josh and i drove up to massachusetts late friday to look for a bathroom sink at new england demolition & salvage. we found one that is just right for our space, among the hundreds and hundreds of options! they didn’t allow photos, so i took a few from their website. there’s also a huge vintage clothing store inside the warehouse.

on our way home i searched for “heirloom plants” in google, and found that we were just a few miles away from the good earth organic gardening center. we just finished building our raised vegetable beds and filling them with soil, and we need seeds and starters. we’re trying to use organic, local, and heirloom seeds… so i couldn’t believe our luck of finding this place. it was a little oasis… so beautiful and inspiring.





JUNE CLASSES!

last month’s classes were a lot of fun… thanks again to cal patch for teaching the tunic sewing workshop during her trip down from the farm. hopefully cal will become a regular guest teacher. we’re already discussing a build by wendy coat class (which might have to wait ‘til the fall when coat wearing is more appropriate) and a patternmaking class. my studio has been quiet for the month of may, and now i’m excited to be announcing june classes. i’ll be teaching intro to screen printing again. and i’m very excited to be offering a new sewing class taught by wendy hanson. wendy and i met in one of my screen printing class, and i was always ohhing and ahhing over her clothing and style. she is the senior patternmaker for tibi. we came up with a class that i’m thrilled to take myself. it will probably fill up quickly, so email me right away if you’d like to sign up.

below are details for the june classes, which are held in my fort greene, brooklyn studio.
to sign up, email lena [at] lenacorwin.com

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SCREEN PRINTING I

this class covers my favorite methods for screen printing, starting with the basics (no experience required). learn to print on fabric and/or paper, using your own designs. if you have a particular printing project in mind (printed pillowcases, tote bags, etc), we can plan out the design, materials, and printing. the bottom two photos are projects by students from previous classes.

four 1-1/2 hour classes
tuesday evenings 6/9, 6/16, 6/23, 6/30

6:00- 7:30pm

$250 + supplies (approx. $50)

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SEWING PERFECT BASICS

i always see simple styles of clothing in my favorite stores that i wish i could sew myself. this class is an introduction to sewing your own wardrobe basics! wendy hanson will be teaching the class. she is the senior patternmaker for tibi, and has also worked for daryl k, donna karan, and vivienne westwood. the first class will focus on designing your own garments, choosing two of three styles (top, dress, and skirt), and learning how to choose fabrics, add details, and make a pattern. in the subsequent classes, we will sew the two garments (basic sewing knowledge and your own machine required). the top two photos show the styles that we will be working with (created by wendy just for this class).

four 1-1/2 hour classes
thursday evenings 6/4, 6/11, 6/18, 6/25
6:00- 7:30pm

$275 + supplies (approx. $50)




lilacs at the farmer’s market…
sadly, my nose is so stuffed i can’t smell a thing!






this will be my third summer gardening… and i still feel overwhelmed most of the time, but i have learned so much since i started. i’ve learned to slow down and enjoy the process…. and not expect to have a perfect, mature garden right away. i have a much better understanding of what grows well here and what plants i like. i gravitate mostly to perennials with small delicate flowers. i also love big flowering perennials like peonies, lilacs, and hydrangea… but not annuals like petunias, impatiens, and pansies. these are photos of some of the plants that are the happiest in our brooklyn garden. and this year i’ll know better which plants to pass in the nursery because they won’t come back, as beautiful and tempting as they are…