June 28

I've graduated from making "plastic"-sized shopping bags to "paper"-sized ones. The smaller ones are great for keeping in one's handbag; these are for throwing in the car. I fill 10-12 shopping bags on my weekly supermarket trips, and I only have six cloth bags so far, so I'm making these for myself, and extras for gifts. I'm having fun putting together fabrics from my stash, and dyeing cotton webbing to match.

June 26

I admit it. That's a pile of Christmas card makings. Some may think I am warped and twisted for working so far ahead. But what can I tell you? I take after my mother, who in my youth always boasted that she had all the Christmas shopping done by the August school holidays. There's nothing wrong with that, is there? Especially if it's accompanied by a nice Chilean red??

June 22

I cut out this little sundress before bed last night, and at 5am this morning I was at the sewing machine. Another one for the Christmas boutique! Come September, there will be two little girls in the family to sew for. Sweet!

June 21

This is the other apron I mentioned yesterday. The fabric used in the front of the pocket is hand-dyed. It was originally white-on-white, and the pattern acted as a resist, giving a really cool result.

June 20

I've been making aprons! These two patterns are from A Is For Apron. I love the second one -- the Deep Pocket design. It would work as a peg bag (not that any of the Americans I know peg their clothes on a clothesline, but my Aussie compatriots do) or even when tidying the house, to transport headbands, playing cards, odd socks, etc back to where they belong. I made a second version of this apron in lighter weight fabric but my model (Lauren's friend) has gone home so I haven't photographed it yet.

June 18

I am sitting here, awed, amazed, blown away, touched to the core, by what arrived in the mail today.

This:

Yes, I have here a Misty Mawn original, gifted to me, along with two CDs of her favourite music, which I am listening to and loving.

This art is SO much more gorgeous, delicate, and, well, just astounding, in the flesh, so textural (I touch it gently, as if it were a butterfly wing). I am bursting with the blessing of it.

::: deep sigh of joy :::

June 17

Morning in my garden.

June 15

I think I'm done making these bags now. I'm ready to move on to aprons and totes, with a wee little sundress thrown in there too. But one thing I'll probably keep doing for the rest of the year (or until I get sick of it) is using the little scraps of fabric from each sewing project to make a matching card.

June 13

Today is (was) my mother's birthay, so I have been thinking of her more than usual. I especially felt close to her when Lauren brought this home from school today and proudly read it to me:
My Mama was a loving, caring, mother, wife, and friend. That's how I learned how to do it. Thank you, Mum. I miss you.

June 10

More of my commute. How can I complain? NPR on the radio, except for in the canyon (no reception) when I put on a CD. Though I have to tell you, I need some more CDs. Tell me what music you love, and I'll sample it.

June 9

I have a long commute to work (75 to 90 minutes) but it's very pretty. I've been meaning to take my camera with me for ages, and at last today I did.
Ever since meeting Misty, I have wanted to show her how the colors I see at the beach each morning remind me of her. Don't you agree?

June 6

Goofy Josh. He loves his job so much. I can't quite figure out whether I like the kids being exposed to this stuff. Does it eliminate any fear of images on the screen, because they know (from hands-on experience) that it's not real? Or does it just desensitize them to the idea of real-life horror? Are they likely to shrug at the thought or sight of a real severed limb, having played with fake ones? I don't know ...

June 2

One of these days I'll get my very own macro lens, and be able to do attractive food photography. But for now, I leave you with this incredibly scrumptious recipe.

EDAMAME SALAD WITH BASIL VINAIGRETTE
1 cup frozen shelled edamame
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 large tomato, diced
1 celery stalk, sliced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the edamame and cook 5 minutes; drain, rinse under cold water, and pat dry.

Combine the vinegar, oil, garlic, and salt in a large bowl. Add the edamame, beans, tomato, celery, onion, and basil; mix well. Let stand at room temperature about 15 minutes before serving to allow the flavours to blend.

June 1

I've been making a lot of these singlet-style shopping bags lately. So easy, so handy, so pretty.

Mushroom Villagers asked about the leaf fabric. The selvedge says, "The Lindsay Collection by Karen Montgomery for Timeless Treasures Fabrics, Inc." I just found it here. They have a retail store locater on their site, which might be helpful to some. Though I do recommend making the trip to Michael Levine's, no matter how far away you live.