Daisy Makes Us Keep It in the Road

The last few days Daisy's been tooling around the house again on her scooter, issuing tickets. I believe Fitzwilliam was cited for camping on private property, and I know the Composer found a speeding ticket on his steering wheel--but at least I don't have to pay *his* fines.

I'm not sure I'm responsible for this plant's legal problems either. Is there really a statute regulating frond length?

A Little Black Skirt, Ruffled

Daisy needed a black skirt for her children's choir, so I went with the cheapest, easiest, and most last-minute option--a man's black t-shirt from the thrift store, cut off below the armholes, with the top turned down to make an elastic casing (as a bonus, the discarded part of the tee said something about exotic cat rescue!).

Then I cut a few long strips from the sleeves, ran a gathering stitch down their middles, and then sewed them to the bottom right above the hem, to give it a little fancy.

No need to join the strips, just overlap them a little as you go.

New Curtains from the Magic Stash

Company's coming--time to replace the laundry room curtains that shredded in the wash a month ago. 

Lucky for me, my Magic Stash contained a length of crisp white cotton the EXACT length I needed for two curtain panels, and the breadbox full of trim had some cotton lace. I truly do not know where this stuff comes from, but it's always there in my hour of need, and I'm grateful.

And There's This One: Bonfire Night Log Cabin Quilt Top

But that's all I'm piecing until after Thanksgiving, at least. Time to do some quilting.

Black-Eyed Susan Log Cabin Quilt Top

Prolific, that's me these last few days. Here's a new quilt top interpreting black-eyed Susans, those ubiquitous wildflowers. Also, it uses up a lot of my yellow scraps. Quilting begins tomorrow.

Autumn on a Bike

This is the brightest, and most stubborn, I have ever seen the silver maple leaves. This is a beautiful fall, and the days swing from bright and cold to warm and nostalgic. 

Either way, I have been so enjoying Autumn-on-a-Bike, a first for me. I get out most mornings and ride between seven and nine miles at the trail, depending on the length of the Composer's run. I'm trying to mix in some adventure too, so on the weekends I go out on the roads and tackle hills, traffic, dogs, and chains that fall off. 

Apple Slices Log Cabin Quilt

I quilted this one myself because a) I needed a mindless sewing project; b) I wanted it quilted in spirals the way you would peel an apple; and c) Mother's already working on one, with one waiting in line.

It was so much fun, and I especially loved using DMC Perle 8 for the first time. Easy to thread, easy to pull through the quilt, and I love the luster! I'm using it for my next quilt too.

There's a lot of linen in this quilt (all the teal and natural), several beloved flannel shirts, and some familiar dressmaking scraps. It was different working with mostly solids rather than prints.

In from Outside

We had our first hard frost, so the ferns are inside. This one will flourish indoors over the winter; it always does. Then it will go outside where I will forget to water it. And then we'll do it all over again.

Almond Slices

Jane Brocket's Vintage Cakes book never fails. These are almond slices: a little more complicated than your average bar cookie, but worth it. A shortbread base, then a layer of raspberry jam, then a layer of almond-sugar-egg goodness, then a sprinkling of almonds.

The Chair by the Fire, and Its Uses

Some of us like to use this chair by the fire for reading, or sewing. Others . . . I'm not sure *what* Fitzwilliam is doing here, but it looks pretty awesome.

Basic Cooking: What to Do With Frozen Salmon

Q: What should I do with these frozen salmon fillets?

A: Heat the oven to 400. 

Take the fillets apart and put them in a baking dish, skin side down (if they have skin). 

In a small bowl mix a spoonful of olive oil, a spoonful of grainy mustard, and a spoonful of dried thyme. And about 1/2 t. of salt. Spread it on the salmon, and bake uncovered for about 25 minutes. A few minutes less if they are thawed. Poke a piece with a fork to see if if looks cooked all the way through. 

They will be tasty and moist.

Pumpkin and Maple Leaves

O rich autumn colors, you always get it done.

White Oak Log Cabin Quilt

 I love the warm grays and cool browns of the white oak tree, and the tiny touch of orange that could be a little bit of sunset behind the woods.

This week I've only been up to serene straight stitching, in between bouts on the phone. Several days of this week I scheduled *thirteen* forty-minute phone conferences through the day. In between I've been jumping up to dry the laundry, hustle a meatloaf into the oven, do a few dishes, and when I get lucky, run a line of stitches.

