It's been awhile since I've been on this space! A lot of goings on have been in progress for the last few months. As you see by the picture, I'm finally starting on those sewing patterns I talked about ages ago! I wanted to make them available before now, but there were several parts that I needed to figure out first. I finally figured out how to digitize the patterns after experimenting with it one day. I'm actually working on two patterns right now and hope to work on more over the spring/summer months. That brings me to another bit of news coming up! Jed and I will be spending the spring and part of the summer in Seattle, which I'm quite excited about! Although this means I won't be able to sew as much since I'll only be able to bring whatever I can fit in our car. I plan to work on my sewing patterns and perhaps get in a little sewing here and there. But I'm not planning on a spring/summer collection this year. I may actually stop doing spring/summer collections all together, as it seems to be a slower time of year. And I never get excited about spring/summer clothing as much as I do the fall/winter season! So I think I will spend my efforts making my sewing patterns available and work on a fall/winter collection. However, I can still make clothing from my past collections and in new fabrics. I am going to try to sew up a few things before we leave, but we shall see if that actually happens! In any case, I'm very much looking forward to spending time in the Pacific Northwest! And I know we will be taking a trip (or several) to Portland during our stay! I would love to find out favorite places to go see while we are there, so if anyone is from the area and would like to suggest a few spots I would be grateful! We have never been to this area before, but I know we are going to love it.
Some places you may want to see for fabric:
ReplyDeletehttp://districtfabric.com/ - Fremont Fabric Store
http://drygoodsdesignonline.com/ - Ballard Fabric Store
https://pacificfabrics.com/ - Larger local chain fabric store
http://www.nancyssewingbasket.com/ - Queen Anne Fabric Store
What kind of places (besides fabric stores) are you interested in? Just ask! :)
Wow, Anna! What brings you two to the Northwest for the summer (which, by the way, is the best time to visit - it's easy to fall in love with it out here during the tourist season).
ReplyDeleteI have so many favorite spots to recommend to you in Seattle! I think you might enjoy the Nordic Heritage Museum in Ballard, the Frye Museum on Capitol Hill (also, there's the prettiest little 19th Century glasshouse tucked up in Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill, too!), and maybe also the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI; it's on south Lake Union), and the center for wooden boats, which is by MOHAI? The Zoo on Phinney Ridge is a great place to spend an afternoon - and you can go for a walk around Greenlake, below the Zoo, or take a paddle boat out on it. The Arboretum and Discovery Park are some of our nicest, largest parks to visit - and you can rent a canoe from the Waterfront Activties Center by the UW stadiums and go canoeing on Lake Washington (and in the Arboretum itself)! Favorite beaches in Seattle are at Alki Point in West Seattle and Golden Gardens (Ballard) - oh, and the locks are a fun site to visit in Ballard, as well! If you're here in the summer, you'll be able to walk across the locks to the fish ladder and watch the salmon returning from the ocean. =)
There are so many great restaurants to recommend, I wouldn't even know where to begin. Some of my favorites are Sitka and Spruce (local, NW ingredients, used creatively; small plates), How to Cook a Wolf (gorgeously sexy Italian, small plates, creative and beautiful presentation), Toulouse Petit Kitchen (French Creole, with an emphasis on the French; definitely get the crawfish beignets!), Pair (like Sitka and Spruce, but much easier to get a table!), Place Pigalle (IN the Public Market, behind the fish throwers; classic French cooking in a space that once housed one of Seattle's brothels), Tavolata *or* Staple and Fancy (two of the Ethan Stowall restaurants; both are Italian spots. I think I like Staple and Fancy better, but the lemon-scented doughnuts with chocolate dipping sauce at Tavolata are AMAZING), The Walrus and the Carpenter (Seattle's hottest oyster spot; they don't take reservations, expect to put your name in and go somewhere else for a drink, as the wait is at least 45 minutes for a table), The Volunteer Park Café (two words: weekend brunch!), Agua Verde (the tacos bacalao is the best thing on the menu, hands down. Also, you can rent kayaks and go paddle around Lake Union and check out the houseboats). Our favorite thai spots are Jai Thai in Fremont (their phad see ew is THE BEST!) and Mai Thai in Wallingford.
Oh, and do check out Fresh Flours (there's one on Phinney Ridge, and one in Ballard; Phinney's our regular spot). Their espresso is the best in Seattle (that's just my opinion), and they have wonderful patisserie - just like being in France. And then there are the farmer's markets, which will be happening in different locations around the city almost every day of the week in summer; on the weekends, the Fremont Market is home to an antiques/vintage market (there's also a big antiques mall in Fremont; if you know Macklemore's "Thrift Shop," you'll recognize the interior from the video!).
What else, what else? Bookstores? Shopping districts?
I'm kind of excited that you'll be here, experiencing my favorite city!
Make sure you get out towards the Olympics and the ocean sometime - it's well worth the drive out. La Push is beautiful, but stay at Mora Campground rather than the La Push campground. Make your way up to Hurricane ridge on the way there. Cape Flattery is also a great place.
ReplyDeleteAnother fun trip is to drive a loop around the Cascades - I'd say that Chinook Pass through Yakima up through the North Cascade highway would be a good weekend trip with lots of camping along the way. Sunrise and Paradise (around Mt. Rainer) are also excellent.
Ride the ferries! If you're used to big city, the Kitsap Peninsula will disappoint, but I happen to love it (Poulsbo born and bred!) and it's a great way to get over to the Olympic Peninsula.
If you want any other suggestions, feel free to ask. Seattle is a really interesting and diverse place to spend time.
Cannot wait to see the finished patterns and hear about your trip.
ReplyDeleteSometimes small absences are needed to clear our head and prioritize.
Loving the mountainous shots!
~Abigail
http://sweetergetsthejourneyblog.blogspot.com/
can't wait to see these patterns, aa! and how exciting to be spending the summer on this side of the map. when it gets closer, i can give you a big ol list of awesome places to explore (and vancouver is just up over the border :)
ReplyDeleteAnother one - Scandia Midsommar! St. Edwards State Park, end of June. Super duper fun, lots of performances, live music, beautiful costumes and wonderful traditions. A whole bunch of people in my group of friends go every year (we're performers too, usually) and it's just a lovely day.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.skandia-folkdance.org/midsommarfest.html
pleas excuse my pore english. But I have been following your blog a couple of years now and i love the way you write and the things you write about. However i was just thinking the other day how much i would like the pattern of your white summer dress, and when i read this post i got my hopes upp that mabye i could by it by the end of the summer. :)
ReplyDelete/Linda from Sweden
Oh! Patterns!!! How exciting!! : ) Happy almost Spring to you!!
ReplyDeleteHere are some Seattle suggestions for you. :)
ReplyDeleteEating
Volunteer Park Cafe, Oddfellows, Revel, Sitka & Spruce, Skillet, Molly Moon Ice Cream, La Carta de Oaxaca, The Fat Hen
Drinking
Sun Liquor, Hazelwood, Redwood, The Forge Lounge, Rock Box (private karaoke)
Shopping
E.Smith Mercantile, Ghost Gallery
Exploring (in and around)
Mt. Si, Rattlesnake Ridge, Fort Casey, Mt. Rainier National Park, North Cascades, Rolling Huts in Methow Valley, Doe Bay, Arboretum, Safeco Field for a baseball game