A Stroll in the Garden

“A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.” ― Washington Irving

*Clicking on a photo will give you a closer look!

“No man is poor who has a Godly mother.” ― Abraham Lincoln

“In a child’s eyes, a mother is a goddess. She can be glorious or terrible, benevolent or filled with wrath, but she commands love either way. I am convinced that this is the greatest power in the universe.” ― N.K. Jemisin, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

“But kids don’t stay with you if you do it right. It’s the one job where, the better you are, the more surely you won’t be needed in the long run.” ― Barbara Kingsolver, Pigs in Heaven

“The more I go through parenting, the more I say I owe my mother an apology.” – Ray Romano

“My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her.” ― George Washington

“I don’t know what it is about food your mother makes for you, especially when it’s something that anyone can make – pancakes, meat loaf, tuna salad – but it carries a certain taste of memory.” ― Mitch Albom

“I realized when you look at your mother, you are looking at the purest love you will ever know.” ― Mitch Albom, For One More Day

“I like it when my mother smiles. And I especially like it when I make her smile.” ― Adriana Trigiani, Viola in Reel Life

“You realize that you habitually thought of Mom when something in your life was not going well, because when you thought of her it was as though something got back on track, and you felt re-energized.” ― Kyung-Sook Shin, Please Look After Mom

“When your mother asks, ‘Do you want a piece of advice?’ It’s a mere formality. It doesn’t matter if you answer yes or no. You’re going to get it anyway.” – Erma Bombeck

See the world around you!

Jam and Jelly

When great weather arrives, bringing with it the bounty of sunshine, I spend less time in the sewing studio.

I have always enjoyed canning. Some of my most favorite memories are of my Mom canning and she passed on that love to me.

The rhubarb is ripe, and one of my favorite jams is a rhubarb, strawberry and pineapple mix.

I am also trying something new to me.

We have an abundance of lilacs all over the property.

Did you know that the flowers are edible?

I was very surprised at how easy it is to separate the flowers from the stems. It also doesn’t take all that much to fill two quart jars.

I did look for the darkest blossoms, so I didn’t harvest any from the shrub you see pictured above. I have several varieties of whites and purples. I want the darkest to get the most color that I can.

Hot water is poured over the petals to make a tea.

I left mine to soak several hours to be sure and extract all that goodness from the petals.

Boiled with lemon, sugar and pectin to make the jelly:

I forgot to take a photo of the jars after the water bath, but you understand.

Delicious!

There are several recipes online. Here are two if you would like to try this:

Hilda’s Kitchen Blog

Practical Self Reliance

Have fun and carry on!

Teapot Cozy

Have you ever made a teapot cozy? Me neither.

One of my sisters asked me if I would make seven of them for her.

She doesn’t sew. I do.

So off I go to the internet again!

I found a free pattern at the Embroidery Library.

I don’t own an embroidery sewing machine. However, this looked like a pattern that I could adapt for my own purposes. I like that it shows me how to measure and make my own pattern to fit the teapot.

However, I don’t live close to my sister, so I am making a prototype that I can deliver to her when I get to town (about 90 miles away). She can take the prototype home and text me later to let me know the adjustments that I need to make.

While making my pattern and prototype, I discovered that this is not as difficult as I imagined. In fact, it is an easy project!

Happy, happy!

As you can see from the photo, my prototype is a bit small for my teapot. And I used a piece of string for the closure. Finished cozies will have ribbons for closures.

Have fun and carry on!

Adult Bib Apron

My daughter-in-law asked that I bring my sewing machine the next time that I visit.

She wants to make an adult bib apron for her Mom.

She doesn’t sew, and it may be quite a while before I can get across the state to visit her.

So we texted back and forth, so that I could understand just what she had in mind, and what would be needed for this project.

She wants a very simple reversible bib apron with pockets.

So I browsed the internet for ideas, and came up with a free pattern by iThinksew.

I drew a pattern for pockets to use with the clothing protector pattern from iThinksew, since that pattern does not include pockets.

I also chose to use snaps because I don’t have Velcro on hand, but I have plenty of snaps.

This was a quick and easy afternoon project!

It turned out cute and I headed outside to take photos to share.

I ended up taking two very quick photos since a fast moving thunder, lightning, and hail storm zoomed in!

I like this apron so much that I think I will make another for myself. Those pockets will come in handy out in the garden! In fact, I can see using this apron in the kitchen and craft room, too! It could also be a great gift, so I could make a few extra for my gift box.

Have fun and carry on!

Chookshed Stitchers 2024 Challenge – May

I joined up with the Chookshed Stitchers 2024 Challenge for the motivation to move projects forward, and perhaps even finish a few. It has been fun and I’ve even accomplished a few things!

If you would like to see what my accomplishments have been so far, then  click here .

Last January, participants publicly posted a list of 10 numbered projects. Each month a number is drawn, and the corresponding project is worked on. There are linkups where projects can be posted and participants can cheer one another on.

The number 5 was drawn for May. My number 5 is to make Unicorn pillows. You can see my project list here.

I believe I purchased this pattern many moons ago while out shopping somewhere with my daughter.

I did a quick Google check, and The Magical Unicorn Quilt pattern is still available from a variety of places.

I am sure that I had grand plans of making the quilt, but that has long ago gone by the wayside.

However, in looking over the pattern this week, I see it has at least 111 pieces to it!

Whoa!

I am not making pillows, unless I simplify and reduce the size of the pattern (actually doable but will require some effort).

It does contain five sizes, so I am still going to make this unicorn, but in the smallest wall hanging size.

I have begun tracing pieces onto a fusible web (Steam-A-Seam).

That may be as far as I get this month, but that is moving forward!

Who doesn’t need unicorns and rainbows in their life?

I am linking up with other challenge participants over at Dreamworthy Quilts.

Have fun and carry on!