Sew & Tell

Folks, please meet Debi's girls.  Sadie, Gabi, and Christina.  Before anything else, they chose sewing lessons for kicking off their summer.  They took a week of sewing camp at Debi Cournel's Sewing Studio (just around the corner from Peapod), making one project a day.  Here they are, showing their project of the day, shorts.  Can't you tell that they have been having fun?

Well, it's not only the middle school students that are enjoying their long summer break with their sewing machines. School teacher, Ellen, is taking full advantage of almost a three month long summer vacation with sewing.  Oh, don't be jealous, people.  No wonder  she looks pretty relaxed in her summer skirt. 

One of the best selling patterns at Peapod is the Birdie Sling Bag.  I have introduced you to many wonderful Birdie Slings here in a variety of fabric combinations.  Here is another example by Latisha with a cool bold Scandinavian print.  Here she is, with her proud boys, Donoban and Dexter.

You know that I love seeing more and more men being crafty.  They are still under women in numbers, but when they are crafty, they are good.  Bucky is one of them.  Here he is holding his hand bound  journal.  He didn't just cover the pre-made notebook with fabric.  He really created the whole journal.  You can't really tell from the photos, but they really show his craftmanship. 

Good job everyone and thank you!

Linen

You just can't beat the beauty of linen...

A Yard Makeover

So it's been a couple of years since we moved to this house where we slowly have been making it a home of our own. We wanted a single family home (I was done with apartment living) with a back yard so we could adopt a dog. It was very hard to find the right house where a dog was allowed and it fit into our budget. I was losing hope.  But, I found it. A good one with the best landlord I've ever had. I've always been lucky when it came to finding a place to live. And this time is no exception.  It's actually the best. It just took longer than usual. It's not perfect. It's not in the neighborhood where we always wanted to live.  But, it's okay. I went for the house, not the location. And you know what, the location is not bad. Not bad at all. I admit that it is not fancy. It's right on the border of a "hood" and a middle class suburbian-like neighborhood. Yeah, it is totally working class with a funky mix of people.  And I like it. Anyways, our landlord love us. And we love them. They are the funniest couple I've ever known. So they gave us a big present a few weeks ago. They wanted to make the yard nicer. The backyard was a disaster when we moved in. Neglected with the three foot tall weeds on the sandy soil. The boy and I tried to make it look decent. We put the sod ourselves so Little Dash could enjoy it.  But, shame on us. We failed to maintain it. So the lawn turned brown, was invaded by a numbers of moles and gophers, and once again the three foot tall weeds were back.  So we were so excited to hear the good news. 

We started to work again as the weather was getting nicer (we are having amazingly sunny June this year).  This was before the good news was delivered...

Neighbors' overgrown trees and vines were trimmed.  The sprinkler system was installed and the ground was prepared for the sod...

Tada...well, i'm not liking the awkward space where they ran out the bricks on the left hand side.  We are all on a budget so I have to go find free bricks off Craigslist again.  Around the lawn was left for my own flower/vegetable garden.  The landlord even permits us to have chickens if we decide...

Dash and I have been on alert for some landscape inspirations in the neighborhood, and this house has the best curb appeal in my opinion.  It is well manicured in the taste I love, and it goes well with the house...

I wanted my front yard look like this...

Succulents reuire low maintenace...

Echeverias...so pretty...

A partial view of their front yard...it makes me want to meet the owner of the house and see the inside the home and back yard too.  They must be cool people...

The weather was nice yesterday so we went to buy some plants.  I bought them just because I love them.  I have no idea how I should plant them...

It took me quite a long time to admit that i don't really have a green thumb, but this time will be different...I am determined...

My herb garden...thinking about building a raised vegetable bed (to keep the dog out), but for now they live in the containers...

Basil and tyme in the basket (plastic bag lined).  Cilantro in a thrifted angel cake mold.  Rosemary in a little pail...

Yay, we love it!  Thank you, Tommy and Willie!

Happy Thrifted Friday

Just thrifted this morning.  I've been having no luck on thrifting lately.  But, with these?  Oh yeah, I'm happy!  Good finds!

Bella

You know that Lotta's Echo collection had been discontinued.  Peapod still has some of them, but a few prints are permanently gone by now.  But, the good news is that her new line called Bella will be out soon in August.  Looks like it is more whimsical than Echo, but some of them can be coordinated with Echo too.  I can't wait to see it. 

Portfolio Tunic

My Portfolio Tunic is done! I first made a blouse (view c) from the same pattern in size 8, but I felt it was a bit tight on my shoulders so I made the tunic in size 10. It is fine on my body, but it still requires a bit of care with fear of ripping the seams when I remove it. I guess I have broader shoulders than I look. I am already thinking about making another one, but am not sure if I should make it in size 12 or not.

I also made a scarf using fine cotton lawn.  Have you tried cotton lawn?  It is a wonderful material for garments.  It is silky soft on your skin and drapes perfectly.  There aren't many at Peapod, but they are all 25 % off.  A good deal!

Sew & Tell

Greg's tie is one of the examples of how different the raw fabric looks in the finished product.  It is not an easy task for many people to see the fabric on a bolt or roll to turn into a successful finished product in their head.  He certainly has an eye for it.  This Japanese indigo print looks pretty humble on the shelf, but Greg turned it into a beautiful classy tie.

Well, move over indigo tie.  It's Little Jaxen's turn :-)  He knows a tie is not just for grown-ups.  While his dad wears it for work, he wears it for his play time :-)  Sarah made this wee tie with a whimsical bicycle print.  Doesn't Jaxen look a gentleman?

Speaking of whimsical prints, what could be more whimsy than these silly owls?  Kelly always loved this print.  Who doesn't?  She used it for her little Eli's quilt, but these PJs are for his friend.  They will make the lucky boy smile for sure. 

Now let's go back to indigo again. You know school is out, and one teacher received this Birdie Sling Bag as a thank you gift.  Who is this lucky teacher?  Taye's daughter's.  Well, she is certainly enjoying the summer with this cool bag.

So I'm not the only one making  patch worked pillows with the Echo collection.  Shinobu instantly made this fun accent pillow.  See the power of patchworking?  Even without much planning, they all come together in the end.

And there is always lovely Miss Yuki.  With a lovely tank Cherie made.  Ah...

Thank you, everyone!  Great work!

Patterns

Lisette 2245 view B in progress

looking pretty cute...

New Couch and Echo Pillows

So my Echo pillows are complete. Three of them. They all have one side patchworked and a solid print on the other. They are all for our new couch that we received the other day. I had been searching for a new couch for a while. Our old one was pretty gross from years of abuse from the dog and the boy. Now we have this brand new handsome one which actually doesn't reflect us. It feels too tailored or hotel-like to us, so I wanted to add a bit of our character with a more handmade feel. The scrappy pieces include denim from my boy's old jeans, and I love the faded chambray looking which is totally my taste. Next project will be a blanket. Everyone or every couch needs a blanket to snuggle in. Well, in my world at least. And I know that this couch will fit into our home over the years. I'm sure the boy and the dog will help that process even faster :-)