Lovely World

flowers

After a week of warm, sunny weather the flowers have finally arrived. Although we have lived in our house for six years, our gardening hasn't focused on flowering perennials as much as on berries, fruit trees, and annuals. Yet, we were lucky enough to purchase our house from an avid gardener, and she had planted many lovely blooming things about the property.

I have been enjoying vases of forsythia, daffodils, and rhododendron about the house. The bleeding hearts and lilacs are showing the first blush of color. I have also noticed that Spring foliage rivals Autumn's in the diversity of color and brightness. Have you ever seen so many fresh shades of green, yellow, and red as on the bud and first leaf of a tree in Spring?

I have been busy looking for the early Spring wildflowers on my walks in the woods. To date I have found Carolina Spring Beauty, Yellow Violet, Sharp-lobed Hepatica, Bluets, Trout Lily, Red Trillium, Wild Strawberry, and Bloodroot. There is a wooded trail near my mother's house that is loaded with the cheery Wild Columbine that I need to check out before it passes. In a couple of weeks, we will take a hike as a family up to the Pine Cobble, so that we can see the scores of Lady Slippers that line a fair portion of the trail. To my fellow wildflower lovers - happy exploring!

trees

This weekend I noticed an overabundance of newly-dropped pine cones on my driveway and along the trail in the woods where I take my daily walk. My best guess as to why the trees shed the cones is that the days were sunny, dry, and the temperature went up to 80F. The first photo shows cones from the yellow pines along the driveway. I love the solid, woody feel of these. I've brought a few inside to display on a shelf. The photo below shows a handful of hemlock cones. These are plentiful in the woods behind the house, and crunch underfoot as I walk along the trail. In contrast to the larger cones, these are papery and somewhat fragile.

I found the book pictured in the above photos at our local library's annual used book sale this weekend. It is titled "Talking Leaves: How to Identify American Trees" and was published in 1934. Another find for our collection of naturalist books was a 1959 first edition copy of John Kieran's "Natural History of New York City." This is a great book, giving voice to the many living creatures that somehow survive within the mighty urban landscape of NYC. Although there are numerous environmental problems facing our urban centers, it is interesting to note that there have been some improvements over the years. For example, the Hudson River is now cleaner than in decades past thanks to organizations like Clearwater and Riverkeeper.

It was treat for me to find someone's leaf collection within the pages of the "Talking Leaves" book. I have no idea who owned the book, nor how long ago the leaves were pressed between the pages.

A red oak leaf.

A cottonwood leaf.

 A white elm leaf. Most all of the elm trees here in New England died off from Dutch Elm Disease when I was very young. I imagine this leaf was collected before that time.

botanical garden

We love to visit the Smith College Botanical Gardens, especially during the dreary winter months (and around Western Massachusetts, those months seem to take up so much of the year). The kids and I recently visited during the Spring bulb show. Although the complex of greenhouses is not large, the kids love all the different plant habitats they can visit - the fern room, the cactus room, the equatorial plants, and the like.

I am in love with this terrarium/mini-greenhouse in the fern room. I would like to find something similar for my own plants. I spent some time taking photos of it, and adore how this one captured my daughter coming into the room to find me.

I think the cactus room is one of my favorites. The shapes and textures found in these plants are so unique. I have plans to create some embroidery inspired by cactus.  The ability of these plants to survive in harsh environments is admirable as well.

Lucky for us, the day was pleasant and we were able to walk around outside and enjoy the Japanese garden and a stroll by the pond. A bonus of our trip was lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, Paul and Elizabeth's. They emphasize whole, natural foods, and I love that the kid's menu is stocked with nutritious choices. I am so tired of the typical kid's menus that are full of "junk" food - hotdogs, hamburgers, french fries, breaded chicken, soda, and the like. I don't even mind my kids having an occasional burger or fries, but the ones on most kid's menus are of such low quality. How is it we have gotten to the point of offering our kids such bad food on a regular basis?

craft sale

I have been doing a lot of sewing lately in preparation for a craft sale next month. Those of you who live in the Williamstown, MA area can find me at the Little Red Schoolhouse Craft Sale on Saturday, May 9th, from 10AM-4PM. From what I understand, the sale has over 30 vendors signed up! There will be lunch and baked goods available for sale, as well as entertainment for the children. The sale is a fundraiser for the pre-school, a very worthy cause.

