felt coasters

I made these felt flower coasters from Zakka Sewing over the weekend.



I thought they would be a nice reminder of summer and we needed some new ones.

navy dress and pocket friend

A new dress I recently made for Scarlet Elizabeth.
It is navy corduroy and the pocket is made from a sweet bicycle and jumprope print I received in a scrap swap awhile ago *love that fabric*
The pink pocket friend (a little stuffie) has currently gone missing. She thought it was a lot of fun to throw around.



I am in love with those little wispy curls

yo yo pillow

I finished sewing my yo yo pillow last night. Such a satisfying way to use up scrap fabric. I may get the clover tool someday because I think they look a bit neater when one is used. This project was a bit time consuming but, very satisfying in the end

a wildnerness wanderings skirt

I suppose if a skirt stays on your mind for a year and a half you must really like it.

I had all the materials and the inspiration to make my own wilderness wanderings skirt.

The linen I used is more lightweight then the one Melissa used and I made it for Scarlet to wear a few years down the road as to why no pictures of her in it. I love the idea of all the pockets especially...so good for holding tiny treats & treasures.

Which reminds me someday I need to finish my Sugar Loom and Little Red dress I started.

a little striped beret

un petit béret rayé
un boina poco a rayas
una pequeña boina rayada
小さいしまのあるベレー帽
μικρό ριγωτό beret


having fun with translation obviously.
mercury lamp as hat stand works nicely, no?
ha ha you can see me in the reflection.

angora alpaca merino hand knit whimsical beret. so fun to make

see-saw margery daw (sold her bed and lay upon straw)

This summer we discovered a playground in town that was introduced to us as the 'secret playground' because you can't see it from the street and wouldn't know it was there.




Secret playground has a see saw and I always get this nursery rhyme stuck in my head while we are there because the kids are obsessed with the see-saw. I don't know how popular see-saws are anymore because we have been to a lot of playgrounds and this is the only playground I've found with one. We actually do know the name of the playground but of course it's more fun to call it secret or see-saw playground.

In case you are worried there is an adult right outside the frame but Ms.S holds on really well and her brother sort of takes it easy on her.

Oh here he is....



S cries when we take her off.
Speaking of safety what she isn't safe around is the blackberry bushes. The girl could just stand there and eat all day and be happy. Okay she might need some pizza too.The other day she tripped trying to get one and cut her forehead. I almost died at the sight of all the blood but she is fine.

Some unexpected information found here. The things one learns when doing blog posts.



Oh, and I made that skirt which she is wearing here. It's a rich chocolate brown corduroy with light blue pin dots.
It's going to be so good with tights and stuff.

a crewel work handbag

I mentioned a while ago that my Mom was cleaning out her attic.
She has been unearthing all sort of treasures that belonged to her grandmother Mary.

I have been receiving all sorts of pretty linens and laces.
I love how important tea time was to my Great Grandmother. She being Scottish took her afternoon tea seriously and always must have set the table just so. I suppose in doing so you wanted to dress your table in new and different ways and therefore the case for all the beautiful embroidered linens, crochet doilies, tea cozies and little pieces to place your dishes upon.

One surprise we found nestled in was this unfinished crewel work handbag. At least this is what my Mom and I took it to be.
It was just missing it's handles. So, I found some and stitched them on. I'm not sure this was the best method of doing so but, I wasn't sure how else to finish it. There are some threads that have come undone and I've though about maybe trying to rework some of the stitches with crewel thread but, I'm also enjoying it looking a bit worn.

This has to be at the very least 40 years old but, most likely older then that.
I am happy to give it purpose and love holding something in my hand that someone whom I never met gave such loving attention to. Someone whom I'm sure would have been happy to see her great grand-daughter caring as much for.

Some embroidered tablecloths

yo yo's

My dresser top is being taken over by yo yo's that I have been sewing over the past several days.
I love making these. The best part is watching them all scrunch up when you tie the knot and seeing them all together like this
I'm going to make a pillow with them inspired by Wren Handmade.

my 'little' front yard garden

If you have been reading this blog for awhile then you know that our garden is an Edible Estate. A fruit, vegetable and herb garden that was initiated through a project by Fritz Haeg with the previous owners of our home.

Quite a few people have asked about the garden so I thought I should do a post about what is going on and what we are growing this year.

We have 15 planters in which to rotate our crops each season.

This year we have put in (and please excuse the fact that I will most likely forget some).

Radishes, Carrots, Lettuces- Romaine, Red Leaf, Arugula, Green Leaf (though the lettuces are done now). Butternut Squash, Leek, Swiss Chard, Radishes, Green and Yellow Squash, Green Pepper, Jalapeno Pepper, Cucumber, Cauliflower, Yellow Pear Tomato, Big Boy Tomato (not great), a few varieties of heirloom tomatoes got stolen and I am very sad about that.

Cilantro, Thai Basil, Purple Basil, Italian Basil, Chamomile, Flat Parsley, Curly leaf Parsley, Creeping Wooly Thyme (returned from last year), Thyme, Rosemary, Chives(returned from last year), Mint (Chocolate, Peppermint, Spearmint, Pineapple Mint), Lemon Thyme, Sage, Chives

Watermelon- still waiting on that one

Continuing Garden

Strawberries (about a thousand a year), Gooseberries, White Currants, Red Currants, Blackberries, Blueberries (I need to transplant the blueberry bush since we got none this year and 4 last year), Yellow and light red Raspberries (twice blooming), Peach Tree, Apple Tree (not really fruiting yet), Cherry Tree (not fruiting yet), two Dwarf Peach Trees, 5 varieties of Grapes, Rhubarb.


Also planted some flowers in the boxes- marigolds, snapdragons and one other whose name I don't know because it was given to me and had no information.

After a year I would say that growing a organic garden has been a interesting experience and one that I've enjoyed. I've made a few mistakes (like not tying up my cauliflower leaves this year) and not keeping the fig tree alive, learned what works well, what doesn't, argued with squirrels, gone picking for berries twice a day, been interviewed, have had people come by to gawk and others try to sneak away with food. There is of course work involved but, not as much as you would think but, perhaps we could do a bit more. If you have an eagle eye you will see that the mint is still way out of control.


Some rewards

kerchiefs and capelets

A few capelets.






and a few head kerchiefs as well.







My new model?
Isn't she magnificent...
That is none other then my lovely cousin Sara. I have been smitten with her since the day she was born. Honestly, I wrote it down in my diary and I was not one to record all the family births. She is the younger sister I never had and a great friend.

All available in my Etsy shop now.

baby owlet

I finished Ms. S's Owlet this weekend.
Here is the one I made for me.
Yes, Mama and daughter sweaters.



I didn't intend for it to be this big. Oh well. Ms. S is a bit on the petite side but, I didn't want to go with the 12-18 because I was afraid she would outgrow it too soon and she is just shy of 18 months. Well, now she has something to grow into.
I don't think that's so bad.

blackberries

This





To This:



We have been picking blackberries every day in our front yard. They are really plentiful this year.
The berry bramble and strawberry fields require so little work and have been really amazing.
I'm thinking blackberries with greek yogurt and honey for breakfast a few times this week.
Also, I'm putting together a garden post which I plan to post soon.

Amongst all the baking and cooking this weekend (zucchini bread was in there) I made these blackberry crumb bars from Martha Stewart that Jenn linked to recently. Yum!
Speaking of Jenn, we met up with each other recently and she is one of the nicest people around. It's so incredibly wonderful to meet up with a blog pal. Oh, and her daughters are so adorable but, if you read her blog you already know that.