squares within squares quilt

The baby quilt is fini, and sent off to Atlanta where it will help welcome a new little baby soon. Although it's for a baby boy, I didn't want it to be too "boy-y" so I went with a more gender-neutral yellow and turquoise color scheme. It's a mix of bold, bright patterns with a few more subtle ones, like the yellow stripe seersucker and the pale blue dot.

The square-within-a-square pattern was fun and quite simple to piece. I didn't realize until sewing all the strips together that because of the sashing there was not a single seam that had to be carefully lined up. Sweet! I had one stray block leftover, so I incorporated it into the back of the quilt.

I did a simple quilting pattern--just straight lines in one direction. I still don't trust my walking foot very much. I need to practice more.

Binding is always my favorite part of a quilt. (Is that weird? Am I the only one?) I love the actual task of binding by hand, and I love the look of the finished binding. A lovely way to finish a quilt project.

Sending wonderful happy thoughts for this new family of three!

my anniversary present

For my anniversary present, Matt had an old piece of my grandmother's cross-stitch custom-framed. I love it so much.

I found the sampler in the depths of my grandma's linen closet when we cleaned out her house. I don't know when during her lifetime she made it, or why she never framed it. I don't really remember my grandma doing much sewing or embroidery, though she must have done quite a bit earlier in her life. I'm not surprised at all, though, by how perfectly neat and precise her cross-stitch is.

The sampler is made up of delicate little motifs of flowers and animals, all in the most lovely muted colors.

Her initials are in the very center of the sampler. My grandma's name was Genevieve, which I've always thought such a beautiful name. She would laugh because many people didn't know how to pronounce it, and she was usually called "Gen." She died just over a year ago, and I'm so glad to have this little reminder of her where I can see it every day.

I knew that Matt was framing the cross-stitch, because I went with him to the store and hemmed and hawed endlessly over the framing options. I didn't know, though, that he also ordered and framed a photo of us. My brother took this picture of us at our family reunion last year. We're walking away from the camera, and we just look like we're having a lovely conversation. I can't remember if we were, but probably so. We tend to have mighty nice conversations.

his anniversary present

I made a linen shirt for Matt as an anniversary present. I made it from our "wedding linen," which is what I call the 10 yards of natural linen that I bought last year to use as table runners at our wedding reception. I've been using this linen in projects all year long, and I still have about 3 yards left. It seemed appropriate to make Matt's anniversary present from the wedding linen. And it was one of the few fabrics in my stash that was appropriate for a man's shirt. I need to remember to look for more male-friendly fabrics when I am fabric-shopping.

I used McCall's 6044, which is the same pattern I used for the long-sleeve shirt I made for him this past winter. It's a nice pattern and fits him well, though I think in the future I will make the sleeves a bit slimmer for a more modern fit.

I was surprised by how easy it was to work with the linen, since I've sometimes found linen a bit slippery to sew. (I always think of it as "squigy" though that is not a real word, is it?) In this project, though, everything came together nicely. I love how crisp linen gets when you iron it, makes sewing hems so much easier.

We took these pictures in front of our new flower beds outside the fence. I'm proud of these beds because we created them from scratch. It's all been a bit of an experiment. Last year, we started with roses and clematis on the arbor, flanked by monarda, yarrow, and hollyhocks. The hollyhocks did nothing the first year and are only just getting going now. They have been plagued by rust and are still looking quite spindly. I need to figure out if there's anything I can do for that. This year, I added nepeta, african daisies, and pink cosmos in the front of the bed. I love the nepeta, and it hides the gangly legs of the hollyhock and monarda perfectly.

The one hollyhock that has managed to grow to full height this year is lovely. I need to figure out how to get the others happy, because these beauties are worth the effort.

Tomorrow I'll post about my anniversary presents. I think Matt's superpower is thoughtful gift-giving. He is awfully good at it.

a happy year

Matt and I celebrated our first anniversary over the past weekend. We popped a bottle of champagne, snapped a picture under the arbor, then walked downtown for dinner. I wore the new dress he bought me a few weeks ago (from Target!). It is a great dress, and I was surprised by how comfortable and flattering it is. It has inspired me to try sewing a Lisette Traveler dress, which has a similar shape. Now I just need to pick out a fabric...

We're in re-adjustment mode this week. Matt's work schedule has changed and he's now working a night shift and, what's worse, our days off no longer coincide. It stinks, and has knocked both of us for a bit of a loop. Neither of us likes change very much, but I know we will settle into a new routine soon. And, it reminds me how lucky I am to have a husband whose very presence just brings me so much joy. I wish we could have more time together, but this isn't forever.

In the garden, we've harvested the peas. They're pretty much done for this year, and we pulled the vines down to make room for the cucumbers, which are running wild. We've already gotten one cucumber, and with the heat wave we're experiencing, the tomatoes are close behind. Two words: summer pickle, folks. SUMMER PICKLE!!

lessons in gardening

We're having our first little heat wave and the veggies are loving it. The tomatoes are climbing like mad and the peas are coming in. So far most of our efforts have been at least moderately successful. I am still amazed each time I pull something edible out of that garden.

