What is your idea of perfect happiness?
“A stack of books, a hammock, a cottage by a lake, filtered sunlight and a light breeze”

What is your greatest fear?
“Environmental collapse”

What is your favorite color?
“Coral, cobalt, kelly green, mustard, white, grey, black”


My favourite photo of myself: Technically not a photo, I know. I was bizarrely lucky enough to be painted in watercolour by two very dear friends, both times with weird things on my face. The one on the left was a birthday gift from my best bud Dan Bueller. He painted it from a snapshot on one of the funnest days of my life, when I got my face painted and ran around like a 5 year old high on sugar with my pals at a county fair. The one on the right was part of a beautiful series by David Shaw. He took photos of all his friends wearing these digitally printed masks he made, and then painstakingly painted huge portraits from them. I am blessed to be surrounded by creative, gifted people.

What trait do you most deplore in yourself?
“My inability to do nothing without feeling guilty about it”

What trait do you most deplore in others?
“Cruelty and selfishness”

What is your greatest extravagance?
“Butter"

What is your favorite journey?
“The one I'm on”

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
“Moderation"

On what occasion do you lie?
“Whenever I tell myself I "need" more fabric”

What do you dislike most about your appearance?
“The grey hairs that are growing in at an alarming rate”

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“The ones that get beeped on television”

What is your greatest regret?
“That I didn't travel more when I was young and free as a bird”

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
“Learning. And Guillaume.”

What talent would you most like to have?
“To be a teleporting, multi-lingual jazz pianist"


My favourite thing I've made: This dress is the one thing I would grab from my closet in a fire. The silk was hand painted by my best sewing pal Sallie Oh. We forged a real, true friendship through our blogs and this represents not only our affection for each other, but the love and generosity I've found in the sewing world at large. When I wear it I feel like I'm being hugged by the internet.

What is your current state of mind?
“Striving”

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
“The ability to be in two places at once”

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
“A tree - to be taught stillness, and patience”

Where would you like to live?
“A cottage. Or a treehouse.”

What is your favorite occupation?
“Making”

What is the quality you most like in a man?
“Character”

What is the quality you most like in a woman?
“Character”

What do you most value in your friends?
“Their wisdom”


Favorite object: I couldn't chose just one.... the tea cup is a family heirloom. Apparently a great great great ancestor was evicted from Germany during a pogrom in the 1800s and the only thing my family retained over the years was a set of Limoges tea cups. My grandmother gave one cup and saucer to each of her granddaughters. It got broken by a roommate years ago and was carefully mended by a china repairman. I never drink out of it, but when I hold it in my hands I can feel a few centuries of history. It's precious beyond words. The second object is an antique amethyst ring my mother gave me when I was a teenager. It's the only ring I've never lost and I hope to pass it on to my own daughter one day.

Who are your favorite artists?
“Frida Kahlo, Bill Murray, Joanna Newsom, Vivian Maier, Catherine Keener, Parker Posey, Joni Mitchell, Janet Cardiff, Henry Darger, George Saunders, Bob Dylan, Lynne Ramsay, Neil Young, Jeannette Winterson, Billie Holiday, my friends”

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
“Anne of Green Gables"

Who are your heroes in real life?
“Anyone who chooses compassion and kindness when the alternative is much easier"

What are your favorite motto?
"Everything works itself out."

How would you like to die?
"With acceptance"