Above: Stephanie on the beach in Maine. Outtake from a piece called “Beach Walk”.

It can be difficult to decide which photographs make it into a publication. I can sit for hours trying this one or that one and in the end I always have a whole folder full of photographs that now fall under the title of “outtakes”. I feel sad for the outtakes. Discarded bits and bobs that didn’t make the cut for one reason or another. They most likely can’t help but feel a distant second to the images that made it into the piece. I think it must be tough to be an outtake.

3191 Quarterly No. 5 was no exception with regard to the outtakes. Stephanie and I each had a folder full of images that didn’t make the book. Usually this would fall under the category of sad, as previously discussed, however, we have a website! What that means is that we can show you the outtakes here and they have a new life of their own. And because of the smaller scope at 3191 Miles Apart, with just one dispatch each week, these outtakes may feel even more in the spotlight then the 130+ photographs included in Q5.

Let’s give them their due, shall we?

Above: A foggy afternoon. Outtake from a piece called “Cushing, Maine”.

Above: Our bed and our coffee. Outtakes from a piece called “At Home”.

Above: My nephew at an autumn picnic. Outtake from a piece called “A Gathering In Maine”.

Above: Stephanie in my kitchen. Outtake from a piece called “Studio Lunch”. SCB: I don’t even think I’ve shown this one to you yet. Been too busy being bummed that you’re back in your Portland. You are missed in this kitchen, girl!

Thank you for spending some time with my outtakes and making them feel special. You guys are the best.

I have been taken with the Japanese art of wrapping in cloth called furoshiki ever since I saw this post over at {frolic!}. I have had fun trying out all the techniques with scarves, napkins, linen towels and pieces of scrap fabric. This week I wanted to share how to make the simple shoulder bag because it is so easy to remember and is handy when you’ve forgotten a bag, but do have a scarf on hand (depending on the weight of your scarf, it should be sturdy enough to bring home a small parcel of groceries).

Spread out your scarf and place the items in the center (this was my snack of bread, cheese, apple and tea).

Tie two corners together in a square knot, leaving one long tail and one short tail.

Do the same with the opposite corners.

Tie the long handles together to form a handle.

Ta-da! One minute shoulder bag! A silk scarf would make a lovely evening bag.

Four sweaters.

I unpacked my fall/winter bin last weekend (the one I hauled up from the basement) and found only four sweaters. I sure found lots of wool hats, gloves and boots but just four sweaters. For a moment it made me think perhaps there was a second bin somewhere but then I remembered … yep … I’m a minimalist. I have four wool sweaters for a reason.

Each fall/winter I invest in just one or two sweaters with plans to keep them for several years. In fact it’s not just sweaters that I have these kinds of ideas about. I usually only purchase a few new pieces each season. I invest in my clothing and abide by the mantra: less is more. Instead of taking my “welcome the season” clothing budget and spreading it out to buy a quantity of new inexpensive often poorly made items, I like to put all of my money for new things into just a few items. It works for me. I like knowing that I am investing in what is on my body and it helps me take better care of my garments. Now, I know this kind of thinking is not for everyone, I feel lucky to even have a “welcome the season” clothing budget set aside, but regardless I thought I’d take a minute to tell you what my favorite investments for the season are. At the very least I think it’s a really good thing to have less and take better care of what you have. Perhaps that’s what these thoughts are really all about anyway. Quality over quantity and care over careless. Just my thoughts anyway …

1. A Black Top (seen up top)
This season I fell in love with the Linear Top from Filly Designs. The reason why I think a black top is important is pretty obvious. No rocket science here. You can dress a black top up, you can dress it down. I’ve been wearing my Linear top with jeans, skirts, over dresses and have even thrown it on a few mornings after just getting up. I love the fit, the feel of the fabric and the fact that I know it’s well-made. It’s so nice to have a standard, yet interesting, black top in my closet. I plan to take very good care of this one!

2. Leggings
All of these leggings here are designed by Caitlin Mociun. Caitlin is a friend and I think she’s an incredible artist. I try to invest in one pair of leggings from each of her collections (this season is actually her last one designing clothing; sob!). The blue stripes must be four or five years old by now. They are still in great shape! The triangles are from last season and the triangles + dots are from this season at Anaise. It’s all fine and good to have a standard pair of black leggings, and I do have that pair from three seasons ago, but I love to inject a bit of fun into my wardrobe. Leggings with prints just cheer me up! That’s always a good thing and that makes them a good investment in my eyes.

