More Historic Homes

My pictures suck -- but you get the idea. This beauty has an incredible paint job, with flowers between the windows. I cut off the turret...

Stunning views of the Mississippi River. This home is in McClellan Heights -- there used to be a Civil War fort in this location.

Sue & I got on the bus with about 15 other people. As it turned out, Baby Ian was the HIT of the day!! Not only is he absolutely adorable -- but he watched our tour guide, Matt, with rapt attention for over an hour. That little guy smiled and charmed everybody....

After the tour, we went back to the swanky "Outing club" for lunch. I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T GET A PICTURE OF THE CHEESE SOUFFLE...!! Wow. What a beautiful day we had.

This event was put on by Eastern Iowa Community College. Check around in your own area -- you might be surprised by what's available. Every city in the country has that BIG MANSION that used to belong to the richest family in town. In Pottsville, Pennsylvania, it's the Yuengling Mansion (Yuengling Beer)on Mahantongo Street. In Moline, Illinois, it's the Deere-Weiman House (John Deere).

This time of year, they often hold Christmas events in these classy old mansions. Bert & I like to go on those "Holiday House Tours" where they get all gussied up for Christmas. I always see a hundred decorating ideas that I'M GOING TO DO NEXT YEAR...lol...

Sock Monkey Babe!

My sister Deena has two little granddaughters. Madeline, who you've seen on occasion -- and baby Avery -- recently turned one. Avery's FAVORITE thing is her sock monkey. I'm hoping to put up a picture of her holding it (hint, hint, Deena & Becky!).

In the meantime -- here's a picture of the sock monkey birthday cake her Dad Chad made for her: (no kidding -- CHAD MADE THE CAKE -- isn't that awesome!!)



AND -- Grandma Deena is making her a special sock monkey blanket for Christmas:



Here's a closeup of the embroidery (which, you know, our sister Deborah always DOES FOR US...)

Who knew there was SOCK MONKEY FABRIC?? Beautiful job, Grandma & Aunt Debbie -- Avery will LOVE IT....


Deborah got the embroidery designs from the Embroidery Library. Our family is pretty good at TAG TEAM SEWING, eh??

Davenport Historic Tour

Having friends is just like having a garden....you've got to tend to the friendship. Sue and I have been friends since we were 12 years old. Right now, we're both really busy all the time...and we hadn't spent a day together since August. Shame on us.

Recently, on a stunningly beautiful fall day -- even though she was babysitting her 8-month old grandson, Ian. We just decided to GO FO IT. So, the three of us went on a bus tour of Davenport, Iowa's historic neighborhoods.

WHAT FUN!!

Ian was born about the same time as our Lillian -- and the lucky little guy has Grandma Sue for a babysitter! Although we were hesitant about taking the tour with the baby....he was an angel all day. (I'm sure the other people on the tour were concerned about having a baby on the bus...)

I am a sucker for any kind of architectural or historic tour. When I travel, if I have a spare afternoon -- that's the first thing I do. Of course, New York City is my favorite. The Theodore Roosevelt house tour, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, the Tenement Museum on the lower east side. I LOVE these tours. Last year, I enjoyed a half-day tour of Pittsburgh. One of my favorite tours ever was the architectural river tour I took with my friend Marion in Chicago. Last year, spring Quilt Market was in Salt Lake City -- and Mary Mulari & I went on a tour of the Bringham Young house. Well, you get the idea. Here are some pictures of homes in Davenport's historic neighborhoods...
Most of these houses overlook the Mississippi River...


more tomorrow...

Anne, my young sewing friend

I believe my well-being depends on spending at least ONE DAY EACH WEEK visiting with a friend. On this occassion -- I got together with my young-mom-sewing-star friend, Anne. Actually, she's an engineer in her work life -- but her biggest job is being the amazing mother of twins (remember Sam & Sarah in their Halloween costumes?).

What a delightful lunch we had! At Mondo's -- the best restaurant in Iowa City. I brought the fabulous, never-used IOWA tablecloth. Anne's twins, Sarah & Sam, are almost 7 years old, and Anne will teach them Iowa History and factoids just like her Mom taught her -- via the tablecloth. This one still had it's original little paper sticker that reads "Hemmed by the blind women of Iowa."


I also gave Anne a set of heart-shaped placemats WITH napkins. (Mary Mulari and Gail Brown would be soo proud of me!) When I stumbled onto them in a recent box of treasure from an auction, I immediately knew they should go to a house with young children where holiday traditions would include SPECIAL TABLE LINENS...


Not to be outdone -- Anne brought a Goodwill gift for me, too. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?? A little zebra-striped skirt (with attached pantaloons) for Lillian. Not to worry -- THERE WILL BE PHOTOS at a later date. Hopefully, Lillian will be here for Thanksgiving.

When I walked into the restaurant -- carrying my linen treasures in the Hey Rita Bag -- Anne's first question was "TELL ME ABOUT YOUR BAG!" In a future post I'll show what the three of us did AFTER the great lunch!!

