Sewing and Gardening

Sewing:  Angelina has been working on her 4-H sewing projects, which means the serger and sewing machine have been out, which means… they’re accessible, which means…I’ve completed a few long-put-off projects.  The fabric for the baby blankets was purchased before Louis was born (he’s 2 1/2 years old), and the fabric for the three sets of pajama pants for Graham has been in my fabric stash for even longer.  So, Louis’ blanket (the brown striped minky with satin backing) is done!  He likes it.  I made a second minky for a gift and the three flannel blankets are also gifts.  Sorry, no pics of the pj’s; they’re in the wash or in use.

 

Not sure why, but my camera is not doing justice to the colors of the blankets.  They turned out super cute with the different color blanket bindings.  My favorite is the blue water with orange flannel backing (shown below).

Gardening:  The cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and peppers are planted.  The tomatoes are purchased (still need to be planted).  And, the weed block and old paver’s have been placed around the SFG’s.  In doing this job, I determined that there was too much space between the SFG’s, so they needed to be moved closer together.  There’s still plenty of room for the garden wagon, though it is a tighter turn.  The pavers aren’t level, but the project is as done as it’s gonna get for now.  We might purchase a few more pavers to complete a pathway along the back edge of the garden, but that’s a future project. 

Dash is gone for the state FFA Convention, so I and the three middle kids did most of the work.  I dug out the weeds, the kids hauled them away.  I laid all the weed block and hauled the first couple loads of pavers; the kids hauled and placed the rest of the pavers.  Thankfully, the kids and I only had to move the first SFG.  Eric was around to help pull and shove the other six into place.  He also helped load and haul the last of the pavers.  It’s shaping up.

25/52

Joining Barbara in commemorating the year in once a week posts … just whatever is going on in your life: the mundane, the crazy, the normal, the everyday.

 

The end of season BOX SALE at our local greenhouse.  My MIL and I went to peruse the flowers – annuals and perennials – on Thursday.  Then, Dash needed a few woodworking supplies, necessitating another trip to town … so, I invited my MIL to come and we stopped at the Box Sale again!  Lots of great deals.  We filled the suburban …. twice.  The cool deal is that I came home with three FREE rose bushes.

Centennial Morden Shrub Rose planted earlier this summer.  This is a VERY hardy and beautiful rose.

 

So, where did all those new flowers go?? 

The annuals will go into the bed by the garage to provide some color.  AND, how come I did not know that Stock were so wonderful smelling!?!  The smell reminds me of Gardenias.

The majority of the perennials were planted in a new bed.  This bed has been in my head for the last few years, so it was great to finally dig.

Above:  Japanese Iris

Below: Show Off Day Lily

The new bed will run the length of the front of the garden.  Two rose bushes will frame the entrance, which will eventually be high-lighted by an arbor or pergola.  Maybe Dash’s next 4-H woodworking project??  Or a Birthday/Christmas gift from my Dad??  Maybe it would just be easier to go shopping!

The garden is looking great.  Rain has been plentiful.

Fresh baked buns.  We are hooked on the Baker Boy frozen buns (made by a bakery in Dickinson, ND and sold in Valley City).  These are less expensive than bakery ‘dollar-sized’ buns and are the perfect size for lunch-time sandwiches.  Leave them in the frig overnight to thaw, let them rise on the counter or in an oven heated to 170 degrees, bake for 15-20 minutes and enjoy!

Sewing, sewing, sewing.  We finally finished the pajamas, the skirt, and the shirt.  The skirt and shirt will be modeled in the Sew & Show, too.  Oh, it’s so wonderful to be done.  I won’t document the number of ripped stitches because I can’t remember their number.

I couldn’t resist picking up this little horror.  Flies seem to really like my kitchen.  Of course, the open garage door is sooooo very inviting …. eat little plant, eat!!
 

Sewing Update

My goal was to complete at least one skirt before our upcoming trip.  For a while, I though that might be a challenge because I didn’t plan ahead well enough to remember I’d need an invisible zipper – preferably in a color that would match!  After much online shopping, I finally placed an order for zippers (I plan to make more skirts) and it arrived yesterday.  My goal has been accomplished! 

