Current Obsessions

...which obviously do not include keeping blogs up to date, am I right?!?

Actually, I've had a lot on lately, mostly in the form of this little person, who spends most of his/her time kicking my bladder and, somehow, causing my ankles to swell to elephantine proportions. This photo is from before Christmas; we have another scan next Monday, when we're supposed to find out the sex. I'm quite excited about that, not least because it should help us decide on a name. I've been interested in baby names since at the age of 12 and have always had favourites picked out - fortunately these have changed over the years, or we'd be preparing for the arrival of little Shade or Summer or Panda or Arlo. (Yes, I realise some of those are words, not actual names.)

The problem is that when it comes to naming an actual child, I've choked. I mean, it's got to be perfect, right? We're looking for something that is unusual, creative and interesting, without being outlandish or invented. It should also be something that we both like. And I've got to take into consideration naming trends in the US and the UK. We also have to consider the class connotations that come loaded into almost every activity in England so that we don't end up with a name that's too "chavvy" or too "poncey". I thought we were on the right track until the other day when - shock horror! - I found our one and only boy's name on a list of wannabe hipster names on a website I like and trust. But all that aside, we're doing pretty well and are looking forward to meeting the little stranger, whatever we end up calling it.

At work lately I've been doing research on and writing biographical blurbs about famous designers, mostly of furniture, lighting and other interiors products. It's been really interesting and has given me lots of opportunity to get lost in pretty pictures. Last week, I got really into Ray Eames's fabric designs. We've bought a rocking chair with black cushions for nursing the baby and I thought this would look gorgeous in it:

And it really would look great. However, it is the tiniest bit out of my price range - the cushion costs about 150 euros and I haven't been able to find the fabric for less than $112 a yard. I'm now thinking that I will produce my own "homage" by embroidering a similar design in white on black linen. I've recently done some sewing for work (embroidering and making up some linen cushions for a hotel room mock-up) and got very excited about working with linen, especially since I found a place that sells it very cheaply.

Another thing I've stumbled upon is this series of wooden dolls by Alexander Girard. He was heavily influenced by folk art from around the world, especially Mexico, and his collection formed the basis for the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Apparently he made these for his own home, just because he wanted to and thought they'd be nice to look at. That's why I do a lot of the things I do, much to Matthew's consternation, I fear, so I think that's nice. However, it does not really justify them being "re-issued" by a high-end furniture manufacturer and being sold for about £80 each, simply as decorative items.

That said (in a disapproving tone), I am really intrigued by these little guys. I imagine that making some would be quite satisfying and I'm already thinking about how to do it. They're mostly flat shapes cut out of wood; a person could probably reasonably approximate the shape with a jigsaw. I don't have a jigsaw, so now I'm wondering about painting a set of Russian nesting dolls in imitation. Or, rather, homage.

But one thing about which I am unreservedly excited is the quilt exhibition that's opening at the V&A in March. The V&A has probably the greatest museum shop in the world anyway and they always have themed items to go with their special exhibitions. In this case, they are reproducing textile prints from quilts dating from the 18th and 19th centuries and selling them in fat quarters, by the metre and cut to measure. And they're not insanely expensive - only £11.50 per metre.

Now I just have to wait until next week to find out if I'm going to be making a precious little dress for Yoyo (the working title for our sprog) or if I'll be crafting a lovely present for my niece. Either way, my sewing fingers are itching...

Bad Weather = Homemade Cuteness

Obviously, I complain a lot about the weather, but no one can deny that the weather over Easter weekend has been genuinely awful. There has been rain, snow, hail, high winds and bright sunshine - sometimes all at once! This was the view from our conservatory door yesterday. The little white streaks are chunks of ice falling from the sky, aka hail. Please forgive the glare from the window glass, but there was no way I was going to open the door just to get a better picture.

Anyway, being stuck inside, I got to work. Our friends in Edinburgh (one of whom is 3 years old) are coming to visit this weekend, so I started thinking about what might be fun for the visit. For the older ones, I am offering good food and charming conversation, as per my usual. But the little one is getting a dress-up box! So far it contains three scarves, some Bonne Belle Lip Smacker lip gloss, and these two dresses, which I whipped up yesterday.

The black and white animal print is made from the dress I made for myself for my company's Christmas costume party last year. After a lengthy search for reasonably priced animal print fabric, I bought a muu muu from a stall at the market. It's made from a very slinky polyester, which is difficult to work with but very forgiving. I don't know how tall Bo is at the moment, so I made it very long and will cut it off once she specifies her preferred length. It is lined with a black t-shirt, so the whole thing should be soft and stretchy.

This dress has a detachable black satin sash (currently detached) and a cat mask. How cool is that!?!

This, which I am calling a woodland fairy dress, is made from the trimmings from our conservatory curtains and lined with the trimmings from some other curtains. Thus, the only parts not from Ikea are the bodice material and the two buttons (iridescent rosette button and natural brown button in back), all of which came from my grandma. It has a coordinating scarf that I got from my Secret Santa two years ago, so 100% free materials. Unfortunately, I just got some measurements for the intended wearer last night and this one might be a bit tight. Fortunately, though, I have loads more of the materials and so can make any necessary adjustments.

I made up these patterns from what I remembered from making my Christmas dress, so I figure I can invent any alterations, too.