And, Hey, Anne -- GOOD FOR US for stealing away for a coupla hours. I LOVED IT, LOVED IT, LOVED IT....your kids are soooo lucky to have you!!

To Honor Utility Sewing

My sister Debbie does incredible MACHINE EMBROIDERY. Many of you reading this blog are into heirloom sewing, tailoring garments, or making incredible quilts. Sometimes it's hard to know where the sewing stops and the art begins.

But I'd like to take a minute to honor utility sewing. This is what every one of us do but we seldom think about it and we certainly never get any credit for it.

What is utility sewing?

Well, it's hemming up a pair of pants so they fit you or your child, your grandchild, your sister, brother or neighbor. It's sewing for your own family and your friends --those projects like cutting off and hemming a pair of long curtains or taking in five pair of pants because your sister lost 30 pounds. It's patching the knees on a boy's pants...over and over again. You know what I'm talking about -- you've all done it. And you NEVER get any credit for it...

For example --The other day, John put two very nice pair of khaki pants in the Goodwill bag (yes, I very occasionally GIVE STUFF BACK TO THEM). When I saw the pants (Eddie Bauer and Land's End, for crying out loud) -- I said, "what's wrong with these pants?"

He replied, "the pockets aren't deep enough -- when I get in and out of the golf cart, my balls keep falling out". (this is an exact quote and I think it would be wrong to change his words...)

After I stopped laughing, I said, "Do you know who I am, John? I sew -- and I can make those pockets deeper."

He seemed surprised.

REALLY?? He's SURPRISED??!! HAS HE BEEN PAYING ANY ATTENTION AT ALL FOR THE LAST 39 YEARS???

Since we got married, I've hemmed maybe 500 pairs of pants -- for family, friends, neighbors. I've sewed curtains or drapes wherever we lived, and in the early days, I sewed all my own clothes. Over the years I've sewed extensions onto sheets, made personalized pillowcases, napkins, tableclothes, halloween costumes and slipcovers for furniture. Our son Elliott wore his favorite pair of blue jeans from the age of 15 until 23 because I repeatedly repaired them, including adding new pockets, and a new faced hem when the original one was just strings. I patched them so often, it was hard to know if there was any original denim left in those jeans.

YES, JOHN, I CAN FIX YOUR POCKETS.

Here's a picture of the original pockets...


In this picture, I cut off the bottom of the original pocket.

Voila!! I sewed a deeper pocket onto the original one.
It was no more than 10 actual minutes of sewing -- and John acted like this was the most amazing thing I ever did for him. Aye yay yay...

Jeff Lassiter -- the Art Guy

In my life, there have been many memorable people. And a few actual "characters". My friend Jeff is both memorable and a character. I first met him when I was a SCHOOL BUS DRIVER and he was a kid on my bus. Many, many moons ago -- another lifetime, really. Jeff is an artist. Even as a little kid, he was an artist. Because he is moving from Chicago to New York City -- he's having a BIG SALE of his orignal art. Lucky for me...


During my recent visit to Chicago, I said, "I'll bring the cash -- you bring the art"...It felt almost like a drug deal...


I ALWAYS enjoy Jeff's sense of humor. When describing a former female boss who was very difficult, he said, "The Devil Wore Lane Bryant".

GOOD LUCK IN THE BIG APPLE, JEFF!! You will be amazing... and as soon as I get it done -- I'll post my new "original Jeff Lassiter Art Wall"...here I am with one of my favorite new paintings...



IF I remember to take my camera with me -- next Friday I'll have lunch with Jeff and post some pictures of the two of us in NEW YORK CITY..

Project Runway Week #12 Recap

For this challenge – Tim is waiting for them at the J. Paul Getty Center. The five remaining contestants are told to use the Getty Center as their inspiration. Breathtaking views, staggering architecture, galleries filled with priceless art…

They have 30 minutes to tour and 30 minutes to sketch. Really?? 30 minutes? If these producers had their way, they’d put a drive-through window in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

On to Mood. Where they have a $300 budget – but still only 30 minutes to shop. ugh.

Irina, still holding a grudge against Althea because of last week’s “sweater-gate”, is sucking up to Gordana. Carol Hannah said people are “starting to pick at each other?” WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, Honey? In the apartment, Carol made a comment and Gordana snarled at her, “too bad, Carol, we’re not here to serve you.” I’m telling you – EVERYBODY who hangs out with Irina gets poisoned…she is one of those manipulative women who get OTHER people to do her hatchet work...her parents need to resign themselves to the fact that she will NEVER get married...

During Tim’s visit – well – let me cut to the chase. He told Irina her garment looked like “roadkill”. I think he actually called it a “post apocalyptic moment” I was soo delighted I must have blacked out for a minute.

When I woke up, they were introducing this week’s “judges dujour”: Cynthia Rowley (her black jacket was the best thing on the show), Cindy Crawford, Nina Garcia and Heidi. No kidding. Not one -- but TWO virgin judges for the final challenge?? Mercy. Why not just draw names out of a hat?