This is the finished skirt.  I have a shirt that will match/blend perfectly, but it also needs a little altering before I can comfortably wear it.  That’s up next in my ‘TO DO before trip’ list.
 
A close up of the pocket detail and fabrics.  Ya know, it was really rewarding/invigorating to just press the bottom ruffle flat!  All these years of sewing and I’ve always been such a perfectionist with ruffles and trying to press them just right so there are no creases. 
 
This is about to become my ‘newest’ favorite sewing notion.  It’s the Sewline Trio.  It’s a marking pencil with three colors in one pen and I can purchase replacement lead/chalk.  VERY COOL.

These fabrics are up next.  The beige & brown bold floral print is partially cut out; I just need to determine which fabric I’ll use for accent.  Although flawed, the brown swirl wasjust too good a deal to pass up … maybe a top??  The two black & white will be another skirt. 

This pile of color is the makings of a skirt for Angelina.  The fabric is a soft corduroy that will be perfect for Fall.

Inching toward completion

Found a few other projects in the sewing room... I've had squares cut and arranged for these two baby quilts for two years. They will be done and donated before the baby arrives! The fronts are completed; I've ordered the batting (50% off coupon for online orders) and am just waiting for it's arrival so I can fill, back and bind. I've chosen backings and bindings for each, so the last few steps will go quickly (as long as I'm able to find the time).

I'm not afraid to combine knits, flannels and cottons so these are a true mix of texture. All the fabrics are left-overs from projects I've sewn. Quilts are a great way to 'recycle', if you know what I mean. The best part, in my opinion, is creating a pattern with the available squares. My goal is to always use the most squares in the most creative way possible!

The Boy Quilt

Airplanes and Peanuts

The Girly Quilt

Blues Clues, Pink Flannel, and a pretty Floral Gingham Border

At it again...

Sooooo, maybe sewing is my stress reliever?? Last night and tonight, I finished off another two flannel blankets. The fabrics are sooo darn cute that I couldn't resist. Do I need this many blankets? No, but they sure are fun and quick.

Finished Project

Graham has been waiting patiently for me to finish a pajama t-shirt to go with his pajama bottoms. I cut out and fused the knit fabric teddy bear shape to the t-shirt earlier today. (I found inexpensive t-shirts at Michael's when shopping on Monday.)

Tonight, I stabilized the knit and used a zig-zag stitch to sew the teddy bear to the shirt - good thing you can't see the zig-zag up close. Graham doesn't care, but a lot of stitches skipped for some reason - I probably didn't have a heavy enough stabilizer.

He's very pleased with the finished pajamas!

More sewing

Last night I finished off two flannel baby blankets. I've made quite a few of these over the years as gifts and they've become very easy for me to complete. You do get what you pay for with flannel; that was evident from the few yards I purchased at different stores. I like the thick, soft flannel, for which I paid a bit more.

There are different qualities of blanket binding too, but I haven't figured out how to tell the difference yet. I've only seen one kind of packaging/brand.

I'm hoping that I'll have a use for the purple blanket ...

Sewing and such

Last week, I found a bit of time to go through some of my sewing tubs. It started out as a mission to find fabric to match a pajama top for Angelina and layout/cut-out/sew a pair of pajama bottoms for Graham. In the process, I found quite a few old projects ... even one that was not MY project, but was given to me (I must be nuts cuz I agreed to take someone else's partially finished project!! Please don't send me yours ... although, now that I'm in this mode, yours might get done if it arrives on my doorstep.). I made up a bag for my quilt group, and I took out all the unfinished projects and put them in a tall pile on my sewing table.

The almost-finished pajama bottoms (they are now finished).

Slowly, I'm sewing to completion. At least two of the old projects had been cut out for SIX years! Yes, the boxers were for Dash when he was six ... he's now twelve. The other pair of boxers are for my husband.

Why I thought I should make boxers for my boys, I do not know. The pattern is simple to cut and sew ... maybe it has something to do with the cost of boxers ... the going rate is about $7/pair for men! That's a big price for one pair.

Proof of how long the project has been in my tub ... Size 6.

Unfinished no more! Both boxers are completed and ready to be put away.

