Baby, It's Cold Outside!

And inside my 100-year-old house, it's almost as cold. I ventured into the workroom this evening, turned on my trusty spaceheater (which blows ever so considerately right at my chair), and it was 57 freaking degrees in there. I gave up and retreated to the computer to read sewing blogs and think about sewing.

For some reason, I've been thinking about stripes. I'm not much of a stripe wearer, but that doesn't stop me from thinking. I loved Gorgeous Things' article in Threads a while back about playing with stripes, and doing unusual things with something as basic as stripe is part of what I enjoy most about sewing - the freedom to go sideways with an idea, do something that you'd never see in a store (and wear it).

These were taken back in March when I went to Paris. I didn't think until the last day to take pictures of store windows, but both these striped jackets really impressed me because (a) they were both examples of flawless workmanship, and (b) while they were serious garments, there was nothing stuffy about them, even the jacket that could have wandered off a shoot for Brideshead Revisited.

What I particulaly like about these (aside from a facility for stripe-matching that makes my eyes cross) is that they're beautiful, classic, classy garments that still manage to be just the slightest bit off. In a good way.

Okay, all this meandering has been fun, but if I'm not going to get any work done on the holiday gifts, I should try sleeping. I worked on a robe for Mario's sister last night until past 1 a.m. and this morning I looked and felt like something my cats wouldn't even bother to bring in.