homesteading, Seasons

Beginnng the Harvest, or Free Onions!

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This may be my best year ever for onions. Check out these fine things: I ordered my onion starts from Dixondale upon the recommendation of Erica over at Northwest Edible Life (’cause, as far as this urban homesteading thing is concerned, Erica is everything I only wish I could be). I’ve never grown onions this large (which is weird to say, since I think that was one of the pull quotes on the literature that came with the starts. I guess there’s some truth in advertising after all!). My Long Day Sampler of onions included white Ringmasters, red Redwings and …

sewing, Wardrobe Improvement Project

Too Many Variables Can Spoil the Soup

 

Back in June, Stash featured some lovely large scale dahlia fabric. I thought the fabric might make a fun version of Amy Butler’s Liverpool. I like to think I was mostly right. I made the tunic length (the pattern can work up as a shirt, a tunic, a short dress or a long dress), lengthening it 3/4 inch to put the waist at the right spot for me. I didn’t make any other adjustments. The pattern is well written, with detailed descriptions of each step. I’m a bit of a novice when it comes to shaping garments even though I’m …

quilts

Another Finish!

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Hooray for another finished quilt! This one is my “Blogger’s Block of the Month” quilt, begun in the fall of 2011. I wasn’t able to stay current with all the months, but of the three (!) BOMs I started at the end of 2011/beginning of 2012, this is the only one I mostly kept up with. I’d like to say that I’ve learned from this experience: either keep it to one BOM at a time or don’t sign up for things with a specific schedule. The latter seems unreasonable and the former seems unlikely. Oh well. The fabrics in the …

quilts, sewing

A little Christmas in July

 

Over at Stash, we’re attempting to sell down leftovers from last December with a Christmas in July event. (Unfortunately, Stash’s online store has been closed down for logistical reasons – if you’re interested in any of the fabric, email me and I’ll figure something out.) Everyone was supposed to make a little something to showcase the fabrics. I made drawstring bags, because, well, that’s what I do. The fabric is Dear Mr. Claus by Cosmo Cricket for Moda. It’s got a retro feel to it, with this apple-cheeked whistling Santa and the tiny snowflakes. It’s a sizable collection, with a …

Caitlyn, homeschooling

Tango with the White Cat

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Back at the beginning of June (yesterday, right?) Caitlyn’s participated in Spectrum‘s All-School Demonstration performance. Her Ballet 1 class danced to tango music. All the other pictures have other kids in them, so you’ll have to enjoy just this one. Sadly you can’t see the sequins all over the front of her leotard, the detail she loved best about the performance. After her class, in the weeks leading up to the performance, this was the detail she’d talk about the most: the sparkly red leotards, the shiny red satin shirt for the one boy in the class, the red flower …

Seasons

Summer Journal: Berry Picking, Part One

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It’s not like I need the strawberries. I grew lots this spring and I still have leftovers from last year in the freezer, waiting for me to have two spare minutes to rub together long enough to make jam. But at this point it’s tradition. Caitlyn and I join some friends, we drive up to Skagit Valley, we pick too many berries and we finish with fresh strawberry milkshakes. This year, our late-June was packed. We didn’t make it up to the berry farm until after July 4th, only to discover that the strawberries were done. Spring was gorgeous here …