Karen
About Karen
Posts by Karen Kaminski:
Accountability, Not Justice
The fact that I was happily surprised by the verdict in the Chauvin trial says a lot. The bar is literally on the floor; I’m glad we cleared it this time.
That a family had to lose a son, brother and father; that a teenage girl had to film and post a murder, that millions across the country had to organize and march just for George Floyd to be seen and valued is not justice.
And this verdict is not a substitute for policy change. https://t.co/tiDkhl9Dk4
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 20, 2021
These are 2021 stats, from Mapping Police Violence:
Like AOC says, it’s time for policy change. You can read more about concrete solutions that do work in this thread (from the creator of Mapping Police Violence).
Time to get in touch with my city council members.
On Trend: Checkerboard
I’ve been seeing checks everywhere in RTW lately. It’s not a brand-new trend (the buyer for Stonemountain Fabric called it at the end of 2018) but we all know 2020 didn’t count–and it’s finally worked its way into fabric.
Want to copy these pants from Wray but want to make them even more comfortable (and not $225)?
Get some cotton knit from Girl Charlee and make some Emerson Pants:
Like the look of this fancy Arq bra but know you’re not young enough to wear it out as a shirt with your high-waisted jeans?
Make an Axis Tank (lengthened) with this knit from Fabric Mart:
And finally, this is a gingham, not a true checkerboard, but lime green is also everywhere in fashion lately:
It’s from Fabric Mart again and it’s a beautiful quality linen–much nicer than the gauze used here
Make any of the dress patterns at McCalls right now, add some ruffles, and wear not just one but TWO trends. (Just call me Home Ec Anna Wintour.)
It’s Monday
Steal someone’s fleece jacket, put your paw over your face, and go back to bed if you can:
Friday Links
1. I’ve ordered and returned two different pairs of non-skinny jeans lately and I give up. If we ever return to the office, I’m doing this:
I’m going to deal with not knowing what kinds of jeans to wear by doing what I did the last time I felt this way: wear nothing but dresses for a decade.
— laura olin (@lauraolin) April 12, 2021
2 Related:
3. Wait for it.
Grief
My mom would be 73 today. I took the day off. I’m going to fertilize and trim my houseplants and think about her (she loved to fertilize and prune).
I don’t have many words of my own today, but I’ve been sitting on a Cheryl Strayed newsletter–a reprint of an old Sear Sugar column–for a few weeks now. Every single one of her newsletters destroy me but this one particularly, about living with loss and making a home in grief, didn’t leave a thing standing. It’s beautiful, though. If you have lost a loved one, read it. And know that I’m thinking about you.
Thirty years gone and my mother is always with me. Thirty years gone and I still ache for her every day. Thirty years gone and my sorrow has sweetened into gratitude. How lucky I am to have been her daughter. To still be. To feel her shimmering in my bones with every step. […]
It’s your life. The one you must make in the obliterated place that’s now your world, where everything you used to be is simultaneously erased and omnipresent […] It is impossible for you to go on as you were before, so you must go on as you never have.
You go on by doing the best you can. You go on by being generous. You go on by being true. You go on by offering comfort to others who can’t go on. You go on by allowing the unbearable days to pass and allowing the pleasure in other days. You go on by finding a channel for your love and another for your rage.
The kindest and most meaningful thing anyone ever says to me is: your mother would be proud of you. Finding a way in my grief to become the woman who my mother raised me to be is the most important way I have honored my mother.
Deja Vu
Tuesday Project Roundup: Splashing Doc’s Underwear All Over The Internet
Doc got some new Walbrook Boxer Briefs to replace the last of his RTW pairs and now we’re an “all homemade underwear” family. Which is a thing I just made up.
Please enjoy looking at his undies:
Both fabrics are cotton/Lycra from The Fabric Fairy and I used the cover stitch machine liberally. I didn’t get the stripes lined up very well at the front of the burgundy pair so I added some reverse stitching to help it look more intentional:
These are fast and only take a half yard of fabric and Doc says they’re comfortable. Handmade underwear for everyone!
Today’s The Day
I get my first vaccine shot today and the thought of a near future where I can hug my family and shed the mental load of the last year is just…really great.
More importantly, I have something to wear to this event outside the house–I finished the quilt coat!
I was careful with the binding on the inside so it’s also REVERSIBLE:
I’ll get some “modeled” photos in the next couple of weeks but I didn’t want to keep anyone in suspense (lol). I think this wearable blanket will be a good way to ease back into the vaccinated world.
Friday Links
1. I’ve discovered Virginia Sole-Smith’s columns about fatphobia and diet culture and kids and have been learning a lot. I’ve never struggled with my weight and I started lifting to get stronger, not smaller, but…no one is immune to fatphobia or the pressure to look a certain way, no matter who (or how old) you are. She linked to this article about posting online about “losing the pandemic weight” and it’s just really eye opening and helpful.
2. So true, from the caption of this Kat Vellos post: “How are you?” can be a hard question to answer when a multitude of positive, exciting, hopeful AND scary, sad, disappointing things are *all* happening AT THE SAME TIME.
3. About to head into the weekend like this:
— Koala 🖤 Commissions Open! (@koalaXCF) March 3, 2021