“If I had to describe the scent of Michigan in spring and summer, it wouldn’t be a particular smell – blooming wildflowers or boat exhaust off the lake – it would be a color: Green.” – Viola Shipman, The Charm Bracelet
“When I figured out how to work my grill, it was quite a moment. I discovered that summer is a completely different experience when you know how to grill.”-Taylor Swift
“One of my favourite things about dining outdoors in a warmer season is that it frees hands and bares skin. … When we don’t need to wear or carry heavy clothing, our bodies feel lighter and our hands are freed for other things. Like carrying bottles of rosé; bags of stone fruit, fish, and clams; and a simple kettle and a tiny grill for a quiet, all-day beach excursion. Then we can eat well.”― Kirstin Jackson
“All the season pale in comparison to the excitement and freedom of summer.It’s the one time of the year when I can cut loose and feel like a kid again.Before the responsibilities, before the soul crushing pressure of trying to figure out my future. I can forget my crappy job; I can forget about my even crappier love life. Summer is my superpower.”― T. Torrest, Down the Shore
“By all these lovely tokens September days are here, With summer’s best of weather And autumn’s best of cheer.”- Helen Hunt Jackson
“Even if you have nothing in your wallet, nothing can keep you from having a great summer. You can listen to crickets sing you to sleep, trace the Big Dipper, breathe in the stars, run through a sprinkler, host a cartwheel contest in the front yard.”-Regina Brett
At the very beginning of my blog, I had a pair of slippers that I gave up on because they were too small and I couldn’t figure out the bottom. Well guess what?! I figured it out! They look a little funny still and I didn’t add the elastic on the back yet, but I have made slippers! They are from Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross.
I still have not quite figured out the bottom, but I managed to make slippers that are cute and actually fit. They will be perfect for my at home sessions where my feet get cold, but I don’t want to wear shoes in the house.
Speaking of home sessions, I made a lovely therapist cardigan. It’s out of ponte, which is a new material for me. Ponte is structured, with a little less stretch than some knit fabrics. It’s thicker, smooth, and feels a bit squishy, but not unpleasantly so.
It’s a therapist cardigan because it’s an unspoken rule that you must wear a cardi if you’re a female therapist. 😁 This one is a Grandpa Cardigan by Patterns for Pirates. It’s structured and looks professional, but it’s so soft and comfy that it feels like secret pjs. It also wasn’t overly warm. It held body heat nicely, but also breathed. I think I’ll be looking into some dresses or pants to make with it. This was a new pattern, but it was very easy to follow and sew.
I made a tiny doll cardi too, because why not? I think this is the Fleece Fun pattern.
It’s been cold again, so I made some more sweatshirts and hoodies. The fabric below was made into a black Ellie and Mac Fall In Love sweatshirt with purple dbp cuffs, neck and waistband. I look ridiculous in the picture because it came out way too big and I don’t have a picture of after I resized it. It’s a cotton french terry, so more like a bath towel than drapey, so it doesn’t have a lot of stretch or recovery. It’s a super comfy lounging sweatshirt though.
Probably my favorite hoodie I have made lately is this Lotte Hoodie by Sinclair Patterns. I used two sponsors from the challenge in it. The panel is fan art of Kaylee from Firefly. She is one of my favorite characters.
The panel is from 5 Ocean’s Fabric and is stretchy cotton lycra. The pink and yellow are thinner, drapey french terry from Girl Charlee. I lined it with more of the french terry, since it was thinner fabric. It has thumbhole cuffs, which I adore. The hood is navy dbp.
I received a bonus entry in the challenge the week I made it because Sinclair was one of the sponsors that week. 5 Oceans is a sponsor again, so I bought another panel to use for that week.
I have a few more things that I’ve made, but I’m keeping them for a separate post. I thought it would be fun to do a comparison post with the same pattern and different fabrics. I’ll leave you with a picture I sent to K2 to make her jealous that I got to snuggle Piggy on Monday before work. Wearing my new therapist cardi, of course! I hope your night is as snuggly as she is!
We’ve started to get some snow. So much for the yard clean up, I guess. The tree pictures I posted for my picture post were all taken a week or so before the first snow. I suddenly have dog attached anytime I sit down and feel the need for three layers everywhere. Most of my sweater fabric has arrived, so I plan to do a bunch of sewing this Friday to make sure I can actually stay warm this winter. My circulation must be off, because once I get cold, my skin stays cold and I feel cold forever. This winter, space heaters down in my sewing area are a must. That or fingerless gloves and a hat. Brrr…
Chai spiced chocolate chip muffins with Siamo Spring Tips tea from Tea Runners
In an attempt to stay warm, I have been cooking up some delicious things lately. Fancy got some sweet potato pieces dried. She gets all excited when she sees the bag in the fridge. My dad laughed when I said I made her sweet potatoes with olive oil and cinnamon, but she can’t eat the sweet potatoes raw and both of those things are good for her coat.
