washingtonsquarefilmforumharrypotter

it all began last weekend
seeing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in the theater.
of course my obsession returns.
all craftiness in me is geared towards this. transferring my energy.

so to distract myself, i took a walk in Washington Square Park. Sunday (July 15) was the perfect day for a movie. no, not Harry Potter (saw that last Saturday). but Flying: Confessions of a Free Woman, at the Film Forum in the West Village. i decided to venture into Manhattan a bit early to wander, since i don't do that enough.

(photo: fountain at Washington Square Park)

Washington Square Park is just wonderful. full of tourists and city-dwellers alike. chess players enjoying the heat, children playing in the fountain. steps leading to the fountain create a haven for visitors relaxing, dipping their hot feet into the cool water.

children cooling off in the pool. i watched them for quite awhile. they're having the most interesting conversation. i wonder what they're talking about.

the fountain of youth, a drinking fountain in the park. i feel younger and younger wandering around this city. so much to see. so much to learn. about myself. about life. about other people. society.

after wandering around for a few hours, it was off to meet my friends (Carmina and Ina [[EEEEna]] from the business women's meeting i used to attend) for a cold drink at the Grey Dog Coffee on Carmine Street, right around the corner from the Film Forum. a very quaint cafe, serving delicious sandwiches and coffee and tea. pictured above, the brick walls are lined with paintings of dogs, Walter's Dogs. We caught up (since i hadn't seen these ladies for a few months), brilliant conversations about business.

the film was quite long, but an eye-opener. a bit. definitely directed toward the single woman living in New York City. it really could be applied to single women everywhere, but it was worth watching. i did learn a bit about myself, and maybe a bit about my friends. the world is so different now, isn't it? the role of the woman has changed. for the better i think. it's just a matter of really going after what you want.

(photo: i am enjoying a lovely conversation with Carmina and Ina on the bench outside of the Grey Dog)

---

so the whole point of this entry.

HAPPY HARRY POTTER #7 DAY!!!!

went to a party tonight in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, with my friend K. she and her husband own a bar right across the street from this small hole-in-the-wall bookstore. they had a nice party, with a trivia game, free food, sangria, and then sold the book at 12:01. i was in Hufflepuff house for the trivia game, and we tied with Ravenclaw! the two houses LEAST represented in the books!!!! bloody brilliant.
---

receiving my book in the mail in less than 12 hours.

i
am
stoked.

fabric earrings

hot weather makes lesley a motivated girl.

spent a lot of this weekend indoors, making new things, sketching new ideas. sometimes it's difficult for me to be motivated in the summertime, what with all the outdoor activities, hanging out with friends, grilling, etc.

so i had a bit of an anti-social weekend, except for spending some time with my gentleman friend, multi-tasking like nothing else. i couldn't make up my mind! i have a knitting project that i just adore right now. for my friend K who may be leaving for Ireland for a few months in September. now i say 'may' becuz she may NOT end up going. but even if she doesn't go, she still needs a scarf to keep her warm.

[photo: lacey scarf for K, knit with yarn dyed with Koolaid. cherry blast for your neck! this same yarn was for sale on my Etsy site for awhile, bit i decided to put it to good use. the pattern was taken from the book you see, The New Knitting Stitch Library by a woman with my same first name. brilliant. you can also see my little stitch counter. very useful.]

after looking through the Etsy site for awhile, comparing my ideas to what's already out there [also very useful and inspiring], got some great ideas and started sketching/making. didn't get too far, but came up with these!!

fabric earrings dangling from my ears! 2 layers of fabric sewn together, and then quilted-like with a machine-stitched graffiti blossom. added an eyelet for a finished touch, and voila! instant earring! i'll keep these for myself and make some more elaborate ones to sell.

front and back of my new pretties.

making has been a bit difficult for me lately, as i jammed my middle finger on my right hand rock climbing a couple months ago [i am right handed, doh!]. so i've finally decided to keep it in a brace permanently for at least 2 weeks. this is a bit counter-productive for me, and makes it hard to knit, sew, type....you can probably imagine.

and now to teach myself how to knit continental style. thank you YouTube! be sure to check out this tutorial if you'd like to try out a new way of knitting. they say this is better for those of you with arthritis [mama! i'm not sure about carpel tunnel, but it may be worth a shot!]

inspiration today

i am fortunate enough to live in a city of endless possibilities and resources. sometimes i feel like i take this for granted. and then other times, like today, i realize the possibilities, and i grab them as fast as i can.

i decided to venture down to Brooklyn again, to the Etsy Labs, for a free workshop talk with Antonio Gould, about creating a global brand, yet keeping it at a less-than-corporate level. this of course was just what i needed to start my creative juices flowing. while taking notes, i scribbled down ideas, sketching, looking at the artisans around me, wondering if their minds were as occupied as mine. knowing they were.

[please excuse me. i'm reading a Dan Brown novel at the moment]

after coming home, ideas flowing, i decided to do a post on my inspirations. to compliment this, i will be posting some of my older work. constructive criticism always welcome.

1. FLOWERS
i wish i could scoop them up into my head and create a garden. everything i do i think of flowers, floral, botanical, organic. there's so much life, so much love in it. the colors are abundant and forever glistening.

[photo: hand-woven messenger bag w/ embroidered abstract flowers. hand card-woven strap. double reinforced for structure and stability. approximate labor hours: 80]

2. TEXTURE
anything i can touch, see, taste. fabric especially. brick walls lead to concave metal rails leading into darkness and i wonder what it would look like as a woven tapestry hanging on my wall.

[photo: taken in nyc metro subway station. just look at that concrete. you can see how the gravity plays with it. approximate labor hours: .125]

3. GEOMETRY
really i know this is a bit like the opposite of organic but organic can really only make sense if it's paired with geometry.

[photo: i am modeling a cabled hat i knit from yarn dyed with koolaid. this was my first attempt at a cable hat with ear flaps and a pompom top. birdies embroidered also with koolaid dyed yarn. approximate labor hours: 35]

4. ABSTRACT FASHION
i know i know, what does this mean? only in vogue.

[photo: fashion project, sophomore year at CCS. inspired by Russian fashion, both old and new. installation included dress with muff, 2 old doors found on parents' farm hinged together to create room, all scrap fabric used during project, an inspiration board, and the word 'RED' in Russian. pronounced, 'kraksnie'. my outfit of my own making as well. hair using felt remnants by Diana Jellinek. approximate labor hours: 100]

5. DOT TO DOT
drawing is something i push myself to do. embroidery is drawing with thread, which is much much more exciting than a pencil.

[photo: embroidery on felt. approximate labor hours: .5]

some of my favorite projects [felt embroidery aside] are so labor intensive, i find it difficult to duplicate and sell. but they can be inspiration to me. and they are.