Embroidered Pillowcases

   Awhile ago I found this image on Pinterest. I just loved how the letters in "dream" where created with flowers. I also really liked the colors and the addition of pink crocheted trim. I decided to search for a similar pattern and found the exact same design here! I just knew that my little girl would love to rest her head on such a pretty pillowcase.

In the evenings I would spend time embroidering this set of pillowcases, and Jemimah would often watch me working and tell me how pretty they were. Adam also took notice, and commented on how much fun it looked. He asked if it was like coloring in a coloring book and I agreed it was a little like that. : )

 Growing up I remember seeing pillowcases that my great-great grandma from Germany had embroidered and crocheted. I thought they were so pretty and wanted to learn to make something like that myself.

The pillowcase set above is a set I made as a teenager. When the set was completed I tucked them away in my hope chest (which can be seen in this picture).

 Currently they are being used decoratively on our bed. They look so lovely and old-fashioned.

This was also my first attempt at adding crocheted edging to a pillowcase. Here is a link to a post from last year about creating your own crochet edged pillowcase!

 And to close, I thought I would share some pictures of my very first embroidery project!

I will never forget the warm summer day I learned to embroider. I was nine, and was feeling a little bored that day, so I decided to tinker with some old sewing thread and scrap fabric. Much to my mom's surprise I had satin stitched a little flower on the fabric. Mom was so pleased she took my sisters and I to the store where she purchased two sets of pillowcases to be embroidered, a box of embroidery thread, along with needles and hoops.

I was a little overwhelmed, but tried to work on the stamped design. However, within the next few days we went to visit my great grandma and she taught me the basics of embroidery: how to separate my thread, make a French knot, etc.

Grandma ended up having as much fun teaching me as I had learning! She embroidered this pillowcase while I embroidered mine.

 I was so proud of my finished pillowcase! My great grandma was too. For my tenth birthday she gave me two embroidery kits. I am so grateful to have such sweet memories of sitting beside my great grandma learning to embroider with both of us working on our matching pillowcases. I look forward to someday soon passing along this gift to my own little Jemimah. : )

Cricket in Cream

 

Earlier this month I finished knitting the Cricket sweater for my little girl.  When I first saw this cardigan pattern I was immediately taken with the little details: the textured knitting about the shoulders, the little pockets and the button binding. It reminded me of the sweaters worn by the children on "The Road to Avonlea" show. 

 I knitted the size 2 after reading that this pattern runs a little big. I am very happy that I did, as the size 2 is a bit big on my three year old! However I am pleased that it will last a while. : )

 The textured design was easily knitted and adds such old-fashioned sweetness to the sweater!

This was the first time I had knitted the neck and button ribbing after completing the body of the sweater. The button hole tutorial provided with the pattern was very nice and made nice sturdy button holes. I also loved the idea of adding embroidered ribbon to further stabilize the buttons and buttonholes.

 The vintage pearl buttons I used were a gift from a sweet blogging friend and were the perfect finishing touch!

 

This was my first attempt at knitting pockets. It proved to be much easier than I thought and my little darling is so pleased to have a sweater with pockets!

September

It is hard to believe tomorrow is the last day of September! Where did this month go?! It has been quite a while since I last posted here - the summer months just flew by. Summer is always a busy season for us: working in our garden, canning, picnics by the lake, day trips and just enjoying time outside in our yard. 

 I enjoyed canning a variety of foods this summer. There are so many wonderful recipes on-line, I thought I would share a few of the new recipes I tried this year. The two quart jars contain soup, this was my first time canning soup and I am so pleased to have delicious homemade soup in my pantry! The two recipes I made are French Onion Soup and Tomato Vegetable Beef Soup (if you click on them you will be taken to the recipe). I am also hoping to can chicken soup within the next few weeks, which will be nice to have on hand during the cold season. It had been years since I made pickles and this year we had an abundance of cucumbers, so pickles were a must! I made "The Best Dill Pickles", they are delicious, but be forewarned the red pepper flakes do make for a zippy aftertaste. I also made pizza sauce for the first time, I eliminated the red pepper flakes from this recipe. : ) Two of my favorite recipes from last year that I made again are: Zesty Salsa and Spaghetti Sauce. I made a couple of different jams this year, but the unanimous favorite was Vanilla-Rhubarb Jam!

It feels good to look at my pantry and see so many jars ready for the winter ahead. It is always a treat to enjoy a taste of summer throughout those long cold months.