Part of my fun cooking day was on Sunday. The Husband was at his play and I made green tomato mincemeat and the tiniest bit of cardamom plum jam. The jam only made two and half jars. I’m not posting more pictures of it because 1. I didn’t get finished pictures and 2. You all might want it if I post it! I’m finding it very hard to part with. 😉
I tasted a little of the extra mincemeat and it’s interesting. Vinegary, but not too much, with delicious spices and a little sweetness. Not having had it before, I’m not sure how it’s supposed to taste.
It will be interesting to try it in tarts. It felt super weird with the combination of things that were in my cook pot. There was quite an old fashioned homesteader vibe going on too. Here’s what it looked like in the pot. All those fall spices made it smell delicious!
Some of the pile of chopped green tomatoes! I did cut the batch in half.
Here is what it looked like after cooking down for a bit.
And then the deliciousness after being canned. It got so dark!
I have made a couple of other things too. More chocolate pudding, this time with my Mom’s homemade kahlua. It was delicious.
We have had Chinese food twice this week. We found these mini wontons at Costco (hooray for sample day!). They are chicken and cilantro based and don’t have any ginger in them. The Husband doesn’t like ginger, much to my dismay. They made a delicious broth with some veggies, garlic powder, white pepper, sesame oil, and soy sauce.
Our new bowl color- Slate. Kind of like a blueish grey.
Today we had a noodle stir fry with some ground chicken and veggies. I added hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, water, and a cornstarch slurry.
My younger brother came for dinner, which was nice. I had texted him earlier in the day to say that the original recipe I had planned wasn’t going to work, but that there would be some kind of dinner. He sent back a text saying “I’m sure whatever there is will be lovely.” Isn’t he sweet? My mother trained him well, I think. 🙂 For the record, both the boys liked the stir fry.
I want to make Cousin Jack cookies this week, probably on Friday, because I have currants from the mincemeat. Also, pannukaku. I’m out of thimbleberry jam though (hint, hint, mom and dad). My dealer of jam hasn’t been keeping up with the demand.
In the morning, I plan to try one of these new teas from Tea Runners. I don’t get any money from showing them off, but do have a referral code if you want to try it (disclaimer: I get money off if you use my referral code). It’s a tea club that sends four samples out each month. So far, I have loved it! It’s definitely making me drink more tea and I’m excited to try these. I was especially intrigued by the Carrot Cake Rooibos and the Nutcracker black.
The fact that it’s run by one of my favorite actresses and her husband, Jewel Staite (Kaylee from Firefly,) makes it even cooler. 🙂 I’m a dork. I’ll admit it.
Anyway, there is a dog suggesting strongly that I go to bed, or at least cuddle her and share my couch blanket. Since I’m freezing again, I think I’ll join her. Have a wonderful, hopefully warm, night!
We couldn’t take it! We had to turn on the heat. Fancy, as you can tell, was extremely happy. She’s currently snuggled on her fleece on the couch.
I love fall, but forget that about this time of year, I start to freeze. This continues until Spring. I wear two pairs of socks, sweaters, my Jayne hat, blankets as skirts, and wraps around the house. It’s not like we keep it that cold, I just can’t warm up when I get chilly. Fancy will only go out in her fleece when it starts to be 30 or under.
Being cold made me sew a pair of flamingo pj pants that have been in my U.F.O box for a while. I used a striped knit for a waistband and cuffs. I think they are adorable. It’s disguised flamingos in bowler hats, what could be cuter? They are very comfy and warm and I fixed the weird crotch pulling that happened with my last pair by actually following directions! Well, understanding them finally.
I also finished this cute elephant bag. I saw these two fabrics as remnants and they wanted to be together. Who am I to resist what fabric wants? 🙂
It has six outside pockets and three inside. It also has a recessed zipper. It is huge and I love it. Working on it soothed my soul after a couple of hard days at work. It also reminded me how to put in a recessed zipper, so I can add it to my bags for Etsy.
We also organized the pantry over the weekend and some of the closets.
We’re trying to decide how we want to finish the basement. The inner walls are covered in a veneer that isn’t even tacked on. You can’t see it much in the pictures, but the built-in shelves were not put in correctly, so it looks alarmingly like they are tipping forward. Those will come out and metal shelves will be put in instead.
We’ve learned to concentrate on just one area, rather than try to do it all. Being a homeowner can be a little overwhelming, especially when there is a lot to fix or change.
Fancy is teaching us the importance of play even when having work to get done. She’s a silly dog. She fits right in. 🙂
We tried to dress her up as a panda for tonight, but she tried to eat her costume. My sister-in-law sent us the costume and we were hoping it would be nice, but she was too focused on playing with it. Maybe we’ll stick to sweaters and capes for her.
Now I have to go walk her before we’re besieged with Trick or Treaters! Have a Happy Halloween!
