summer fruit

School has officially ended and summer is here!
I hung up some honeycomb balls turned into fruit with the addition of crepe paper leaves and a glue gun in our sun/play room to celebrate.
Idea from The House that Lars Built

edible estate 2013

Most of you who have been reading this blog for awhile now have heard about our front yard garden which was part of a project by Fritz Haeg and in a book called Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn. The garden was done in 2007 which was the summer before we bought our house.

News from the garden:

The continuing garden continues to do well this year with the exception of the loss of many of the strawberry plants which we are working towards re-establishing. The loss I think is due to the lifespan of strawberry plants which is usually around 5-6 years. The amount of strawberry plants that were planted is unknown to me but, I'm guessing it seems to be 100's judging by the space in which they were planted. We still have some of the older plants and are hoping the new plants will send out runners and we will be back to our usual crop in a few years. It has been very rainy this June so there has also been issues due to the moisture. The rest of the berries- gooseberries, blackberries, currants and raspberries are doing well. The blueberry bush was overrun after the first year and should have been transplanted. The fruit trees are continuing to grow and thrive and those are cherry, apple and 3 peach trees (two dwarf). We now have 2 grape vines.

In the planters this year the perennials- rhubarb, chive, rosemary, lemon balm, lavender, geum, sage and wooly thyme continue to do well.

Now to the crops that were implemented for 2013 in the front garden.

Tomato- Carolina Gold, Juliet & Celebrity,Parsley, Italian Basil, Thai Basil, Arugula, Radish- French Breakfast, Radicchio, Sunflowers - a few different varieties, Borage, Kale, Swiss Chard-Rainbow Lights, Nasturtium, Peppers- Yellow Bell Pepper & Black Beauty, Green Beans, Peas - Purple Podded, Sweet Peas, Squash, Tomatillo, Rosemary, Sorrel, Geum- a new one, Mint, Cucumber, Potato- Yukon Gold, Marjoram, Cosmos, Scarlet Runner Beans, Snapdragons and a variety of other lettuces such as bibb and mesculun.

I am sure I have forgot some things since sometimes after I harvest something I run out and plant some seeds and then forget to write it down. I like surprises so this is okay with me.

chambray and liberty skirts

I made two skirts last week for myself. I wanted something light and comfortable to go with tanks and tees for the summer. I make a lot of skirts with elastic waists for my daughter (a few different kinds) but a full elastic around the middle for me doesn't work so I cut the elastic in half and left the hips free and flat for about 4 inches on the sides (2" on each side of the seam) so there would be no pouf there. I made one in chambray that has a herringbone in it and it came out really nice. I really like the material a lot. It is Robert Kaufman's Chambray Union. I included pockets at the side as well. The second one I made was out of Liberty in a matching print to the one I previously showed a few posts ago that I made for Scarlet. She is so excited that we have matching skirts! I included pockets on this one as well and made it a little narrower then the chambray one.

Obviously, I was on a roll so I made her another one in Liberty but, no, I'm not planning on a matching one for me. That would be too much...ha ha!

lately

Things I have been doing:

Gardening: lots of gardening- weeding, planting, putting up trellises and sticks made into teepees for things to grow on. Harvesting: peas, strawberries, cherries, gooseberries, rhubarb and radishes. Trying radish greens for the first time: I like them. I will put up a post with photos soon.

Knitting on a cardigan for myself, this one, in the same brown color slowly in spurts.

Knitting hexagon puffs and a pair of wrist warmers.

Sewing skirts for me and her. I will photograph them when decent light returns. There has been a lot of rain this June and it's pouring today.

Re-reading The Great Gatsby and seeing the movie with friends and starting a new book called Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation

Sewing a beach cover up for her with a polka dot ribbon to tie and a pink dress in the Nani Iro knit I made the blue one in. Simple, made up patterns.

Finished knitting an angora baby bonnet in candy apple red.

geranium dress #2

This morning I have a geranium dress to show you made using this magical fabric that was introduced to me by Elizabeth. The colors and scenes really pop out of this fabric and any little girl wearing it will feel special.

I had a hard time deciding on the style of dress I wanted it to be but, since I have had so much luck with the geranium pattern and by luck I mean she loves to wear it (not always the case) I went with it.

She graduated from preschool on Friday and also had her dance recital recently performing in three dances: a ballet, tap and the finale. June has been a very busy and exciting month so far!

emma and georgina

A half yard of Liberty fabric is always good for sewing into a kids skirt. The print is called Emma and Georgina. I love the colors in this one. I think they are really vibrant and lush together. I purposely made it a wee bit longer so she would have growing room. I have to say I love making skirts and she loves wearing them. They call that a win, win.

I have plans to make myself one soon in this print and a chambray most likely with pockets just waiting on the fabric to begin.