September

My real job has been keeping me busy. But some days I can use my lunch break to see some great local events as I travel around a seven county area. The other week I caught a local dahlia show. 

It was held in a public library and was quite the pick me up to walk into a room lined with these beautiful plants. Last year I had over 30 planted. With the ongoing garden project this year, I planted 7 and they haven't been doing great. Bugs are eating them up and I typically do not care to spray. My biggest reason is to protect the bumble bees that visit. One of my favorite things to do on a summers evening is to walk my garden and see a few bees taking up residency in the petals for the night. They will burrow in between the ruffly petals to make a bed. Can you imagine waking up in between the petals of these beautiful flowers in the morning light? Amazing, I bet. 

This flower was my favorite of the show. It didn't win a big award, but to me it was perfect. 

I'm lucky most days that I don't run into traffic while driving. Wildlife is probably a more common road hazard. However, last week I had to yield to a gander of geese that were protecting their spot of the road. 

 And tonight I enjoyed a lovely 65 degree evening. This is a view from my side porch about 20 min after sunset. Perfect night to eat a dinner of a rosemary artichoke polenta goat cheese tart and a wilted spinach salad. Mmmm. 

Next time, sewing projects!

Whoa. Long time no blogging. I'm still kicking!  I was taking some time cleaning off photos from the digital camera and realized I needed to document a few things here.

My latest sewing adventures have included sewing with leather! I also discovered that I do not need a special Teflon sewing foot to be able to sew leather. My Pfaff 2038 with its IDT feature gets the job done nicely. A leather sewing needle is a must though.

I recently started visiting one of the locations for the PA Fabric Outlet in Lemoyne, PA. Here I can sort through a bin of leather remnants and pay by the pound.  I have been experimenting with all different kinds of leathers and weights. I am really enjoying it!  Adding leather to totes was a no brainer.

I occasionally like to go purse-free, especially while exploring new urban areas. I have made fabric wallets in the past but decided to experiment with a leather version. Super simple, but effective. The leather is super buttery too.

I'm also still best friends with my seam ripper. I had to purchase a new one recently. I had no idea how dull my old one had gotten until I misplaced it and got a new one. Big difference!

 Some time ago, I ordered a stamp from Etsy seller: ModernArtStamps. I picked some fabric safe ink up at Michaels and have been experimenting with labels.  I don't like stamping on twill tape. It's not as crisp as I would like it to be, but I do like stamping the wrong side of a quilting cotton print. I like the washed-out subtle design and the stamped image results are much clearer.

This is my most recent bag favorite. I scored this delicious taupe/ivory striped linen at a local Mennonite fabric store. I cut it on the bias to make the pattern. It's lined with a purple vintage feedsack and leather corners!

And some other projects not quite finished. 

I really miss writing on here.  I just haven't make photography a priority lately.  I need to get back into the habit because this blog has been such a great record of fun things for me. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Baby Boot Update

Remember the Charlie boots I made for my nieces for Christmas?  As I suspected they didn't fit. :(  Their little feet couldn't make the turn from the ankle into the bootie.  Neither the size 3 or 4 would go on.  My one SIL decided a zipper would make these puppies fit and she was right!  She doesn't have a sewing machine but was able to put these in by hand.  I am super impressed. A simply little addition got two little feet moving in furry baby boots.  Check out these chubby legs.  I.die.of.squishable.cuteness!

I just need to fix the other pair and get them back before winter is over!

New Beads

This is not sewing but just as fun. It has been awhile since I played with some beads.  I recently went on a girl date to a local bead store and was immediately smitten with these beautiful cornflower blue glass beads.  The smaller ones have bronze edges.  I don't think I will ever outgrow wanting to immediately wear a new thing added to my wardrobe.  I go back to work tomorrow after having 2 weeks off.  Maybe wearing this necklace will make my re-entry to the real world more bearable?  Here's to hoping!