I will have dolls, tote bags, purses, zippered pouches, baby quilts, and more for sale. The dolls in the photo are a few of the batch I just finished up. The dolls involve a fair amount of busywork, and I'm looking forward to working on something else for a while. Perhaps some bags for the weekend?

I know that I have posted a photo of the doll shoes previously, but I just had to share some of the newest ones. The shoes are probably one of the most enjoyable parts of making the doll.

getting ready

The ground has finally thawed and the kids have been digging in the yard. They decided they wanted to have a garden of their own to plant some flowers. I wandered outside after finishing some chores to find that they had dug up a fair amount of lawn, adjacent to our strawberry beds. So, now the serious work begins. My husband and I will dig some more, bring in some compost, and make a raised bed.

Gardening is so satisfying. We are lucky to have so much land, and I have many ideas for plantings. One thing we won't be doing is a vegetable garden. Our CSA (community farm) is a quarter mile down the road, and it supplies us with just about everything we need. Farm stands and our local co-op provide the rest. Also, having a vegetable garden at home would mean significant animal control. Deer visit our yard twice a day already, and we had a resident woodchuck last summer that ate many of our perennials.

I am interested in planting more local species of perennials. There is an interesting movement within the gardening community to promote the planting of species that are native to an area, native meaning plants that were growing there before the arrival of Europeans to America. Here in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts we have an organization, Project Native, that does just this. Their mission is to "inspire the stewardship of natural resources by cultivating native plants and restoring our local landscape."

Whatever the planting and growing season brings, I will be happy to be out there participating. Last year's growing season was lost to my treatment for breast cancer. This year, I am so ready to be active and get my hands dirty.

sweet kangaroo

I finished this stuffed kangaroo, complete with a baby joey finger puppet, this weekend. I have found myself increasingly interested in making stuffed toys, and this was a satisfying project. I did not find this project difficult, but it was fussy. There is a fair amount of hand sewing, and it is important that the pieces be cut precisely to fit nicely together. Although I would not recommend this project for beginners or those who dislike precision, the book the pattern came from is full of other fun projects. Edited by Jess Redman and Meg Leder, "Softies Only a Mother Could Love," is an Australian publication available here in the U.S. Each project is by a different craftsperson, with links to blogs and web sites clearly listed. I've had fun looking further into these talented women's work. The kangaroo pattern is contributed by Myra Masuda at My Little Mochi.

I chose a 100% linen in tan for the body and a cotton fabric for the inner body. I really love this daisy pattern. I found it at my local Jo-ann Fabrics a few weeks ago. It comes in a number of colorways - I bought this blue as well as yardage of purple, green, and pink. I think it would make a really sweet summer dress or skirt for my daughter.

Passover

This is Passover week. We hosted a seder Tuesday evening, with 15 guests attending. I think I've gotten the hang of hosting large gatherings, but it is a lot of work. As is the case, everyone brought something and we ended up with a delicious dinner. As a Jew by conversion, I grew up celebrating Easter. Easter was always a favorite holiday of mine: the chicks, bunnies, colored eggs, and fresh Spring flowers. I always eagerly anticipated the way that Easter ushered in Spring. Well, I must say that Passover has found my heart. For me, it too holds the promise of Spring and all the fresh possibilities of that season.

The table was beautiful with the fresh flowers and ritual objects. The above photo shows our Miriam's cup and the orange of inclusion. The orange is a feminist statement, representing women's full participation in Jewish life and practice. You can read more here. I also, finally, finished the Afikomen napkin. I was sitting at my sewing machine hemming the edges about 20 minutes before the first guests arrived. (Note to self: try harder to plan ahead and not leave things to the last minute.) The Afikomen is a piece of matzoh that is set aside and eaten at the end of the meal. Typically, it is wrapped in a napkin or placed in a bag and hidden. The children hunt for it, and ransom it back to the adults for a reward. You can read more here.

My Afikomen napkin is based on a pattern found on Purl Soho. Many thanks to Courtney over at Woodland School for leading me to this pattern! I used a cotton print for the front, and a navy linen for the back. I used a dusty rose colored embroidery thread to stitch the layers together, following the pattern on the cotton. Even though the embroidery is a simple running stitch, it took me much longer than I anticipated.

