blue mood

I acquired these bits of feed sack and other antique fabrics recently and I just finished the most gorgeous little boatneck baby sweater in machine washable merino wool in a hand dyed royal blue shade.

I've added the sweater to the shop.
Still dreaming up ideas for the fabric.

Another blue knit piece was cast on yesterday. A really sweet summery piece for my little girl.

first drawing

I've never felt very confident about drawing but, always wanted to become more skilled at it. So, as with anything else it takes practice and I've decided to spend some time drawing this spring and summer and see where it takes me.

I really love botanicals so when this new book: Drawing Nature A Journal by Jill Bliss was released (which I read about through Design Sponge) it didn't take me long to click and buy it.

This is exactly what I was looking for. A drawing class I can do on my own. Or, in the case of my first drawing with the children.

Yesterday afternoon you would have found the three of us sitting on the front steps drawing nature.
The children enjoyed it and Matthew's rendition of the neighbor's tree was really interesting. I hope to do quite a bit more of drawing with him. The way children see and draws are unlike the way an adult would and I think five is a great time to start this.

The instructions for the first drawing were to draw a simple leaf or flower but, after drawing the daffodil I couldn't help drawing the dwarf peach tree and strawberry leaves below it that were next to me.



I'm really looking forward to the next exercise. I need an hour alone to draw a flower without looking at the paper. I'm planning to buy some flowers soon and get started on it. I could already tell after the first drawing that I didn't spend nearly enough time observing.

stacking the odds top

I finished piecing one of my quilts the other night. It is called Stacking the Odds by Denyse Schmidt. I used the Hope Valley fabrics and Kona Cotton. The Hope Valley collection was inspired by homesteading, fresh starts, and pioneering. I really love the colors and prints she used in it especially the florals. I chose to work with the color palette pink, brown, blue, grey, chartreuse, orange and green. I had purchased a fat quarter bundle about a year or so ago whenever it first came out. There is still fabric to spare.

I was brave and decided to go for the queen size. This is my largest quilt to date and it was a good choice. The pattern is not too complicated and as far as quilts go it can be done pretty quickly. Of course since I work on many things all at once it took me about a month to do.

As far as the quilting I've decided to send it off to someone to quilt and I'm pretty excited about that. Though I do like quilting I want a design that I just can't do on my domestic sewing machine. So, we will see this again sometime when it's really all completed - quilted and bound and hopefully in time for summer. It does looks summery... doesn't it?


I feel like I have a lot to catch up on here but, it's in the 60's today and sunny and a little boy is waiting for me to watch him ride his bike to the purple house and back.

Until later....

Nancy

hansel and gretel skirt

A storybook skirt. Sometimes you hold onto fabric for a really long time thinking of all the different applications. And, then one days you stop fussing about it and just make something with it. So, a Hansel and Gretel skirt from the very popular free lazy days skirt pattern which I've made so many times before for Ms. S.

little flowers headband

I don't know why I so often forget to share the little things I make along the way but here is a recent one.
A sweet knitted headband with a felt bouquet and tiny millinery flowers. It's just a garter stitch piece and was one of those mindless projects we all need once in a while and it really keeps the hair out of her face.

-There has also been some more making of pins, hats and onesies which I plan to drop by Hoboken this Saturday morning at Mackey Blue along with the necklaces and some other goodies. Stop in if you are local. There's always a treasure to be found there.

a river runs through it

Though we travel the world to find
beauty, we must carry it with us, or we
find it not

-Ralph Waldo Emerson



Red Cobweb, Habu Merino
and Alcehemy Yarns of Transformation Juniper in Pewter
To drape and wrap
To wear loose or tight
Deep and light
A bit of drama
both in my words and in the look.

Something a bit old fashioned yet modern. Old and young. Past and present.

Pattern: Blackcurrant shawl.



Can you tell I am a little in love with it?

stitching by the light of the moon

I have been spending my nights this week working away on my quilts.

I hope to finish piecing both my quilt tops this month but haven't yet made any decisions about the quilting design. I'm thinking about sending Stacking the Odds (above) off to someone who can do more advanced quilting with a long arm because I have only done straight lines and it is queen size. This quilt seems to call out for an interesting stitch pattern. Any ideas for me quilters? The plus quilt is coming along slowly and surely. I have some decisions to make about how much more I can do without running out of fabric. It' too hard to photograph in the attic but I have about 40 blocks give or take done.


I've been teaching the kids little rhymes this week and I am not at all getting bored of hearing them recite again and again.


Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Sugar is sweet
and so are you


Happy April and Happy Weekend to you.
Can it warm up now? Pretty please.