Over the summer months I completed a project that has long sat in my work basket unfinished. I am so please to have this beautiful design complete and ready to frame! This is my second embroidery project from Clementine Patterns. You can see the first one here.

I did make a few changes in the pattern's colors. I love bluebirds and changed the original robin colors to bluebird colors.

As a side story, we put up our first bluebird box this summer. Within two days of having placed the box in our side yard we discovered a bluebird couple had begun a nest! I was so pleased! They had a successful family of four babies. It was truly a blessing this summer. : )

 Another project I completed over the summer months was this doily. I have enjoyed revisiting this handicraft.

Our garden is pretty much done for the season. The pumpkins were a surprise since we never planted them. We think they must have been in our compost from last fall. Due to the rainy season they never did ripen as they should have, but I rather like the unusual color.

Our hens are spending their days scratching through the newly fallen leaves. They are comical at times! Adam says they make him think of a biker gang. They travel as a group at all times and have poor Winston (our cat) terrified of them!

This week I finished reading "Out of The Storm" by Grace Livingston Hill. It was a wonderful story of two brave young people meeting during a ship wreck. As you may know Grace Livingston Hill is one of my favorite authors. While I peeled vegetables to can this summer, I listened to a couple of her books on Librivox, it really made the time fly! I would highly recommend her Marcia Schuyler trilogy! Here are the links to all three: Marcia Schuyler, Phoebe Deane and Miranda. The series takes place in Upstate New York during the mid-1800's. Each story had me on the edge of my seat, I couldn't wait to see what would unfold next.

With the days growing chiller I have resumed my evening knitting. The scarves shown above are so practical and cozy! They are knit from a variety of lovely fibers, including alpaca, wool, cashmere and silk. You can find them in my Esty shop.

I hope you are all enjoying a lovely start of autumn!

"As for God, His way is perfect:
    The Lord’s word is flawless;
    He shields all who take refuge in him."

Psalm 18:30

Vintage Pincushion Chair

A few years ago I purchased this adorable little pincushion rocking chair while shopping at a local antique store with my mom. We were thrilled with the unique find, since we are both seamstresses. I had never seen anything quite like it before. But I had hopes of updating the little chair and making it something extra special, all my own. : )

Here is what the little chair looked like when I purchased it. I am not sure of the age, but I think it may have been made in the 1940's due to the fabric.

It is very handy as it has pegs to hold six spools of thread. The back and seat of the chair are just perfect for pins and needles. It felt like the back and seat may have been filled with walnut shells or something else with an unusual texture. I read once that walnut shells help keep needles sharp.

There is a slot in the chair back made for a pair of scissors. It truly is the perfect pincushion for hand sewing! I can have my thread, scissors, pins and needles all in one spot that I can carry with me.

The fabric I used to recover the cushions is very special to me. It is one of the fabrics my mom used to sew my sisters and I dresses when we were little girls. It has always been one of my favorite prints. I had fun crocheting a miniature doily for the chair. When I was growing up my mom and grandma would often place doilies on the backs of chairs. I thought it would be the perfect finishing touch.

Strawberry Jam and A Sale

This past Saturday Adam, Jemimah and I went to a local farm to pick strawberries. Our own strawberry patch is still quite small and most of the few berries we had were eaten by a mysterious critter. However Saturday proved to be the perfect day to pick strawberries! The sun was shining, there was a cool breeze and Jemimah was overwhelmed by the abundance of strawberries, her favorite fruit. All weekend long she referred to our time picking as the "strawberry party". There was quite a crowd picking and several children among them.

 Saturday afternoon I made a batch of jam, as well as strawberry shortcake. Making strawberry jam brings back many sweet memories of being a young woman at home. My two sisters and I first learned to make and preserve strawberry jam in our late teens. We were absolutely thrilled with the outcome and went on to make jam from every berry we found fresh in our area. We would generally put on some music, wear our calico aprons and make a real event out of making jam.

 You do need an apron when making jam. It has a tendency to splatter when boiling or when pouring the jam into the jars. I always wear an apron while canning. : ) With this thought in mind I am offering a discount of 15% on all of the items in my shop this week. A new apron is a great way to inaugurate the canning season! Strawberry jam also marks the beginning of the canning season for me and I am sure for many other ladies. Please be sure to stop by my shop and check out the different style aprons I have currently listed. To take advantage of the special offer use coupon code LILAC15 when checking out.

 I hope you all have a lovely week enjoying the beauty and bounty of springtime! Have you made strawberry jam yet this year? Do you have a favorite jam you make each year?

