Library of Congress Photos

Discovered through DollyMix (via Court!) - The Library of Congress created a Flickr account to post their 3000+ photos. Many of them are fascinating, especially the ones of women working during the wars. I especially love this one, makes me proud to be a technical lady myself. And CHECK OUT those yellow overalls!



Some of the photos seem posed for sure, but what woman wouldn't want to pose for her shot to go down in history? I certainly would, especially to show off the wide leg of my coveralls perfectly anyway...

Listening to: Pandora

Sound the Alarms

I imagine most people would do the same thing I did yesterday if they saw this fabric in the store.
1) Laugh
2) Look around and see if anyone sees you picking up the bolt of fabric
3) Think what you could make of it (this is a great question - it doesn't appear to appropriate for something for a boy, but it's almost like boys fabric... I'm at a loss what the creators of this were intending...)
4) Laugh again
5) Take it to the counter to be cut and wait for the woman to laugh too
6) When she doesn't laugh, come up with some lame story about a project for your little cousin who loves firetrucks (Hummer firetrucks??)
7) Laugh your way out of the store (and every time it catches your eye on the way home)

I can't tell you what I'm using it for yet, but it's perfect. I can't think of any real uses for it. Every project I can think of is complete mockery.

Lucy likes it anyway.

Listening to: Zero 7 - In Time

Interfaith Questions

To honor Martin Luther King Jr Day this year, I participated in an Interfaith Celebration that took me to a mosque and a synagogue (and an Episcopal Church had I stayed for the whole tour). Part of my 2008 creation is to visit services or organizations of many various faiths and divisions of those faiths, and this fit perfectly. I've really wanted to visit a mosque and attend a regular service (are they called services? I don't even know), in order to expand my awareness and minimize ignorance as much as possible. Which was the theme of Sunday's events.

While I've been to many Christian and Jewish services and events, Islamic faith-in-practice is pretty fuzzy to me. What are their regular services like? Traditions? Daily practice? Thoughts on prayer, afterlife, food? I jumped at this opportunity to even be inside a mosque. It was a big beautiful simple room. Empty. We took our shoes off and put them in cubbies. I put a scarf over my hair, not knowing if it was required or not. It seemed that other women did too, but was my scarf too pretty, did it defeat the purpose and draw attention anyway? They asked us to sit on the floor or bring a chair over. I sat in a chair. Is that considered disrespectful or wimpy? A man sang a song he wrote for the occasion, is it appropriate to clap? I desperately want to understand these things.

The short service was very nice. An imam recited/chanted two verses from the Koran in Arabic and then translated into English. They were messages about tolerance and acceptance, and his chanting in this big open room was mysterious and beautiful. He then spoke about righteousness from the Muslim perspective and how we need to continue working to realize King's vision, and this can only be done by minimizing ignorance and intolerance. It was very touching and lovely. But I still wonder, "Is this the kind of message that they preach every week? Is this just because we're in New York City?". Which feels kind of horrible to me. Why should I question their tolerant and progressive event?

I would love to attend again sometime with a host, someone who can explain things as we go along, answer my scarf questions, so I can better understand this religion and culture. I want to do this in every religious tradition, but how do you begin? How do you pick such hosts? How long will it take for a Methodist-raised, Quaker and Catholic school-educated Buddhist meditator with a Jewish boyfriend to fully understand and appreciate all the faith cultures out there? Why do I even care so much?

Body Image

As we're now 2 weeks into the new year, seeing diet ads everywhere, body image has been on my mind.

Via Feministe: this toddler size "Hooters girl (in training)" tee...


Not that it's not always in your face, but really... is anyone else disturbed on almost a daily basis over things like this?

Fortunately, there have been a few things catching my eye that are out to battle the plastic surgery/perfect celebrity/fake body fake personality THING going on here.

One. How to Look Good Naked with Carson Kressley. You know, the AWESOME guy from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy? I watched two episodes this weekend, and I. Love. It. He basically takes a woman with a non-Cosmo-cover body, and shows her in various ways that what she's got goin' on is beautiful and worthy of loving and flaunting. I totally support the idea that you've got to love and appreciate what you've got in order to inspire you to change it, if you want to. It has nothing to do with getting them to diet or exercise (though I do think it's always good to encourage healthy exercise like some simple walking and weights). He gets them to find proper fitting and beautiful undergarments, which most women don't have. One woman was wearing a 38C, and she's actually a 36E! No wonder she's uncomfortable and can't find clothes that fit her well. And he's brilliant with the women. But a big ole boooooo for Lifetime for allowing a Botox ad to play during the commercial break. Come ON Lifetime. Get your priorities straight. Less Botox, More Carson.

Two. The book Self-image and the teenage girl: a review of Body Drama by Nancy Redd. I actually read about it on the One City blog from the Interdependence Project (my weekly meditation group), so I can't say much about it from a personal perspective, but it looks really great. It talks about smelly feet! Girls need to know that smelly feet are ok! And that even prissy blonde celebrities have smelly feet! And it shows girls' bodies the way they are, in all their beautiful sizes, shapes, and colors. I think we need a little more of this. I think Dove has been doing some ads around this idea as well, go Dove!


Listening to: Aretha Franklin - Never Loved a Man

Back in business...

Whew! So I finally got to sit down tonight to work on some tiny projects that have been on the list. First up, the "Artsy Clutch" from Amy Karol's Bend the Rules Sewing. It's on the cover, and I think it was enough to catch my eye and make me buy the book. The clutch is really just a simple rectangular lined bag with an extra layer of inner fabric for more support, and a button/loop closure. Simple, cute, and very use-able. Good way to use up scraps that (may or may not) match!


Next up, I've been staring at this on my desk for too long:

It's a hideous plastic sewing machine cover. It was $1 I think. I've been wanting to get something a little prettier. It has only 2 pieces, a 15"x6.5" rectangle for the top, and then a 45"x10" rectangle that wraps around the top rectangle and is then stitched down the side. I picked a fabric, cut it out, and had it together in maybe 15 minutes.


If I do another, I'd line it with a nice contrasting fabric for some sturdier support, but this will definitely do the job, and it looks MUCH nicer on my desk.

There's still some green fine-wale corduroy to become a skirt, an apron for a friend's belated birthday present, and a new carry-all bag on the list. I also want to take the time to make a taped dress form of myself. I really think it'll be worth the hour or so it takes to make, and it'll allow me to try so many more dresses and tops on my own form. And since it'll be hanging in my room somewhere, I'll look for some duct tape in nicer colors than industrial silver...

Last up, some favorite pics from Colorado:




Listening to: Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No2