be rude to insert oneself into the conversation with the suggestion of changing seats with one of them. Usually by the time this thought occurs, though, a decent amount of time has already past and it would only be an embarrassment to do the later when something might occur soon to break up the conversation. Sitting it out, there is not much one can do other than wait for the conversation to be over or the opportunity to remove oneself (all preferably before one looses patience and points out that WWI started in 1914, not 1917). And if nothing else is gained, at least one will have had the opportunity to exercise some patience or gained an idea for something to write about. ♥

On “Odd Type Writers”: A Book Review

 

Title: Odd Type Writers: From Joyce and Dickens to Wharton and Welty, the Obsessive Habits and Quirky Techniques of Great Authors

Author: Celia Blue Johnson

Genre: Non-Fiction

About the book…

Odd Type Writers, as the lengthy subtitle suggests, takes a look into some of the unusual and bizarre habits of well known writers.

What I think…

This was a fascinating book! I am more than prone to wanting to know more about how well loved authors went about their writing and am always happy to find a book that offers up unusual facts. There were a number of interesting things to be learned in this book  including that Alexandre Dumas (of The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, etc…) used different color paper dependant on if he was writing fiction, poetry, or articles, and that Harper Lee, in frustration, threw a draft of To Kill a Mockingbird out her apartment window.

As far as the way this book was put together, I like how Johnson broke up the chapters alternating between ones that are on a specific author and then topics that relate to multiple authors. I also felt that she covered a wide range of authors, instead of just focusing on one time period or genre.

To sum it all up…
Great book if you want to know a little bit more than average information about some very well known writers! And it’s perfect to read either all in one go or just during small snatches of free time. ♥

On a Purple Skirt and a Matching Hat

I am happy to finally present the post I had intended for the 9^th…

Quite some time ago, I bought some wonderful fabric that I really liked for the color and texture (I have no idea as to what it might be; it’s kind of like canvas, but very soft.).

While I absolutely loved it, for some reason I chose to only get about two yards, which unfortunately made it really difficult for me to find a pattern that was in a style I liked and that would work with the fabric’s weight. However, during the summer I found Simplicity 4838:

And, while I did not buy it with the fabric in mind, it required the perfect amount of fabric for the skirt with a little bit left over!

Once I had completed the skirt, I thought why not give the hat pattern in Simplicity 4195 a try? So I did!

 

This was my first ever time making a hat and I must say that this pattern was much more simple than expected! It only involves three pieces: one for the brim and then two of the same for the crown. There was a decent amount of hand stitching involved, which was fine with me since I’m very comfortable in that area (actually, I almost prefer it sometimes, although not for big things). The entire hat is flat until the end when you tie it with the ribbon at the back. Overall, I was very happy with the results and will probably be making it again.

 

Now for the pictures…I paired it with a vintage sweater that showed up in my closet as I was cleaning last year (I joke that vintage fairies left it for me, since no one can remember where it came from). It isn't something I probably would have sought out for myself, but I absolutely adore it!!! 

 

Love the sleeves on this sweater!

♥♥♥

On Some Sewing Related Things

I had every intention of making today’s post an outfit one, but there is still one last thing I need to do (and that will hopefully done by this evening) before I can share my two latest sewing projects. Instead, though, I thought I would share this photo.

Frequently when going through the patterns I store in my train case, I will leave ones I am considering making soon or ones I want to look at the yardage for sticking up. While doing this recently, I was interrupted and left these particular patterns sticking up. When I came back into the room later, I glanced over at them and much to my amusement realized the way I had left them sticking up made it look as though the women on the coat pattern were giving an unimpressed look to the women who appear to be very chic on the dress pattern. Incredibly silly, I know, but this is what one writes when the intended sewing post didn’t come together.

Also, after several months on not having time to go to the fabric store, I was finally able to go today! And these are the prints I came home with:

 

I am SO excited (clap your hands and jump up and down excited, to be exact) about the book print! Like this print mentioned in April, it too is one of the reproduction mid-century modern prints from the Victoria and Albert Museum and I’ve been hoping I’d find it since learning it existed! Yay!!! ♥