Purple, haven't worn *that* in 20 years

Sometimes it seems like I don't have any time for sewing, but I can't figure out what is eating up my *me* time. Maybe it's the great weather we're having, the increased outdoor time. We've been gardening a lot. It's one of the few things that the boys and I can do in total harmony — no sharing issues, no hitting, no screaming. I'm still trying to figure out how to put that spoonful of sugar in the other jobs that must be done around here. Gardening is always sweet, and, without the added sugar. Maybe we have Stevia plant growing around here somewhere.


I ignored cooking a healthful dinner last night (gout's been rearing it's ugly toe/ankle/knee around here) to get some sewing in. Sausage, eggs, toast, and applesauce for the kids — foraging for the grown-ups. I made another A-line skirt for me — this time with Bird on a Ball, by Etsuko Furuya, for echino (can't find a link for this exact fabric). I bought the purple colorway, which was sort of a surprise. I don't think I've worn purple since the late 80s, when I had a bunch of purple stretchy clothes. Wha? Anyway, since the bird fabric is not knit, I had to increase my pattern by a couple inches to allow for my unchecked consumption of chocolate chips over the past winter. I really wanted to avoid going up a size. But, suffering all day in an ill-fitting skirt, replete with muffin top, is not fun. The new skirt feels great and looks better. Why suffer? Why punish myself until I loose weight?


My favorite flower: Papaver somniferum, the opium poppy. They always bloom close to Memorial Day around these parts. We saved the seed from a friend's neighbor many years ago and have been nurturing the volunteers ever since. The kid's garden developed around this particular set because I was trying to save them from being "hack, hack, hacked." There's a lot of hacking around here. Most of the tree dahlias met an early fate this year. My oldest might be a garden variety hacker, but he did correctly use the word "volunteer" while we were out in the garden the other day. Did you notice the peas are already past the center of the web? I've had a few inquiries on how to make a web, so I might do a how-to when I make a web-covered bean tepee.


This is a skirt I made for my littlest guy on his birthday. He likes to walk around draped in fabric, so I thought he might like a skirt. This was much too long and trippy, so, it will probably end up being a gift or something. If I'd had enough yardage I would have made myself a western shirt. I am now officially looking for the best floral, and/or, floral striped fabric to make into a western. Soft would be nice, too.


One of the flowers that has always grown in my mom's garden, Cinneraria. I'm not sure of the spelling. I did see it spelled this way when I googled, but it seemed like it could be a common misspelling. Anyone know anything about these flowers? They seem very old-fashioned to me. We usually have a few different purples every year.


It was a good year for Iris. Clusters of rhizomes, that haven't bloomed in a long while, were rich with flowers. Was it extra rain? This blossom was the last of the season. My little guy just had to pick it. Sorry, mom.