Two Things at the Same Time

I don't really seem to be able to handle doing two things at the same time.  To wit, I've been posting semi-frequently on a different blog, The Great Vintage Sewalong of 2011, and have dropped off the face of the earth here at Dum Spiro Spero.


Here's what I've been busy working on:

Isn't it cute?  The dress is from 1941.  I'm making it out of a deep pink velvet.  And I'm hoping to have it completed by Valentine's Day.


I've sewn it up in muslin once, made some alterations, and sewed up the bodice part again in muslin.  This is how it looks:

I'm happy with my progress, so I'm ready to cut it out in the fashion fabric and to proceed.


It's a vintage dress party over at the other blog.  Do stop by and check out all the fun garments people are making!

National Penguin Awareness Day

Happy National Penguin Awareness Day!  I just found out that January 20th is Penguin Awareness Day.  I love penguins!


Here are some facts about penguins (via here):

• The tallest penguin reaches the height of four feet and is called Emperor Penguin. The smallest penguin has a height of 1'3" and is called the Little Blue Penguin.
• The rarest penguin is called the Yellow-eyed Penguin. It is named that because of its eye color and also because of the two yellow strips on its wings. There are only 5000 in the world today. 
• Penguins have a filter just below their beaks. This filter purifies the salt water from the ocean when they drink.
• The mother lays the eggs and the father keeps it warm while waiting for it to hatch. Because they live in colder regions, the egg needs extra warmth to hatch. Thus, the father takes up the role. 
• Penguins don't always go to land to sleep. If they find danger on shore, they can take small naps in the water. 
• Unlike other birds, penguins have their own sign language to communicate. They communicate not only with their voice but also by waving their wings and nodding their heads.

When I was living in South Africa last year, I got to visit a place on the Cape where you can swim and interact with the penguins.  Have you ever seen penguins go up stairs?  It's really cute!

Aren't they amazing!?!

Happy Penguin Day!

Lions and Tigers and Dinosaurs, Oh My!

Haha! I had to share this. The other day (week) when I went to the Pre-Raphaelite exhibit in D.C., I also made a pit stop at a certain Smithsonian museum.  My comrade in arms that day was a very special Chinese student whom I know from the English language school where I work.  Her one request was that we go to "the museum where Night at the Museum takes place."  I never saw that movie, but I had a hunch that it had to be the Museum of Natural History.  Mengdi didn't believe we were in the right museum until she saw the dinosaurs!


That's me being silly, but I have to admit that seeing those large skeletons is pretty awe-inducing.  I don't think I think of dinosaurs as really having existed-- at least, not until I stand next to their giant bones.  Their sheer size is unfathomable! 

Trailer for Human Planet

The trailer for this show looks amazing... watch for the eagle eye view of the Burj Khalifa (next door to where I used to live) in Dubai-- it's a super cool shot.  The cinematography of the show looks like it is going to be pretty incredible.

via Take Your Vitamin Z

Florals and Ginghams

I am seeing a trend for spring in floral and gingham prints-- I LOVE it!

Here are some images from the D&G Spring 2011 campaign:

via Life in Pics

The oversized-gingham print is my favorite look and I love it used in a playsuit.  The maxi dresses are really pretty and the short floral-print dresses remind me of the early 90s-- especially the tiered peplum skirt.


Can you tell I'm ready for spring to hurry up and get here?!?

You Were Never Lovelier (1942)

I just finished watching the Rita Hayworth and Fred Astaire film You Were Never Lovelier, and as always, loved the 1940s fashions.

I recently read that Fred Astaire said that Rita was his favorite dance partner.  I can't find the direct quote, but apparently he said that he could teach her a new dance routine before lunch, and by afternoon she had learned the whole thing and was ready to perform.


Here are few stills from the film:

Do you notice anything special about this dress? She has two giant hooks-and-eyes which are used to fasten the shoulder straps to the bodice.  Isn't that super cool?

I love the lace doily aspect of the dress on the left!  Below you can see a side view of it.  Also, plaid seemed to be in style for evening dresses in the 1940s.  Notice how the plaid fabric of the skirt is mirrored on the sleeve and along the neckline.

Oh, lovely Rita! Rita wears several dresses throughout the film which feature an illusion neckline.  She looks incredible with her lithe dancer's body and the style of dresses reminds me of the work of designer, Peggy Hunt.

Help Make a Little Boy's Wish Come True

One of the blogs that I regularly read {Bits of Beauty} wrote the sweetest post the other day.  Jenn's son's birthday is coming up very soon (he will be 8!), and instead of asking for presents, he has asked that money be donated to Charity: Water in his name.  Click here to be redirected to the Charity: Water site where you can donate $8 for Aidan's 8th birthday!