Here's how it came down the runway:

Althea: Her inspiration was the building itself. The off-white multi-pleated skirt was a puckered mess. Cindy said she was brave to make the pleating. (isn’t that what your Mom tells you when you try out for cheerleading, even though you can’t do a cartwheel?) Cynthia called it ambitious, overworked. Nina said nothing wrong with an ambitious plan, but she barely got to the top. Heidi called it a “mess fest”…


Carol Hannah – She was inspired by an enormous, ornate, baroque bed with layers and layers of lush silk fabric, plain and brocade, braided and tasseled. With all that inspiration, she made a long beige- guess-what-wait-for-it-OH, YES, IT’S DRESS #12 for Carol. Cynthia said the fit is fantastic and she liked the detail on the shoulder. Cindy thinks it’s a beautiful dress, but did not get the reference to the inspiration. (take another look, babe -- there's a bedskirt on the bottom.)



Christopher. He is oddly proud of the fact that with all the gorgeous views, architecture and priceless art at the Getty Center – he took his inspiration from the algae in the rock water fountain. Hey – I don’t want to be hard on the guy. I mean – HE ONLY HAD 30 MINUTES. Anyway – he made a gray dress. A fitted bodice with a long skirt and some barely visible green something splashed on the bottom of the skirt. Cynthia loved the top part, but said it seemed a little heavy on the bottom..Cindy thinks it’s flattering, but the stiffness didn’t move with the model (I’m thinking – PAY ATTENTION, PEOPLE -- HIS INSPIRATION WAS A ROCK!!)
Gordana. Her inspiration was a faded Monet painting. (redundant, I know) She made a strapless, A-shaped long white gown out of silk organza, with an inverted “V” in the front. Heidi said she could absolutely see the connection with the painting. Nina called it perfectly made, but can you really take a chance? Cindy said she would wear it…Cynthia said she’s not loving the big chunky zipper in the back. When the model turned around, Nina said, “not so great from the back”..

Irina. She was completely enamored with a painting of two fat girls in see-through dresses. The minty green dress she made was a shapeless 'OH YUCK" mess -- too low cut in the front – and the model didn’t dare lift her arms because the girls would have been totally on their own. I'm sitting up now, rubbing my hands together. FINALLY -- Irina made an outfit that really sucks. Then the judges started talking. Nina liked the back, but said the length was very old lady. Cindy loved the color…and could see the inspiration…but the model’s shoes are a disconnect. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? IN THIS POST APOCALYPTIC MOMENT OF A WORTHLESS DRESS, you're gonna blame the shoes?? It is, without a doubt, the WORST thing Irina has made during the entire season. Heidi wanted to take the shoes off…and all those other messy, distracting things, bracelets, etc.…

HEY -- WAIT JUST A DARNED MINUTE!! ARE YOU PEOPLE TRASHING THE MACY’S ACCESSORY WALL??

They just can't bring themselves to criticize the perfect Irina, so instead -- they blame Macy's! FINE, PEOPLE!! KEEP IT UP. Let's see who you get to sponsor the show NEXT season!!

They announce “three of you will be going to Fashion Week, and two of you will be out.”
HEY – WHY DIDN’T I KNOW THIS WEEK WAS A DOUBLE ELIMINATION?? Hey, Heidi -- COULD HAVE MENTIONED THAT?? I had NOOOO idea that was gonna happen.

Well, in all fairness, I did have that little blackout earlier....anyway, I realize I'm fine with a double elimination. YES! Throw two of them off. You should have started that weeks ago!! Of course, Chris is done – and Althea can go, too.

Here's how Heidi called it:

Irina – you’ve consistently performed well. Today was no exception…(I BEG YOUR PARDON??!) You’re going to Fashion Week. You may leave the runway. Okay, I know Irina is talented and she must go to Bryant Park -- but let's be honest. Her DRESS SUCKED BIGTIME.

Christopher…you’ve done some very inspired work – but you are OUT…we appreciate that you can see beauty in the unusual…

Backstage, Irina hugged Christopher and looked shocked…(oh, yeah, THAT WAS SINCERE….)

Carol Hannah – we didn’t totally understand the connection – But, Carol Hannah – YOU’RE GOING TO FASHION WEEK…congratulations… (expected)

Then, Heidi says, "Althea and Gordana – one of you will be going to Fashion Week. Gordana had some construction issues…it was not spectacular enough to overcome our reservations. Althea…you really disappointed us today…your look was a mess.."

Drum roll....

Althea – YOU’RE GOING TO FASHION WEEK…

Okay. They got me. I didn't see it comin'...

But -- hey -- wait just a cotton-pickin' minute. WHO WON THE CHALLENGE, HEIDI?? You slip in two different judges, you make it a double elimination with absolutely no explanation to the audience -- and then -- YOU DIDN'T EVEN PICK A WINNER THIS WEEK??

I'll say it again. ugh...