a new direction

Ah, spring. What is it about being able to smell the earth that makes me feel like anything is possible? Well, just in time, because I'm ready to dive deeper into things I really love to do and I'd rather have that "anything is possible" feeling than trepidation- uh, duh! So, here it is: I'm in my studio, I have the TWIST Fair to look forward to, a very large project is on the brink of actually existing (it will rock my world but mum is the word right now, and no, it is not a new baby), and I'm just generally feeling like tidying up my career path. Family Fun provides me with loads of space and opportunity to develop kid's crafts so I think it is time to treat One Golden Apple here as my home for sharing my sewing inspiration, projects , and products. Maybe a kid's craft will be thrown into the mix now and then. Sometimes they are too much fun not to share.

Enter the spring green wool jersey dress with a little touch of smocking on the front.


I am dying of how pretty this fabric is. It is a lightweight jersey- soft, soft, soft- and that green! I don't know where this dress is headed. It might go to my Etsy shop, or Twist, or maybe live in my own closet. I've been branching out from my beloved jersey, however, and my "New Line" of skirts and dresses will include some crisp stretch poplin, stretch lawn, and printed woven fabrics. Stay tuned. As I start to step up production and documentation, this is where you'll be able to hear about it and see it. There will still be tutorials and maybe even a giveaway soon.

the (almost) unbearable lightness of skiing

I went skiing. I had an epiphany of sorts as my legs burned and I skied through it. Even for those of you who know me, you might not know what a huge part of my life skiing filled when I was growing up. Since leaving home, skiing has been infrequent and since living in Ireland and then here on the East Coast, 12 years passed with only one small minute on the slopes when Ava was 4 (and I brought Jonny to the top of the mountain for the view and then he actually stopped talking to me for a couple days since he wasn't actually ready for it- being his first ever time skiing). My bad.

Maybe my profound experience on the mountain last week has more to do with who I am as a mama than the actual act of skiing, though I think it was probably a combo deal. First, there is nothing else that can duplicate the feeling of flying and that is what skiing , at it's best, feels like to me. Then, there was the small fact that I was skiing alone- no kids- with a dear friend who was my perfect ski mate and that was all I was meant to be doing. I had no other responsibilities. No other things pulling me in any way. I was free to ski. It actually felt like a retreat and I realized that I would take it over a spa ANY DAY!

The epiphany then? Simple. I need to ski more, or, find other ways to play that make me feel like a kid again- free and easy and strong. It sounds so easy, but I am a conflicted sort of person. I always want to be with my children and husband. I don't like to miss out and I love to be with them. I also really need a healthy dose of solitude for happiness but rarely get or take it. I could easily complain about the money, which is most certainly a factor (skiing can be expensive, we all know), but it has been more of an inability to find my own space to play so fully that is to blame.

This is a ramble, but the reason I decided to post these thoughts is because I did wonder- last Thursday as I rode up the lift with aching teeth from the cold wind hitting my permagrin- what do other dedicated mothers do to relax and recharge and get needed space from the beautiful intensity and demands of a family? What do you do?

my studio...mine, mine, mine!

For all the reasons to feel fortunate in my life, the thing that is sort of unbelievable still and capturing my imagination most is my newly finished studio in the upstairs of the cider barn. I mean, someone pinch me! Space. Organization. Possibility. The crafting I do for Family Fun has always been at my kitchen table- which has been fine, but hard sometimes since it is in our shared space in our small home. When I brewed up the idea to begin teaching crafting and sewing classes in my dream space, my ridiculously handy man made it happen. The electrical and plumbing will go in soon and the biz will begin. For now, I have moved my supplies up there and have started organizing and scheming.


Are you wondering about the TV in the first shot? Ok, so the floor paint drying coincided with my perennial late winter panic attack about not moving my body enough. I got a dance exercise video out of the library, hauled the TV upstairs and danced for a half hour that first night. I am fully aware of what a dork I am. It was fun, just the same.

The other thing I am obsessing about this week is the beautiful fact that I am going skiing with my kick ass girlfriend Tanya. I skied A LOT as a kid in California, but have not found a way to reincorporate it back into my low budget life here on the East Coast. I have been longing for it- especially since the Olympics. I'm going tomorrow! Wooooooo! Tanya will kick my butt out there, I'm sure, but I don't care.

More pictures of the moved-in studio to come, plus a schedule of classes for kids and adults. Hope to see folks at my place soon!