Jennifer Connelly in charity: water Public Service Announcement from charity: water on Vimeo.
Are you familiar with Charity: Water?  It's a charity that builds wells so that people in developing countries can have access to clean water.


Did you know:

• RIGHT NOW almost 1 Billion people on the planet do not have access to clean, safe drinking water.
• Unsafe water and lack of sanitation cause 80% of diseases.
• More people die each year from unsafe water and lack of sanitation than from all forms of violence (including war).
• a $20 donation can give 1 person clean water for 20 years.
• 100% of what you donate goes directly to fund water projects in developing countries.

Aidan is hoping to raise $800, which would give clean water to 40 people.

Won't you help grant an (almost) 8-year old boy his birthday wish by donating $8 to Charity: Water?

Go gingham! I love this dress!

This one is pretty too, and makes me think of Gertie's red lace dress that she made herself.

And yes, I'm still into the 70s maxidress.  I love them but they never seem to be long enough for my 5'10" frame.

All pics via Life in Pics (It's the Etam Spring 2011 Campaign)

Jewelry/Jewellery

Just some of the lovely items you can find at EricaWeiner.com.  Does anyone need gift ideas?  (And can I add that I love just about everything she sells?)

Oliver + S Contemporary Sewing Patterns for Children

Aren't these sweet?  I just discovered this line of sewing patterns for children over at Butterick and McCalls-- each comes with a 5" paper doll!  Click here to look at all of the Oliver + S collection.

Photographic Genius: Meet Julia Margaret Cameron

Over the weekend I got a chance to go to D.C. to visit the National Gallery of Art where I viewed the exhibit The Pre-Raphaelite Lens: British Photography and Painting, 1848-1875 (through January 30, 2011).  For those of you who don't know, the Pre-Raphaelites were a group of English painters, poets, and critics who joined together in 1848 to reform the art world.  These men intensely disliked the changes that artists like Michelangelo and Raphael had brought about in the art world and desired to return to the way things were before Raphael et al. (hence their name, the Pre-Raphaelites).

The exhibition catalogue

Pre-Raphaelite art is decidedly one of my favorites.  I have always been drawn to their love of nature; their use of of bright, jewel-toned colors; and their drawing of inspiration from Romanticism and Medievalism.  Although the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (as they fashioned themselves) was quite small, being made up of seven men, their circle of influence was quite large.  Some of my favorite artists (John William Waterhouse, William Morris, Edmund Leighton, Edward Burne-Jones, Aubrey Beardsley) were all influenced by the work of this movement.


The exhibit focuses not of the paintings that one typically associates with the Pre-Raphaelites, but with photography.  It's broken up into two parts-- one focusing on landscapes and the other on portraits.  It's an awesome exhibit filled with beautiful photography; if you're in the D.C. area before the end of the month, I definitely recommend stopping by.  You can also view highlights from the exhibit here.


One of the highlights of the exhibition was the work of a photographer I had previously never heard of, Julia Margaret Cameron.  Her portraits are exquisite, and look so much like what photographers are doing today.  Check out some of her work:

The Mountain Nymph, Sweet Liberty (1866)

Gardener's Daughter (1867)

The Kiss of Peace (c. 1869)

Julia Jackson (1867) (The mother of Virginia Woolf)

Two Girls with Umbrella (1864)

Beatrice (Oct 19, 1870)

The Princess (1874)

Julia Margaret Cameron is amazing, right? The coolest thing about her is that she did not discover photography until she was 48 years old.  Her daughter gave her a camera as a present with a note attached which read "It may amuse you, Mother, to try to photograph during your solitude at Freshwater."

Gareth and Lynette (1874)

Ophelia Study (1867)

The Shadow of the Cross (1865)

Come Alice

Whisper of the Muse

Sir Galahad and Pale Nun (1874)

The Echo (1868)

The Rosebud Garden of Girls (1868)

Venus Chiding Cupid and Depriving Him of His Wings (1872)

Iago (1867)

Marianne North in Mrs Cameron's house in Ceylon (1877)

I have to cut myself off from posting more pictures-- Julia Margaret Cameron has an amazing body of work, and these pictures are just the tip of the iceberg. Go forth and Google!

The Bermuda Triangle of Productivity.

Haha!  This is spot on!  If you substitute Google Reader for Twitter, you would have a clear picture of where the majority of my time goes these days!  See also this post entitled Why I Never Get Anything Done.

via Take Your Vitamin Z (via Kevin Cawley)

1/1/11

I hope you all had a great time last night for New Year's Eve and today as you rang in the new year.


Below is that wonderful scene from the end of When Harry Met Sally where Harry professes his love to Sally.  I love that line where he tells her "It's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve.  I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of you life to start as soon as possible."

Enjoy and best wishes for 2011!