After long weeks of waiting

the day of planting arrived!!!

Because this was an experiment, and I am not the best at following through with projects, we decided to not spend a lot of money. S bought the plants at OSH during one of their 2-for-1 sales. He got 6 tomato plants (none of them Early Girls, which I'd requested), cucumber, zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, eggplant, and watermelon, which A1 chose.


The men worked hard to get our little raised bed ready. We weren't investing a lot of area, either, since, again, this was just an experiment.

The raised bed was already there, in a gated area next to the house, which I liked, because it meant that kids wouldn't be trampling my plants.

My boys were so excited. I don't think they actually equated this with "we might have to eat veggies" since that's beyond their day-to-day train of thought. But I had Deborah Madison's bible Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone at the ready, planning delicious dishes to cook with my lovely garden veggies.


Then, it was ready.

There was good soil, good plants, and a good setting in full sun. It would be up to me to be consistent and water these babies daily.

Thank you Barbara Kingsolver

Last year I decided I wanted a little herb garden. I love cooking and I always envy Giada de Laurentiis when she reaches out and grabs a handful of fresh basil for her sauce or whatnot. Well, being the *dedicated* person that I am, I promptly forgot all about watering the herbs and they died a slow and agonizing death in the harsh California summer.

My bad. But, I knew my limits then. My children ate well balanced meal, the occasional bunch of chicken nuggets offset by healthy veggie-mix made by my mom. She would mash up a bunch of cooked veggies, add butter, and both my sons practically lived on that for the first two years of their lives. I honestly think they have been given such a great nutritional start by my mom that I will be forever grateful to her for that.

Then I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Damn. I could feel the long forgotten legacy of my field-working ancestors, those people who tamed the arid soils of my homeland and the unforgiving lands in the South American sierra to thrive and feed their people, surging to the surface, demanding I go right out and plant something, for god's sakes.

Unfortunately, it was the middle of winter, and even though I am in California, I had to wait a few months to make my new dream come true.

Daaaamn, it's been a while!

So I am guilty of abandoning my sewing endeavors for a few months - I was caught up in Election fever, then Halloween fever, then Holiday baking fever, and then . . . Aidan needed some new sheets. The top is the pillowcase that matches the sheet below it.

So, nothing remotely exciting, just some flat sheets in elephant fabric, because no one had dinosaur fabrics! I'll hit up EBay and see what I can make before Aidan's birthday.

But never fear, I have been re-bitten (re-bit?) by the sewing bug and plan on more pretties soon!

My goodness, where did June go?

I knew I was taking a break, but I didn't think it was a month-long break!!

Anyway, here are my latest and greatest, completed on July 4 and 5, respectively.


I've wanted a lightweight, summery tunic for a while and when I spotted this tomato red crepe on sale at the store, I knew I had to have it.
The finished garment hits the top of the thigh and is perfect as a coverup or simply with some jean shorts. Easy. Breezy.

And heh, the cost of materials was about $6, including the gold ric-rac I added at the neckline for some pizzazz. Hey, one might still be at the beach, but one can still be glam.

Of course, I have also purchased a chocolate brown crepe, but I will not be making the same pattern, I have plans for that chocolate crepe, and of course, I shall share same when the time is right.


I've tried taking a bazillion photos of this dress and it just does not come out right, just like the previous dress I made of this pattern. It figures, my favorite dress pattern, and I can't get a decent shot. Arg.

There is a wide waistband with ruching so it's really flattering and it doesn't show at all with the bold purple print of the fabric, so I just took a picture of the fabric itself, you can see some of the ruching I did at the top, it's a gorgeous fabric, very cool and comfortable to wear.

As soon as this fricking 100+ degree weather cools down, I will find a reason to wear this sweet dress.


And for reference, this (left) is the picture on the pattern envelope. It's a very flattering pattern, a v-neck to hint at the lovely bosom, the ruched waistband to conceal any blubbery tummy troubles, and the graceful skirt. Gorgeous all around.

A parade of pants

The easiest thing in the world is to make pants for my little men. Two pieces of fabric, one cut, a few runs of the sewing machine and you're done. In one morning I made 6 pairs of pants and shorts for them. My sister has been contributing to the cause - whenever she goes to get yarn from the store, she rummages through the remnant section and buys any kiddie fabric she sees :D

The delicious little plaid jacket

This has got to be the easiest jacket pattern I've done. So rewarding, too, for one measly day's worth of work, you get this delish little jacket, swingy and lively to throw on as you dash out the door, ready for a sweet summer evening.

The sexy gold top

This little top is probably the most delicious thing I have made. The fabric is crepe back satin, which is the best of all worlds, you get the luster of satin and the stability of sewing on something not so slippery. The sash is pretty long, about knee length, very glam.