Sewing Vloggers

Sunday, May 20, 2012

It's That Time of Year



Yes, it's the time of year when my heart gets tugged to the earth. I love to garden and we had to really put some effort in this year. You may remember that our septic tank was dug up and all sorts of ruination happened to my beds and the walkway. I have spent every moment this weekend getting it all back in order and I think it looks pretty good. The bed was expanded a bit and new perennials were put in. The hydrangea survived and a few perrenials came up in the piles of dirt that were shoveled aside so I was able to move them back into their spots. right below the "Sewista" you can see a brown square which was the corner of the tank and it will need to be reseeded. DH is talking about a new system although things seem OK for now. So this may all get moved around again. Everything is small and it is still early here in the Adirondacks but there are lots of astilbes, herbs, heucheras, ligularias and even roses in this bed. Next is to clean up the bed you see on the right and my way to the front door will be lovely.

This had to be done but I have been sewing and using fabric as well. My window boxes are the black iron with the cocoa mats and I find they just drain too easily. I found a way to help this while perusing the mags in the supermarket line the other night. They suggested lining the cocoa mats with felt. Now don't have a heart attack here. I have this grey and green piece of wool double cloth that I have looked at so many times and just can never get excited about. Olive green is NOT  my color. I happen to have over three yards of this at sixty wide so didn't hesitate to cut into it. I am glad it is finally seeing some use. My window box cocoa mats are lined with wool double cloth and I am happy about it. Pick yourself up off the floor now.  FWIW, they drain much more slowly and I'm happy about that too.



I have been sewing, really, but it is pickup sewing. That's what I call what is in a ziploc along with scissors and thread in the bottom of my bag. I take it out any time I have a few minutes and am getting a lot done. I making all sorts of little smocked gems to utilize in any number of ways. More to come on that later.
I do have some "light" sewing planned for myself. I am going to make this cotton stripe into one of Sham's famous tablecloth skirts. I want to outline the square that surrounds the waist with a teen bit of flat piping to jazz it up a bit. Not sure which of these fabrics I will use yet. I will give them each an audition and go from there.

We get lots of company at our home in the summer so the pressure is on to fix things up around the house and that has become the priority right now, gardening, cleaning, painting, home dec sewing. As long as I have that ziploc with its needle, thread, and scissors in my bag though, I feel like I am sewing productively. How is your summer going?  I hope your weather is as glorious as ours has been. I have been both places and Adirondack summers beat out New England weatherwise any day....Bunny

12 comments:

  1. Bunny your garden is really looking pretty - glad to hear the plants are starting to recover from their move. As for you using your wool to line your plant window boxes - this is so funny, but I guess if you are not going to use the fabric for yourself its been put to good use.

    I don't know about you, but there often doesn't seem enough hours in the day.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your garden is lovely. There's no evidence of ravage. I was out in mine today, mostly the roses, but we are beginning to experience the early edges of that tropical storm so I came inside. Around here we can go for 9 or 10 weeks w/o rain as we did the summer of 2010. This year we are getting lots, too much for some people, but it's more than fine w/ me. Love your hand-sewing project.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love your birdfeeder, I bet you see lots of action there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We do and have had two new visitors over the past few days, a black throated blue warbler and an indigo bunting. We think the warbler moved on but the bunting has been here every night around six for about a twenty minute pigout on sunflower seeds. DH and I sit out on the deck and just watch the show every evening with all our winged visitors. We love to birdwatch.

      Delete
  4. An indigo bunting - what a treat! I've seen only one, and it was a distance away in some woods. Your garden is lovely. Adirondacks, huh? I grew up in the Finger Lakes (Ithaca) and have traveled a bit in the north country. Beautiful area!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a lovely garden! We've been working on ours, too, and birdwatching as well. The hummingbirds scare off the jays, the mockingbirds chase after the crows and the crows chase the hawks away. What a show! Regarding your window boxes: if that's what you want to do w/ the green felt, then that's the best use for it.

    We actually got into the low 80's today, but it will cool down for the holiday next weekend. We always have lovely weather but just not enough rain. We harvested the last of the peas and spinach today, and a few early green beans. Absolutely delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your garden is gorgeous! Don't know how you do all that you do. Clothes for the granddaughters, bags for friends, decorating for your daughter, gardening, and the list goes on!

    I desperately need a plan for my sewing! I seem to just go from project to project with no clear goal in mind as far as what I really need! I'm overladed with dresses and nothing to wear that suits my jeans and t-shirt lifestyle! One of these days I'm going to try SWAP!

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a beautiful yard---your attention to detail shows in your gardening as well as your needlework :-)

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a Beautiful Garden View! I enjoyed reading about your birds! And also about your wool idea. Actually, those colors of wool are "my colors". Ha! But I can totally relate, because if I had some wool that wasn't my color.... I would do it, too (if I could have such a great idea). This is one of my personal mottos: "Do what you can with what you now have (as much as possible)". Resourcefulness! ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I totally agree, Karla. For the longest time I would keep expensive prescious fabrics just waiting for that perfect opportunity. And the pile grows. A few years back I made a decision to "just cut it" and have no regrets. I finally started to utilize some of the great fabrics I have once I made that decision. Love your motto, Karla.

      Delete
  9. Beautiful garden! I just picked up some flowers to add to mine this week... I am off to a very late start. Along the same lines as the fabric liner in your boxes... in my hanging coco baskets I first place a fairly large sponge... it helps to prevent the baskets from being to heavy and more importantly it prevents the water from running right through them. I noticed last summer that my flowers survived "my drought" conditions much better....I am a forgetful waterer. :-)

    ReplyDelete

Engaging commentary:

Had to Refurbish This One!

    About  6 or 7 years ago , during the dawn of the Zipper Trend,  I bought one of my rare retail items. It was a blush pink and black bord...