The unfinished project I was given is a blue plaid flannel shirt (medium men's). Too small for hubby and probably too big for Dash, but I figure Dash will grow into it at some point, right???The front, back and facing were sewn together; all other pieces were either cut or ready to cut. Oh, did I mention there were no instructions - that's the crazy part - why did I take this project? And, why in the world am I sewing it this week???

I took this pic because it shows the plackets ... I haven't sewn plackets (the overlapping part on a sleeve just above the cuff) in years. I could not remember, for the life of me, the whole process. Thank goodness I had an old pattern that showed how to 'do it' so I could refresh my memory. One placket turned out great; the other not so great. But, Dash is not a clothing judge, so it will probably fly by without scrutiny.

Then, there's the casual suit (skirt & jacket) for me that is already cut out. I think I'm just silly enough to sew that right now, even though I won't be able to wear it for months; maybe it would fit next summer. The thought of it being done is tugging at me, but the verdict on whether this will be completed is still out... there'll be a pic later if I actually attempt this silliness.

Amid all the old projects, I've been finishing up a few new baby projects, too. I have an assortment of flannels for burp cloths and flannel blankets. I have three burp cloths left to embellish and about four blankets. Not all are for the Baby Lahlum.

The fish patterned flannel was irrestible AND it was in the remnant section at a discount.

Landscaping, Waterworks, Sewing

Today, the landscaping around our house was finally begun... it's a great day.

The kids are outside, even though it's cloudy, playing with Waterworks. It's a Discovery Toys 'toy' (purchased long ago and probably discontinued by now) that has been stored in the garage since we moved and for probably a year before that it was in our Fargo home's crawl space. Waterworks is messy. I'm glad it's outside! I don't believe the toy is supposed to have dirt in the channels, but my kids seem intent on using the materials around them. Maybe they're recreating the Missouri, Mississippi or Red Rivers???

After lunch I started some laundry and then sat down to plan and pin a few sewing projects. Regan gave me the advice that I just have to sit down and sew, if I want to sew ... she's right. I'll never find the perfect day or the perfect amount of time to get everything done, so I may as well just start. It really helps to have my sewing machines and fabric 'out' where they catch my eye.

**Spoke too soon about Waterworks. Naughty children hooked up the hose to the inside garage faucet. Can we say it's a big muddy mess that their dad will not be happy to see? We are talking water where it should not be .... I was going to take a picture, but I can't even get out our side garage door without walking through a muddy mess. The picture moment is NOT in me anymore.

Sewing Project

After returning from the library, the sewing bug bit me. I churned out this flannel blanket for a friend who is due in December. I'm planning to make a similar blanket for my November bundle - I'm assuming flannel will be necessary! She knows she is having a boy, but I didn't know that before purchasing the fabric. So, it's the typically neutral panel. I did add a green/white border to the front, and the backing and binding are a really bright yellow. We'll need a reminder of sunshine in the depths of winter, right???

I have no idea when other cuts of flannel will be turned into blankets. Maybe next week the sewing bug will bite again (when the oldest three are in VBS during the day??).

Up and At'em Early

For the life of me, I cannot sleep past 5a when I'm at home. You'd think it would be easy without anyone here to wake me, but .... NO. So, rather than stay in bed trying to sleep, I got up. Of course, by 11a I needed a nap!

Last night, I cut out four pairs of Lil' Britches (sizes Newborn, 18-24 mos, 2T, and 4T) to be sewn for my contribution to my circle's Street Fair booth. I also cut out quilt pieces for Dash's (hopefully) Christmas gift - it'll fit his 'new to him, but otherwise old' full size bed. The quilt pattern is called 'Turning Twenty' ... as in 'turning twenty' fat quarters into a nice quilt. I actually purchased a kit, so I take no responsibility for the fabrics (even though I really like the sports theme and that's the reason I purchased the kit - it fits a boy's room perfectly). Anyway, that was enough for last night.



The quilt is all cut (above) and the Lil' Britches are all cut out, as well (below).



By 7a, I was done with one pair of britches. I took a break to go eat some breakfast and put my puffy feet up for a bit. Then, it was back to sewing.



I finished all four pairs of Lil' Britches by 4p. I took breaks throughout the day to take a nap, put my feet up, eat, and do a bit of laundry. Otherwise, I did nothing but sew. It rained good and steady over the noon hour and into the afternoon, so there was no watering gardens today.