And we lit a fire in the stove, which is bliss.

**** 

My mother goes in for a double mastectomy tomorrow at noon, but she won't need chemo, thank God.

I Must Retrench

Tuesday I started on a short-term work project that will be taxing my time and energy pretty severely for the next two or three weeks. So: I must retrench! Don't look for daily postings here until then. In the meantime I will be:

•wearing a phone headset most of the time (I never thought I'd see the day). Dorky, but saves the neck•

•ignoring my cleaning routines (except for bathrooms) and spot-cleaning instead•

•posting the day's dinner menu on the blackboard in the kitchen so that if I get stuck on the phone Bella knows what we're cooking•

•riding my bike every morning (overuse injury in my heel has me off my running for a few weeks)•

•thinking fondly of the sewing room•

and

•destressing as necessary by admiring Fitzwilliam's lovely vest•

Keeping Up with the Maples

Daisy's got work to do. She likes to keep things cleaned up under the maple tree. Raking tomorrow, for sure.

Daisy in a Cozy Chair

 Sometimes it seems like all she does is read. And make tiny set-ups. 

Table Runner for a November Evening

Log cabin squares made up in November evening colors. Centers are turquoise velveteen and dark green wool, and the rest is mostly linen. Find it here. 

I never get tired of log cabin squares!

Rummage

Thank you so much to the shoppers who've bought from my etsy shop the last couple of days. It is a great joy to me to be able to donate 100% of my sales to a wonderful nonprofit that is matching each dollar that comes in. 

I'm continuing to rummage around my closets and corners for things that would serve the world better in other people's homes, so please be sure and hop over to my etsy shop, where I'm keeping the prices low and giving away all my proceeds!

Bright October Morning

I love the light in the morning, whether it's bright or dull.

I do not love this camera. My old one has given up the ghost and I'm using something the Composer had tucked away. Ugh.

A Knit Dress for Bella

This Santa Fe dress for Bella came out lovely, in a very heavy and drapey bamboo-cotton blend (I think!). I left all the edges raw and unfinished inside the dress, and even the lower edge has no hem.

I wasn't impressed at all with the instructions or illustrations in the pattern though. The bodice shaping is created from a series of pleats and folds, like origami, but the drawings are very hard to follow, and the right and wrong sides aren't distinguished, as far as I can tell.

On the other hand, though it might not be right, it looks great on Bella.

Barton Cottage Shrug in Blue

I finished my merino shrug a couple of months ago, then took my time getting the casing stitched down. It's so clever, the entire neckline and front opening are a casing for a ribbon. Thread it through, pull it, tie, and there's your shaping!

It's a very comfortable garment, and I love the sleeve length, except that they are too short to wear over long sleeves, which is kind of too bad. If I ever knit it again--and I may, it's that nice!--I'll make longer sleeves.

The pattern is from the lovely Jane Austen Knits magazine.

A Ladylike Dress for a Concert: Vintage McCalls 3755

Loving the look here of the draped neckline, the full back to the skirt (almost a suggestion of a bustle in the illustration, but not seeing it in real life), and that gorgeous cummerbund (unfortunately I was short of fabric).

I made this up in an unknown fabric, out of a bag passed on to me by the daughter of a Montreal upholsterer--it *may* be silk, in a tiny purple and gray check. It doesn't hold a pressing crease, I can tell you that!

In spite of everyone's excellent suggestions for alternate weights, I did sew two magnets into a fabric bag which is dangling at this very moment from the inside of the draped collar. I love that. It's so . . . mechanical. I'll be wearing this to a symphony concert tomorrow.

Bella's Skylight in the Rain

Bella's skylight on this rainy day. I enjoyed the extra light down in the sewing room while I finished hemming a dress.

Also today, I made wonderful cream of celeraic soup, cleaned the bathrooms, bought Daisy a Venus fly trap (it's ravenous! It's eaten four bugs already!), and planted some Swiss chard.

Peace Be To This House Crewelwork

I picked up this nicely-done crewelwork at the thrift store. I typically find the masking-taped around cardboard and stuck in a frame.

I'll take all that apart and sew the crewelwork into a pillow cover. This one's got textured velvet strips sewn around the front, and will have a salmon linen back, with a brown zipper.