Our Garden

Last week I finished planting flowers and putting down wood chips for the season. My flower beds have been a real challenge for me over the past four years. The previous owners of our home had planted something with a lot of roots, plus the house is surrounded with huge old maple trees. Each year I have battled roots and I am still learning what grows best in our soil.

Dianthus have grown beautifully here! Each year I add a few new dainthus plants, and I always have some plants that return from the previous year.

Last year my mom suggested that I might add some potted plants for extra color. Plus it would allow me more control over the soil. I added a few pots of petunias, one of my favorite flowers!

I hope that as the summer progresses my petunias will grow fuller, as they are wave petunias. I just loved this soft lavender color.

I also added an Asiatic lily this year. It is so pretty and vibrant!

Here is another one of my favorites! Wild roses grow everywhere this time of year. They smell so sweet. I can actually smell the wild roses as soon as I walk outside. There are a few large plants growing along the edge of our property and even more growing across the road.

This particular rose bush is growing near the stream. We now also have elderberry bushes growing along the stream! Adam planted eight plants this spring, they were actually eight sticks. To tell the truth I was a little concerned as I watched Adam go to so much trouble planting his eight elderberry sticks. : ) However they are no longer sticks, they are beautiful flourishing plants that have grown taller than Jemimah. The elderberry plants have just begun to blossom. We are delighted!

Our vegetable garden looks quite a bit different in comparison to the photo above, which was taken a week ago. Last week we enjoyed some lovely days in the 90's, as well as, plenty of rain. I am thrilled to see little tomatoes, zucchini and cucumbers forming. Plus everything looks so green and healthy!

In front of the raised beds Adam has planted black raspberries and red raspberries. The black raspberries are growing quite quickly this year and each plant is full of berries. Adam also planted two red current bushes and four blueberry bushes.

Our strawberries are beginning to ripen. Jemimah is excited to visit the strawberry patch each day and pick as many ripe strawberries as she can find. We don't have enough for jam yet, but it is fun to enjoy a few fresh strawberries each day.

One of Jemimah's favorite songs this spring has been "Bullfrogs and Butterflies", so when I spotted these books recently I knew she would enjoy them! Each book describes the life cycle of a butterfly/frog in a way that is easy for little ones to understand. Plus they rhyme, something I love in children's books.

"Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works
Which You have done;
And Your thoughts toward us
Cannot be recounted to You in order;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered."
Psalm 40:5 

Nan's 1940s Wrap Apron

This past winter my Nan (paternal grandmother) had to leave her home and move to an assisted living facility. At that time my dad and uncle offered my sisters and I the opportunity to have a keepsake from her home. Instantly I remembered this apron.

Throughout my childhood and teen years my sisters and I would sometimes spend the weekend with Nan. We had wonderful times going on picnics, visiting the lake and going for long walks. One time during our teen years we decided to clean Nan's house while we visited. As we started to clean Nan went down stairs to her basement and soon brought up aprons for each of us to wear while cleaning. I have always loved aprons and I remember being impressed with the clever design of this wrap apron. It was unlike any other apron I had seen.

This truly is a practical apron design. One tie pulls through a slot on one side and then ties in the back. Your entire outfit remains protected, even the back.

Soon after receiving Nan's apron I began to do a little research and discovered that this apron style was popular in England during World War II. This made sense since Nan is from England and was in her late teens/early 20's during World War II.

Over the years Nan has many times shared with us her experiences of being a young woman throughout the war years. The second in a family of four girls and one boy, Nan worked for Burberry's sewing coats while her older sister was in the RAF during the war years. One story Nan would tell us was how she would collect the scraps of lining fabric at the end of her work day and take them home. She made a tea cozy from the scraps, appliqueing a picture of a cottage and rising sun to the tea cozy. I wish I could have seen it!

Nan has many fond memories of evenings spent with her family. Her mum, sisters and herself would knit or sew while visiting. She also shared stories of her early years of marriage and my dad as a little baby. I remember Nan recounting the deep contentment and satisfaction she felt while knitting a sweater for my dad as she sat beside the fire, and dad was in his bassinet. I have a picture of my dad as a toddler wearing a coat Nan sewed for him.

I am grateful for the many sweet memories I have of spending time with my Nan. At this time she is 94 and her memory is poor, she has a very hard time remembering any of her family.

Here is a picture of Nan taken sometime in the 1940's. Wasn't she beautiful? Nan moved to America in the 1960's when my dad was a little boy. It was a difficult transition to make; she has always spoke of England as home.

P.S. I have made a copy of Nan's apron and it is currently for sale in my shop here.