One lesson learned is to sow radish seeds more sparsely and thin more aggressively. Our first patch of radishes was too crowded and they all ended up undersized and oddly-shaped. Luckily they still tasted good. Above is our one perfectly round radish which I photographed carefully, then ate.

It seems that carrots also appreciate a bit of wiggle room while growing, though I found it very sweet that carrots planted too close together will sometimes entwine themselves around their neighbor. We're calling them lover carrots. They have magical powers and bestow good luck in love. I'm sure of it.

We grew four different types of lettuce, all of which came up beautifully. We have realized, though, that we don't actually eat a lot of salad. And we are no more likely to eat salad when fresh greens are only steps from our back door. This is a sad truth, but a truth none the less. So I harvested all the greens last night and took a cooler full of them to work today. I am very glad to have all that lettuce in the happy bellies of my coworkers tonight. I am going to plant okra, squash, and zucchini in the empty spaces. I know we will eat those!

With temperatures spiking into the 90s this weekend, it was high time for strawberry-rhubarb pie. This is my favorite pie of all. Our local strawberries are almost done, but I managed to find a pint of local berries for my pie.

I also finally broke down and turned on the AC this weekend. I always resist as long as possible. But there comes a night--usually in late May for us--when I wake up and the night air is so hot and still and humid that sleep is difficult. So I give up, pad down the hallway, and turn on the AC. It pours out deliciously cool air and I flop back in bed and sigh a most happy sigh.

Welcome, summer, we're so very glad you're here.

ups and downs

I've been in a bit of a crafting rut the past couple weeks. Isn't it funny how that happens sometimes? Creative inspiration seems to dry up and a few failed projects snowball into a general feeling of frustration and inertia. I'm not sure which is the cause and which is the effect, but it is disheartening.

Last week I cut a simple shirt pattern out of a lovely voile, then decided to go off-pattern slightly and replace the gathers with pintucks. Sadly, the pintucks ended up completely off-center (curse you, math skills!). It looked like the pintucks were sliding sideways off my bust, rather than draping oh-so-elegantly across it. Then I cut the back piece too small. Then I couldn't figure out how to attach the straps. Then I threw the whole damn wad of fabric into the scraps bin. Phooey.

Small and simple projects seem to be the best cure for a crisis of crafting confidence. And it doesn't get much smaller or simpler than baby bibs. I used this pattern to make three infant-sized bibs for a friend who is expecting. They are so tiny!

I used a cotton print on the front and a soft flannel on the back. I added a little hippo applique to one. Done and done and couldn't be cuter.

And for another friend who is expecting (it's high baby season around these parts), I have a baby quilt underway. I love the methodical, repetitive process of piecing a quilt. It's almost like meditation. Most restorative for the crafting mojo.

Rather unrelated, but I got home from work today to find these three beautiful little bouquets sitting on the coffee table. All picked from the garden. Yeah, this husband, he's a keeper.

Happy weekend!

late april blooms

Spring is galloping along here, aided by plenty of rain and warming weather. The rhododendron in front of the house is just opening up. We've now got a purple + lime green thing happening out front that was unforeseen but is quite awesome.

Last year I planted a viburnum and I killed it. I think he was a casualty of poor drainage. I kept watering him religiously, which probably didn't help. Last year overall was not a good year for me and shrubs, but I am determined to do better this year. I really wanted a white viburnum, so we picked out a common snowball viburnum. I figured "common" might mean "hardy." I didn't even realize until it bloomed that these are the exact flowers that I had in my wedding. Bonus.

The arbor roses are taking off, and I fully expect this year they will make it over the top of the arbor and reach toward the sky. They are called Morning Magic roses and they are somehow akin to the knockout roses which just bloom and bloom. These do indeed seem to have a lot of get up and go. The buds are a lovely apricot pink and they open to almost white.

The snowmound spirea is just budding. This might be my favorite thing we planted last year. It's a petite shrub with delicate little leaves. It branches beautifully, sending out gently waving arms in all directions. It stays pretty all season, long after the blooms fade.

Someone at some point planted some mint in this garden which entrenched itself with fierce determination. I have been methodically pulling it out and replacing it with heuchera of various colors. I can't remember the names of these, I'm pretty sure the bronze one is called "Caramel."

The iris just opened up today. I got home from work and they were ready for their sunset photo.

The veggies are also coming along nicely. Looks like we are going to be eating lots of salads this summer. It really does taste better when it's out of your own garden, doesn't it? Part freshness and part pride, I expect. :)

his and hers aprons

This picture cracks me up so much because Matt and I are wearing matching crocs, which also happen to match our aprons. I love it. This is a set of his and hers aprons I made as a wedding gift for Matt's cousin. I made a set like this for one of my cousins who got married last year and it's fun to choose coordinating fabrics for the bride and groom versions. The girl apron is from the pattern in Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing, which is an awesome pattern that I have made several times before. I love the silhouette of it, and the little darts at the top give it such a nice neckline. The boy apron I made based on an old half-apron that I have.