3. A Wool Sweater
This year’s choice is from the Australian knitwear company, Primoeza. In the spirit of full disclosure this is a client (and friend) of mine; my creative team, along with chelliswilson, worked on Elizabeth’s Collection No. 2 campaign. But you know what … all that did was make me realize even more strongly that this was a gorgeous piece and a very good investment. The Primoeza sweaters/scarves are made one at a time; it takes Elizabeth one day to make a garment! That is amazing and I respect her craft so very much. The four sweaters I unpacked from my bin all spanned the course of the last five years. They were all investments and I have treated them as such. When I take a trip in the winter I pack just one wool sweater so that’s always an indicator of how important this piece is in my closet. So, now I have five wool sweaters. Feels almost like too many! I may have to look around for holes in the oldest one after this season is up.

4. Comfortable Jeans
My brand is J Brand. I buy no more than one pair of blue jeans each year and sometimes a pair of black as well if I need them or if my weight has changed. Right now I have four pair of jeans in my closet: two blue and two black. I need nothing more and in fact the two black is almost excessive to me but one pair is now three years old and just getting to its amazing stage where it’s starting to fade out to blue. Ooooh. So nice. My one little piece of advice on jeans as an investment is this: make sure they are comfortable! Try on as many pairs as you can and take your time. Once you find the pair you love wash them as little as you can and wear them until they have holes … then get the holes fixed and wear them until those holes rip through again. A good pair of jeans is like coming home. I love coming home.

5. A Blazer
This Boy wool blazer was purchased in 2009 at a 50% off sale at the Barney’s in San Francisco. I freaked out after I bought it (it’s the most pricey thing I own). I am still freaking out a little bit actually. However, it certainly is the piece I wear the most out of anything in my closet. This blazer has made me realize the importance of having a blazer. I wear it in every single situation imaginable … I love it. I love how it envelops me and makes me feel like I’m covered … like I’m going to be okay (if that makes any sense). Now, mind you, I won’t buy another blazer for years and years I’d imagine; this baby is only going to get better! But it’s still high on my list as a good investment and I definitely recommend looking at these higher priced pieces in February at the end of the season.

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If you want to read other MAV-thoughts on clothing (goodness knows why you would want to read my babbles but still) you can see my closet clear out post here, a post on my favorite dress here, thoughts on button downs here and SCB wrote a great post about giving secondhand clothing new life here. Have fun!

This week’s project is inspired by last autumn’s 3191 Quarterly that included an elbow patch project from me and a feature on tights from MAV. I have combined the two to create knee patch tights! I made the pair seen here for my daughter in her favorite color of the moment—cobalt blue, but I have plans to make some for myself as well in a more subtle tone-on-tone combo.

This project uses wax-coated freezer paper to make a stencil and is truly easy. Do make sure you use quality tights and fabric paint. For younger kids, I think it would be fun to do other shapes like stars or hearts too.

Supplies:

Cotton small-rib tights (I wouldn’t recommend trying this with a synthetic tight)

Fabric marker or tape

Freezer paper (find it at your grocery near the tin foil)

Scissors

Fabric paint (I recommend Jacquard textile paint)

Foam brush

Scrap cardboard

Iron

Try on your tights and mark the center of your kneecap with a fabric marker or a piece of tape. It is essential that you get the placement correct or you will end up with shin patches instead of knee patches. Prepare your knee patch stencil by cutting out two rectangles of freezer paper. You can trace the shape you want from a patch or pattern you already have and cut it out (the oval I used was slightly smaller than the small size of elbow patch pattern provided in 3191Q). Alternately, you can fold the rectangle in fourths then cut out a J-shape as seen above to create your oval. Make sure you are happy with the size and shape of your oval by holding it up to your knees before you proceed.

Insert a piece of cardboard behind the spot you have marked on your tights. The cardboard should be at least as wide as your patch. If your tights are going to stretch a lot on your legs, put in a wider piece of cardboard to simulate the stretch. Center your stencil with the shiny side down over the kneecap mark you made earlier. With a hot iron, secure the stencil to your tights.

