Notes From Neptune

I write about people, places, and things.

I’m trying to write a query letter…

It’s not going so well. First off, how do I condense this thing, this world that I’ve built over the past fifteen years, into one sentence? If I could explain it in a sentence, why would I have bothered to write a book? Secondly, I’m supposed to sell it. The whole point of this letter is to engage the curiosity of some unknown literary agent out there and persuade them.. Read More

Summer Quilt

A couple years ago, I got us a new bedspread from West Elm. It is glorious. It is a velvet quilt that feels like sleeping under a soft lead blanket. I love it immensely. Unless it’s summer, that is. In summer, all those little velvet piles seem to cling to you like tongues of living flame, and it’s hot and sweaty and miserable. So last year, I decided it would.. Read More

Finished Object: Bristol Skirt

Bristol…what a quickie. This was my first time making up a pattern from Colette’s offshoot Seamwork Magazine. All their patterns are intended to take under 3 hours to put together, and I can definitely say that’s the case for Bristol (not counting cutting, of course). I had this medium-weight cotton in stash from a Gorgeous Fabrics binge a couple years ago, and I thought the big, bold floral on black.. Read More

Finished Object: Mysa

Add another thing to the list that I’ve learned thanks to Brooklyn General: Pom Pom Quarterly. These lovely ladies put together a charming magazine every quarter, with some lovely patterns. This is my first go with one, a lovely, striped tunic by Norah Gaughan. I even worked it up in the recommended yarns, since we just happened to carry them at the store. I didn’t make any changes aside from knitting.. Read More

Finished Object: Clara Dress

Otherwise known as “The Octopod Dress.” I bought the fabric and notions for this at Brooklyn General right before I started working there (Cotton + Steel Mystery Food Cotton Lawn with brass buttons). It’s something of a joke that all the staff there purchased some of this fabric, so that the first bolt sold out before the customers even got to see it. 🙂 My plan was to make this.. Read More

Wardrobe Architect 2015-16: It Begins.

You guys may have noticed that I like to make stuff. I especially like to make clothes, and especially clothes for myself. There are myriad reasons for this, from commitment to ethical production practices, to custom fitting, to just plain liking the process. Whatever the motivations, I am working hard to replace everything in my wardrobe with something I made. That may sound like a huge undertaking, and it is,.. Read More