"Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center"

The Christmas Tree at the Rockefeller Center is lighted tonight. 

That means, 

The Holiday Season has officially began ! 

"Special Thanksgiving Dinner"

Setting up for the Dinner.
I had chance to take few snapshots before their guests arrived.

I have been going to their home for Thanksgiving more than 10 years.  But they started hosting that holiday dinner way before.  This year was their 50th.  It is remarkable that their tradition is still going strong.  Yes, some of guests have changed.  But I still see the same people at a huge table.  That makes me feel good things are still the same, and that is a very comforting in very hectic holiday season.  I'm very thankful that they are still hosting this very traditional American Holiday.  
And I got be a part of it.

Jonathan made very celebratory menu for very special dinner and all the dishes were special and delicious. 

By the way,  I was very busy eating & drinking once dinner was served.
So, I forgot to take any photos of Dessert.
As you can see above in the menu, 
Five different sweets were on the table waiting for us to taste.

"Vegetable Basket for Thanksgiving"

I was assigned to make crudite for "J &J's Thanksgiving Cocktail Hour."

I have been making Vegetable Baskets for their gatherings for more than 10 years.  That's include their Annual Thanksgiving Dinner Party.  And this year is special, it was their 50th.  So I had to come up with something new and special.

I couldn't start thinking what kind of basket I would be making till I saw vegetables at the farmers' market on Wednesday.  
I wake up early to get there before the market gets crowded.  I couldn't get some vegetables I was hoping to get.  But, I found things I didn't expect, such as beautiful bell peppers and miniature yellow cauliflowers.   So they became the focus points for this year's Crudite Basket for very special Thanksgiving.  I'll show you how it came out.

1;  Soaking vegetables in the water

the first thing you have to do is keeping vegetables fresh.

and this will clean them as well.

  

2;  Protect the basket with plastic wrap

3;  Cover the basket with green

Do not discard Carrots' Head, Fennel's Green.

they will become first layer of the basket.

4;  Second layer of green

I did use Tuscan Kale this time. (Rainbow Chard will do as well) 

5;  Place a cleaned Bell Pepper for Dip

I always use a bell pepper as a cup for dip.

I often make more than one dip or special salt.

6;  Placing cleaned vegetables as I planned

At this time I planned to make stripes with

Grape Tomatoes, Blanched Haricots Verts, Purple Carrots,

Orange Carrots, Fennel-Sticks, Watermelon Radish-Chips.

**most of vegetables were splashed with Lime or Orange Juice. 

that keeps vegetable moist for a long time and give them extra flavor.

At The Party

I sat up the basket on the table.

Putting "Miso Sesame Dip" in a Yellow Bell Pepper Cup 

"Matcha Salt" in a Yellow Bell Pepper Lid. 

Let the cocktail hour begin !

"November 22, 2018"

" Have a Great Turkey Day ! "

"A Holiday Movie"

The Holiday season is just about to start.

That means, many movie studios are exiciouce to release holiday movies.

There is one I have to see in 3D.

Since the first one I didn't miss Harry Potter Movies.

Even thought this one is before Harry's time, 

there will be so many familiar names will be in it.

So, I have to keep that my tradition alive. 

"YES, I can feel it..."

"The First Snow"

We still have a week to THANKSGIVING.

But, it looks like the Winter is already here.

The First Snow of the season has fallen this afternoon.

Is this means we will have Very COLD Winter ?

I hope NOT....

"A great VIDEO"

https://vimeo.com/123006429
(just click above, you will enjoy watching it....)

"KIMONO-DRESS"

I had a special request from a new client.   

She had an antique KIMONO from Japan.  And she wanted make a dress from it.

I was not sure I'll take that project or not till I saw that Kimono.  When I saw it I knew I had to say "Yes" to her.  Kimono was already taken apart and dry-cleaned.  If I had to do that I wouldn't take that project.  You may not know how much time it will take to make into flat fabric from a KIMONO.  Most of Vintage KIMONOS are hand sewn but it has so many more seams than you may think. Specially AWASE (lined Kimono) has so much hidden stitching you don't see...

It has much unnoticeable damage all over, but I saw possibility to make a dress from it.  And the fabric was a beautiful and unusual Floral design on it.   

So it started with design sketches for the dress.

Followed by taking measurements & making patterns for the dress.

I needed to do fittings with Muslin before started to cut the actual fabrics.

Usually for a dress I need to have 1~3 fittings( depending on it's design).  Muslin is a 100% plain cotton fabric that comes in a few thickness.  So, I have to choose which one is similar thickness to fabric I will be using for the garment.

Important thing for client to remember is to bring a pair of shoes you will be pairing with the dress for 2nd or final fittings.  Believe it or not a Client's posture will change dramatically by the height of heels. I always encourage them to have a high-heel they can walk with.  I think higher is better for the sexy dresses...

photos right after fittings.

The correction for the patterns happened at this stage.

Some details such as Neckline, Armhole, and Hemline had changed. 

I also added some details here and there...

Carefully Cutting KIMONO Fabric into Dress Pieces.

Cutting lining for the dress.  I use China Silk for lining.

Before the final fitting, 
Part of linings are sewn into the dress.

Side seams are still in hand stitching.

The Dress is Completed !

A Matching Sash could be worn as a stole or loosely tied at Low Hip Line. 

I received few photos after she picked up the dress. 
Along with the articles she posted on her Blog.
Here is part of it.

"My project of making my late grandma's (she passed away 7 years age at age of 98, possibly her mother's) Kimono fabric into a custom dress is finally done! It wouldn't have been possible without help of wonderful people.

First; I showed the fabric to my friend who was visiting my place and she enthusiastically recommended to do it. I asked several American tailors and dressmakers. But no one seemed to handle such a delicate fabric. So the project was up in the air for a while. However I asked another friend of mine and she introduced me a Japanese Designer Hiroki who lives in Chelsea and the rest is history.

After we agreed with a rough design, we decided each details with fun discussion at 2 fittings. It was a creative process and very exciting. Since this is a vintage fabric (100-years-old or possibly older) he found lots of not noticeable but damaged spots. He placed patterns logically(?) and cut the fabric with avoiding those spots. It was a painstaking work, but he did it willingly and wonderfully.

Because this is a dericale fabric, many parts were handsewn. A seamstress whom he has been working with for 40 years patched fragile parts with extra fabric after cutting.

With these wonderful help from wonderfull people, I was able to receive such a wonderful dress. Ed, my husband also did a great job. He set up a make-shift photo studio with hanging a sheet from the ceiling and took photos. I showed photos to my mom and she loved it. I believe my grandma, a modern girl who was born and grew up in Tokyo, also would love this my New Dress."

I also received a photo when she wore the dress for the first time.

Which was her birthday celebration dinner.

"Fall is here !'

Let's enjoy this, before Winter arrives.

And I'm afraid, it will be here very soon.....

"Don't forget to VOTE !"

"Venice with the worst flood"

It is heartbreaking to see that beautiful Italian city getting flooded every year.  The sea level is getting higher every year, this kind of scene will happen more often that we want to see.  Hope there will be something we can do to stop the water level rising.

People who truly believe that global warming is false, please explain to me why this is happening.  The extreme weather is getting worse every year, don't they seeing it ? 
We better hurry up to visit again that incredible lagoon city before it gets under water.

"Hello November !"

"a photo from Last Night"

This is how my block in Chelsea looked Halloween Night.