With a foam brush, dab on fabric paint until the area in the stencil is fully saturated. Allow the paint to dry thoroughly and then gently pull away the freezer paper. Heat set the patch with a hot iron (once heat set, the tights should be fine to wash as you normally would).

Now, put on your tights and show off your cute knees!

The second pair we made are navy blue with glittery gold patches!

I hope some of you have fun making knee patches. I would love to see your tights if you do!

I’m really good at making messes.

This week I was reminded that life is not always clean and tidy.

It’s not always just the way we think we want it … or the way we think it might be.

Life’s messy! I’m messy!

But most of the time, at the end of the day, we can still find inspiration and encouragement in the messes. There are lessons in the messes. And thank goodness at the end of the mess of this week I still ate a damn cake!

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For this birthday cake (Happy Birthday, Bro!) I used the Baker’s Notes Yellow Cake recipe which will be featured in the upcoming issue (due out on November 11, 2023). For the chocolate ganache I went with 4 cups heavy cream brought to a simmer and then added 1-1/2 pounds of bittersweet chocolate and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Let that all melt together and then let it sit to cool stirring it from time to time.

I am feeling a little quiet after a busy week, so I thought I’d share some outtakes from 3191Q Issue 5. MAV and I both took photos around our houses and shared some thoughts on home in the feature At Home. After spending time in MAV’s home, I can assure you it is a very special place, and she captures the spirit well in the photos she shares. This time of year, when the weather brings us inside, I find myself more and more focused on my home and its comforts. As I have grown older, I have begun to care less and less about having decorated or polished interiors and more and more about having a comfortable space that reflects the spirit and interests of our family. I always love coming home.

Have a great week. I hope to have a fun autumn project to share with you next time.

Stephanie: COME BACK!!!! I miss you. I miss your level-headedness, your smart-as-a-whip sense of humor and your totally amazing perk-me-up coffee. Please come back. Please?

One thing I don’t have to miss, Steph, is your granola because I’ve got it right here. Harumph! I love your granola.

You can see Stephanie’s recipe here but I’ll tell you what ingredients I went for in my version which we made earlier this week before Steph got on her plane.

SCB’s Granola (my choice ingredients)
6 cups rolled oats
2 cups mixed nuts and seeds (I went for pumpkin seeds, slivered almonds, sesame seeds, millet and sunflower seeds. I love me some seeds!)
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup brown rice syrup (I skipped the brown sugar and upped the brown rice syrup on SCB’s recommendation.)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt (Sweet and salty is my favorite combo.)

Use Stephanie’s instructions here for the rest.

Stephanie, I had such a great time while you were here. I love our first issue of 3191 Quarterly and I know our dear readers will love it too. Thank you for coming 3191 miles. I hope to see you very, very soon! xo MAV

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One last thing: A big thanks to all who have ordered our new year of 3191 Quarterly both through subscriptions and single issues. We’re so excited!! And in other Q news Stephanie and I are very happy to welcome Evan (above with caterpillar) to the team as our new Creative Assistant. Evan is coordinating all 3191 Quarterly orders and questions. She’s a super star. Some of you may remember her from posts here on 3191 Miles Apart (here and here). If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact orders(at)3191milesapart.com and Evan will get back at ya. Evan, we don’t know how we did it all before you came on board. You’re the best. xo

We are back to being 3191 miles apart, and, boy, do I miss MAV and beautiful Maine.

This was my longest visit to Maine yet, and it felt really good to fall into the rhythm of MAV’s everyday life. I was so happy to be there and to share in her world, to worry with her about her sick cat, to visit the restaurants and markets where everyone knows her by name, to eat at her table, to listen to her sing a duet with her nephew.

Our time spent 0 miles apart was very intimate and special, but, as in all that we do, we were documenting things along the way. We have a few stories to tell and many photos to share from our visit that you’ll find in the newest issue of 3191 Quarterly. I think it will make it a very memorable issue

Today is the very last day to pre-order a single 3191Q No. 5 at a discount. Visit our shop to subscribe or buy single issues. Thank you so much to everyone who has placed orders this week. Your support for and interest in what we do is incredibly humbling.