I was determined to finish this. My husband was rolling his eyes as I dashed back and forth from food preparation to embroidery and back again. But, he has a good sense of humor and told me he truly appreciated my making such a nice thing for our family. I think the wrap looks nice with the matzoh bag I made.

My Viking Girl

My daughter's third grade class is studying vikings. The kids seem to be particularly attracted to this culture - its brashness and adventure. They culminate their studies this week by dressing up in viking costume. M. told me she needed to have a costume three weeks ago. But, somehow (as usual) I left it to the last minute. Not that I have anything else to do this week, anticipating 15 people at my house for a Passover seder tomorrow.

To give M. credit, she told me that she would make a helmet out of paper if I didn't have time to sew one. But, I was kind of into the idea of making one myself. I designed it based on the helmets pictured in a history book we had on the shelf. The outer fabric is a simple grey cotton. The lining is a heavier brown twill. I used a medium weight interfacing to make it stand up nice and crisp like a metal helmet would. The band is yellow cotton (to mimic the gold trim on the helmets in the book) folded over and simply stitched down onto the brim of the hat. I don't think that fabric nose guard would protect M. much in a sword fight, but it looks pretty nifty. I wanted to embellish the helmet with some sort of crest or cross on the front, but M. declined.

Trimmings

My extended family spent the day at my mother's house yesterday for our annual Easter get-together. It was a nice time. The kids decorated eggs and went on an egg hunt. They ate way too much candy and numerous coconut-topped cupcakes that my aunt brought. Of course, being at my mother's house is always an opportunity for me to peek inside the countless cupboards, drawers, boxes, and bins that hold her sewing and crafting supplies.

My 11-year-old niece and I spent an hour or so sitting on the sewing room floor sorting through boxes of buttons and trim. I continue to be amazed at the number of buttons my mother has amassed over the years. The older ones are so beautiful and well-made. I imagine many of them were snipped off worn-out coats, dresses, and blouses. I would love to see the original clothing in its prime. Vintage heaven.

This group of buttons was the most fascinating to me. Someone (I'm not sure who) spent an awful lot of time sewing her buttons onto pieces of recycled card. They are neatly organized by button type and color. Some are sewn onto index cards that have notes written on them, probably left over after writing a school term paper. The tiny card with all the colorful buttons is my favorite. So many buttons on such a small card!

Passover Matzoh

Passover is coming up next week. This Jewish holiday celebrates the Jews' freedom from slavery in Egypt and their entrance into a covenant with God. A significant way this holiday is observed is by refraining from eating any leavened bread (and various other grain products), substituting matzoh instead. Matzoh is unleavened bread, a cracker really.

I have wanted to make a matzoh bag for a while now. As a Jew by conversion, I did not grow up with holiday traditions or ritual items handed down to me. By making my own, for my family, I feel I can claim them as my own. This bag is used during the seder, the ritual meal during which the Passover story is read, songs are sung, and prayers are said. Three matzoh are traditional used at the seder, and the bag has dividers to accommodate these. I've added a place for a fourth piece of matzoh as well, after talking with my mother-in-law. She told me that this fourth piece is called, in modern observance, the matzoh of peace. I really liked that idea.

I love the fabric I chose. The top and bottom are a high quality 100% cotton vintage 1800s print. The interior dividers and bias trim are 100% linen in navy. I hemmed each layer of fabric for the opening to the bag. Then, I stacked the fabrics and sewed around three sides. Finally, I made a bias tape out of the navy linen (an interesting process in itself), and machine and hand-stitched this into place. I am going to use the fabric that is in the background of these photos for another passover project - an afikoman cover. The afikoman is a piece of matzoh that has been broken off one of the main pieces. It is wrapped up and hidden somewhere around the house for the children to find. Usually, the children receive some sort of reward (coins, small amusements) for bringing the afikomen back to the table. At the end of the seder, everyone eats a piece of the afikomen, signaling the conclusion of the meal.

A final thing to share is this sweet children's book, Jewish Days and Holidays, I recently found second-hand. It was published back in the 1970s. I love the simple text and the style of the illustrations. A check on Amazon indicates that it is out of print, although some used copies are available.