Baby Gifts

 When I first laid eyes on the pattern to make these adorable "fur" lined boots, I squealed with delight.  The pattern is from the company I Think Sew and the pattern is called Charlie Baby Boots (now on sale for $2!) 

 I knew immediately that these were going to be Christmas gifts for my two new nieces. The entire process from purchase, to print, to sewing was quite easy.  Though I will say the smaller an item is the more tricky it is to sew completely by machine.  The little rosebud boots were sewn up in a US size 3. Any smaller of a size and I would have resorted to hand stitching the top edge of the boots, due to the small circumference. 

 For my older niece (almost a year old!) I made the boots from two prints. The upper portion is from the Cameo collection from Amy Butler.  I needed a whole fat quarter just to match prints. The sole was a random scrap but it was the perfect shade of pink to match.  And my SIL loves frogs, so that was a win-win.

 I love how the lining can be folded down.  I can't wait to see how these fit.  I have my doubts that the boots uppers will fit around chubby little baby legs, but folded down shouldn't be a problem.

 This niece's birthday is Dec 31st, so I made a matching soft ball out of the remaining Cameo prints I had on hand.  The boots took me on average of 4 hours to make.  It was a little time here and there. The ball was done from cutting to stuffing in an hour.

I also quickly sewed together two burp cloths out of the remaining "fur" lining.  I think this is a chenille purchased at JoAnns.  After spending so much time with the Cameo fabric, I guess my brain was programed to reach for another Amy Butler (Daisy Chain collection) print.

When I purchased this boot pattern I also got the Emily Bag too!  I am hoping to get this sewn before my winter break is finished.

October Frost

Today was the first frost.  Just a gentle one, but one none the less.  I quickly cut this arrangement.  The plants remained in good condition so I'll get a few more flowers, but I am really enjoying these while I can.

 I recently found this brass stag and his doe (not shown) at the thrift store this month.   I don't generally "decorate" for seasons, but this pair will fit in nicely on my mantel this fall and winter.

 I am kind of in love with these dahlias. I picked all purple and yellow for this arrangement.  Some of the plants have grown so large that they have fallen over and the flower stems bend as they grow against gravity.  I need to plan on better support systems next year.

 I filled in with an assortment of cosmos. They are so bright and cheery with their sunny centers! They don't make great cut flowers, only lasting 3-4 days in a vase, but they add some movement and whimsy.

And with the turn of the season, I turn back to my sewing. My sewing area is a mess. But I cleared enough space to start playing with some fabrics.  This summer I won a flat quarter pack of Amy Butler's Cameo fabric from FabricWorm. :)  Some of that is pictured in the photo.  My two favorite prints are Forget Me Not Sugar and Tea Rose Sugar.  This whole collection is very eclectic with many different styles of prints. I have a few prints pulled for a special project, but I am hoping to decide on a project that includes a bit of all the designs. Maybe a pillow?  I also just noticed that some of AB Caravan prints are 40% off at FabricWorm.

AND when I come across a recipe that is fantastic as-is, I always like to share.  So if the words Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll make you spontaneously drool, please check out Smitten Kitchen's recipe. You won't be sorry.  I may make another batch this weekend! Adding the cardamon is a must!

Flower Garden September 2012

I have done a poor job at photo documenting my garden this year.  Truth be told, the veggie garden went by the wayside while I spent most of my time with the flowers. :)  I am OK with that.

Zinnias remain my favorite summer flower.  They are so reliable to produce large, colorful, plentiful blooms all summer long.

This past week the weather turned cooler and this was the reminder I needed to realize my flowers will soon be gone.  *sniff sniff*  I had a friend hosting a fundraising event this weekend and last minute took 10 bunches of flowers to be sold proceeds benefiting her event. I used my pint canning rack to transport all the bunches quite successfully.

There is a mix of zinnias, cosmos, dahlias, sunflowers, and the foliage of my pink cosmos. I'm going to miss this garden when frost comes.