The fabrics are a cheerful lemon print and a blue stripe shirting from the stash. The aprons are both reversible and have a Lisette blue chambray on the other side. (Oh, and my Joann's had all Lisette fabrics 50% off when I was there last week. Get thee to Joann's!) I love this chambray and have been using it in all my projects lately. It frays like crazy but that might just be the nature of chambray.

Abby is a camera hog.

Wishing all a very happy Easter! Hop hop.

bookcase lined...and dining room is DONE (for now)

Neither of us had ever had a proper dining room before this house, but we've managed to acquire some really lovely pieces and it's now one of my favorite rooms. The corner cabinet above was from my grandma's house and I feel so lucky to have inherited it. And every time I open one of the doors on the cabinet, the smell of my grandma's house envelops me. I love that part.

The bookcase is a hand-me-down from my parents that we painted white. For some reason the bookcase never had a back panel on it--I can only assume it used to be mounted flush against a wall and didn't need a back. This has been bothering me for some time, so last weekend I went to Lowe's and bought a piece of the thinnest plywood I could find. The nice Lowe's man cut it to the right size for me and I brought it home, covered it with fabric, and tacked it to the back of the bookcase. I contemplated using wallpaper remnants, but I didn't have any wallpaper. Fabric, I have lots of that. And this way I can switch the fabric out if I want.

I've had this leaf print in my stash for a long time and it seemed like a cheerful choice for the room.

I blogged before about our wall color choice and the awesome hoosier cabinet my parents got us for a wedding present. The rug is a beautiful old Karastan that has been in Matt's family for a long time. I never would have chosen a rug like this, thinking it would be too formal, but once we put it down in the room, it was perfect. The colors tie everything together and look so beautiful. Matt's hometown has a Karastan factory and his grandpa worked there for many years. I am fascinated by the art of carpet-weaving, and one of these days I want to get Papa to tell me all about it. This part of NC used to have an incredibly vibrant textile industry with thousands of mills. Most of those companies are now gone and the mills abandoned, though some are being reclaimed and turned into lofts or retail spaces. Thinking about it all makes the historian crafter nerd in me start to itch. But I digress.

For weeks we've been looking for just the right cabinet for a tiny bar tucked into the corner. Matt found this one which fits perfectly and has two handy shelves inside for glasses and drinks. The 5cent beer wallhanging was another wedding gift that came from the consignment shop downtown. We love that consignment shop. Our wine glasses are hanging from the business end of an old garden rake.

Under the window sits the hifi I got for Matt last Christmas (also from the consignment shop for $40). It didn't have a needle and the volume knob was wonky, but I found someone to repair it for $50 and now it plays perfectly. Matt's collection of albums is stored in an old crate that was unearthed when we cleaned out my grandma's garage. I have been trying to find a second, similarly-sized one because his collection will soon outgrow this one.

The Flatt and Scruggs albums get place of pride above the trim of the french doors.

And I'll leave you with the first peony of the season. He opened up on Saturday to say hello and I brought him indoors before the thunderstorms could toss him around. Is there anything more beautiful?

porch makeover

The past few weeks we've been working on lots of projects to spruce up the front of the house. Now that the weather is really warming up, we'll be spending lots of time out on this porch.

It's a nice wide porch with lots of room for sitting. We've got quite a hodgepodge of furniture out there--the rocking chairs and metal chairs were inherited from my grandma's house and Matt scavenged the table and wooden sofa on the far end from the dumpsters in his old apartment complex. We've sanded and painted them all so they look bright and cheerful. Matt stained the porch decking a dark color which sets off the furniture and paint colors so perfectly. The outdoor rugs came from Lowe's.

OK, you might have to click this image and view it larger to really see the difference in the before vs. after. (But I've always wanted to do a Before & After photo!) The shutters and front door used to be hunter green, and they are now a lovely smoky blue. It took some experimenting to find the right shade of blue, not too bright but still a nice contrast for the mocha-colored house paint.

Here you can see the blue color better. Pretty! Of course, I wanted to add some fabric and softness to the porch, so I sewed up two cushions for the rocking chairs.

I love the bright pops of color on the dark background of this fabric. The piping adds a nice pop too.

For the wooden bench, I recovered the cushions in a pale green floral print, then made two new throw pillows as well. Natural linen and chambray is my new favorite combination.

We just planted the hanging baskets and pots this weekend, so they are just getting going. Matt put together the combination in the galvanized tub. We're going to have lots of color--blues and yellows but also splashes of red and purple.

One day we'd like to install ceiling fans out here, the nice big rattan ones that spin lazily on a steamy summer day. Ah, steamy summer days--they are coming!