"I Shall Never Be Indifferent to Dress"

"My day for the frilly gowns of organdy and lace is over--henceforth I must wear the richer hues and materials of the matron. But I shall never be indifferent to dress. It is a very foolish woman who is--just as foolish as the one who makes it the foremost and only thing. Both are badly mistaken."

--L.M. Montgomery, The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery, Volume III 1921-1929

Draping a Drapey Neckline

I'm working on vintage McCall's 3755 which has a beautiful neckline. The front drapes into soft pleats stitched into the shoulder seams, and there's a stay behind all that draping that looks that the top half of a normal bodice. 

Best of all, I will shortly be finding a lead weight and encasing it in a little fabric bag and attaching it by a thread chain to the bottom of the facing! I'll let you know how that goes. I don't have a lead weight but I do have a heavy little magnet that would work. But then I worry about it getting attaching to my underwire . . . .

A Beautiful Strudel

Bella baked this apple strudel for one of the two Grandfather's Birthdays this week. We'll be baking another one tomorrow. Puff pastry from the grocer's freezer, and apples from farmer's market.

Part of Bella's Sunny Room

This little room is hard to photograph because if you back up far enough, you're out in the hall. Bella's room is tucked up under the eaves of the roof, and doesn't even have the floor space for a bed. See the ladder in the picture above? She climbs that to hop in for the night, in a double-bed sized cubby hole.

She spent June and July removing the ten-year old blue wallpaper from her walls and ceiling, and then the Composer and I painted everything Provence Creme, at her request. Well, the ceiling is Atrium White, and so is the bed nook. The floor is a white I can't remember the name of--it's off-white. And all her furniture is white.

Mother just finished hand-quilting Bella's new quilt, "Freshwater Pearl," which I pieced before the whole room redo. It certainly looks at home in this sunny space.

Frozen Cheats

After spurning most frozen food my whole life (I use corn and the occasional package of green beans out of season), I have totally gone over to the cold and dark side when it comes to Kroger's Mirepoix Style Blend. It's just so easy to take out a package of already-chopped onion, celery, and carrots--and it's cheaper too! I also love the Mirepoix Cajun Style Blend--onion, celery, and green peppers.

I never bother measuring, since more vegetables are always welcome. My rule of thumb is one package of chopped vegetables to whatever I'm cooking, and everything has tasted good so far.

I use it directly from the freezer into a hot pot drizzled with olive oil.

Darling Little Pan

It's not a big egg, it's a darling little cast iron pan from the thrift store. Just perfect for frying Daisy's lunchtime egg. 

Daisy's Glowing Marigolds

She's quick to point out that she planted them herself.

Covered Buttons on a Cloak

Let's say you love cozy, vintage things. And you look good in warm, autumnal colors. And you think you could use a cloak to bundle up in when you go out in the woods collecting leaves.

I have just the thing for you. All proceeds of this sale go to charity and will be matched!

Weekend with Clara

We're spending the weekend visiting Clara! And I've finally figured out how to photograph my short, medium, and tall girls all together.

We went out to our absolute favorite grocery store to stock Clara's room with crackers and dried fruit. We love this place because it has lots and lots of ethnic groceries, from Spanish quince paste to Israeli sumac to Saudi kabsa spice.

And there's a thrift shop next door. Clara found a genuine 1950's crinoline--the kind that can stand up on its own--with little blue bows pinned to the hem. I found a giant, reference-worthy volume of Gilbert and Sullivan lore that's going under the Christmas tree for someone!

Great excitement, Bella and Daisy are spending the night in the dorm!! Daisy brought some animals to visit Clara,

and spend some quality time with Clara's two bears, who are missed at home. They spend most of the school year in the dorm,

on Clara's bunk, gazing up at the paper cranes hanging from the ceiling.

A Wrap Dress Collection for Sale

It's a little bit of a closet clean-out, and also I'm excited about doing some fund-raising for the non-profit Giles works for. All proceeds from this sale go straight to charity, and the best part of it is that they are *matched* by a foundation. Happy shopping!

Meatless

I've been enjoying Meatless as a library book, enough to plan to buy it for my own kitchen. I find that my gluten-free cooking runs very much on the plain side. Meat. Veggies. Salad. All gluten-free but sadly, kind of boring. This cookbook has lots and lots of wonderful GF stuff that, while maybe intended as a vegetarian main course, will make a fantastic addition to our table of very hungry eaters.

Pale Green Flocked Tote

Happy to have this lusciously textured tote in my etsy shop tonight. All proceeds go to charity!