We reaped what we sowed....

First batch of homegrown garlic!

West Seattle SummerFest, the booth.

The Booth, shared with Pretty Nickles

I made some fabric lanterns....

turned these.....

...into these...

and someone got some new wings

I also canned 30lbs of apricots, 30lbs of roma tomatos, 30lbs of peaches, 8 jars of raspberry jam, 3 quarts of cherries, 18 pints of zydeco green beans, 12 pints of pickled beets, made quart upon quart of lacto-fermented cucumbers, ruby red sauerkraut and salsa. Oh, and dried about 20lbs of Italian plums and apricots! Banner year for my canner.

In the fall, the canning and sewing took a back seat as I prepared to go back to work as a birth doula. I updated my credentials and education and drummed up some clients! I am only committing to one client a month at the moment, as I still have one daughter at home and one in half day preschool, but I hope to increase my client load as my girls become more independent. I have been booked since November, and I am booked into May, which is so exciting. You can check out what I do as a birth doula and lactation educator here, at Birds and Bees Birth Services!

I made this book a couple years ago for my daughters birthday, but I love it so and it was such an undertaking, it seems a shame to only have one copy made.

All the illustrations were handmade the old fashioned way, and then I used a high resolution scanner to import the images into Photoshop and turn them into pages. Then the whole thing went to Blurb, where I made it into a book. The result is a really cool hybrid of unique handmade art and really slick professional printing. Each copy you order is made specially for you, which gives it a nice gifty kind of feeling, even if you are buying it for yourself!

Here is a preview courtesy of Blurb.com. The resolution is not fantastic, but you get the idea. If you enjoy the few pages shown below, please click over and see more!

Three Sudanese Swans by Lauren Adams | Make Your Own Book

Big, Bold and Cheery.

I'm getting better at freehand quilting, but it still gives me the sweats!

The wave/fish hook pattern I free hand quilted reminds me of New Zealand. A little piece of the old country.

The back, with a teeny little zigzag, just for fun

Cap sleeve dresses, hipster pants, soft jersey hooded cardigans, sunny sun dresses and simple skirts. All made to fit for a long time, be super comfortable, and be as adorable and unique as your little ones.

The Line Up

Little Hipsters in Hipster Caps

The wonderful thing about diving headlong into a project that you know nothing about is that it allows you to do things that you would never do if you knew better. Like backing a twin size quilt with chenille.

This quilt is heavenly soft, and so warm. When I gave it to my daughter she said “It feels like I’m wrapped in mama love!” and you just can’t beat that as a response to a handmade gift. But man, getting that beast through my machine took some serious work.

See the Chenille? So cozy, so very hard to sew.

I based this quilt on one I saw in a tutorial at U-createcrafts. It seemed do-able, but I didn’t read the fine print, I just charged ahead. It began as a way to use up all the random fat quarters and fabric pieces I had lying around. Which I did, and then as it morphed from baby size quilt to twin bed size quilt, I ended up needing more fabric, and ended up with more scraps. Arg. However, a mama love quilt was born, and I am pretty happy about that.

*Deep Breath*

I will be there selling my new baby and art quilts, my baby and toddler clothes and hats, and assorted hand sewn gifts.

I am working on getting some better photos to share. I was hoping to get some really nice shots of the kids playing outside in the clothes and such, but the sun wont cooperate. If you are living in the Pacific Northwest this spring you know what I am talking about. The weather is dismal. I can only hope this means we are in for a stunning summer. I said stunning! (shakes fist at sky). Anyway, all weather related neurosis aside, I should soon post some photos of all the stuff I’ve been whipping up these last few months.

In the meantime, please be content in sharing my ridiculous joy over my new craft geek purchase. Behold:

Ooooh I can feel the tidieness start to set in!

I know its just a thread holder/bobbin rack thing, but I have ridiculous expectations for this thing. As I typed this I also realized I just outed myself as a huge imposter. I am not a seamstress, I don’t even know the name of the thread rack thingy!). And yet, I am hopeful. This rack may be the start of great things for me. I might even know where to find things in all my mess. I may not have to discard half my thread after all the ends get tangled together in the drawer and I give up disentangling them and just cut them all off in one big thwack.  I’ll let you know if it works.

The Sunny Day Quilt

Back of the Sunny Day quilt

City Night Quilt

Back of the City Night Quilt

Jalisco Quilt

BAck of the Jalisco Quilt

Autumn Window Quilt

Back of the Autumn Window Quilt

Sidewalk Quilt

Sidewalk Quilt Back, close up.

Summer Windows Quilt, my first sold!

These quilts, except for the Summer Windows quilt (which is sold, yay!) are part of my growing stockpile as I prepare for the summer markets.

So here is the beginning list for 2011. I will update each season, as crops rotate through their cycles. Keep your fingers crossed.

Fruits

• Honeycrisp Apple
• Lapin Cherry
• Rainier Cherry
• 2 Blueberry Bushes
• 4 Evergreen Huckleberries
• Wild Plum
• Raspberry patch (maybe 8 canes?)
• Wild Blackberries
• Strawberries (assorted, maybe 10 plants)
• Rhubarb
• Red Currant

Veggies

• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Magenta Cauliflower
• Fava beans
• Indian Runner Beans
• Bush Beans
• Snow Peas
• Sugar Snap Peas
• English Shelling Peas
• Nantes Carrots
• Beets
• Early Italian Garlic
• Late Italian Garlic
• Overwintering Onions
• Scallions
• Bushy Cucumbers
• Mexican Miniature Gherkins
• Buttercup Squash
• Kabocha Squash
• Brussel Sprouts
• Kale
• Tatsoi
• Lambsquarters
• Radishes
• Arugula
• Wild Lettuce
• Dandelions
• Red Peppers
• Jalapeno Peppers
• Tomatos (4 Varieties)
• Artichokes
• Potatoes
• Romain Lettuce
• Bingo Dry Shelling Beans

Herbs and Medicinals

• Basil
• Catnip
• Sage
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Parsley
• Garden Sorrel
• French Sorrel
• Mexican Tarragon
• Anise Hyssop
• Chamomile
• Mullein
• Comfrey
• Lavender
• Lovage
• Valerian
• Kentucky Mint
• Spearmint
• Lemon Balm
• Apple Mint
• Chervil
• Lemon Verbena
• Sweet Bay
• Calendula
• Borage
• Golden Comfrey
• Bee Balm
• Curry
• Epazote
• Pineapple Sage
• Ginger Mint
• Feverfew
• Fennel
• Dill
• Chives
• Oregano
• Plantain
• Chickweed
• Stevia
• “Sweet Annie” Artemesia

Edible Flowers

• Nasturtiums
• Viola
• Geraniums
• Dandelion
• Marigold

Not to be outdone or forgotten, our three hens, Frances, Edith and Tilly are providing us about 14 eggs a week. Lovely Ladies that they are.

But there is some hope.

Bush Beans

Raspberries, pending

The Pea Tipi

Fava Blossom

Apple Blossom

The Cold Beds

The Hopeful Chicken

Potted