Friday, May 29, 2015

The Brief Season Between Winter and Summer



Spring around here can be brief. Our weeks of chilly and slightly soggy have finally given away to warm and sunny. I swear the volunteer Elderberry that grows in the corner of the dog pen and shades their little deck, grew 6 inches and sprouted flower buds over night after our first sunny day. The Paperbark Maple leafed out and grew



 and the Bloodgood Maple we planted in April seems quite happy in its new home.



 We love the color of this and it looks so pretty by the big rock. In the main garden area things are beginning to gain ground. Most everything over wintered well, but there were some losses.



I'm surprised the Black & Blue Salvia made it another year up here since it is a tender perennial in our zone. Obviously it likes the heavy mulching in the fall. There are some new plants in the garden also and I'll feature these as they come into their own.



Some purchased locally and some through High Country Gardens, which is one of the few really reliable places to get plants for the west and especially plants that can and will thrive at elevation.

My parents came up Memorial Day for a BBQ and look at the beautiful wind chime they brought!



I am a wind chime junkie, I must have a dozen around the property and this beauty by Majesty Bells is now on the hook outside the window in front of my desk. I can hear it summer and winter, window closed or open. The perfect backup to the music of the trees. Conifer forests sound completely different than mixed or deciduous forests when the wind blows.

The Gilmore Gem is finally fully threaded. I had to add heddles to shaft 4. I dragged my feet because I thought it would be awful, but it was quick and easy using the two pieces of strapping I saved from when the heddles needed to be put on. Slipped them on and off and on again like a charm. Sleying the reed is next up, 2 per dent, 12 dent reed, 24 epi. We'll whiz through it!

Some good sewing up in the salon. I so enjoy some of these fabrics.



The zebra print is just lovely, a lightweight cotton canvas paired with a lightweight cotton herringbone.



Throw in a favorite easy to make and wear pattern and it makes for the perfect top. Keeping to the critter theme I went colorful and a little lighter still (shirting) in weight.



The orange is a very nice linen cotton. Can you see the woodland creatures? There is a fox in there of course!

Lastly, a work in progress.



One Mississippi of two from the Mississippi Ave dress pattern by Sew House 7. This is a bold butterfly wing print in a cotton lawn at a tunic length instead of dress length. It needs binding and hemming. A second one was cut at the same time and I will probably leave that one at the longer length. We'll see.

Parting shots: Between frames.


 Out of Frame.

5 comments:

LA said...

Love your new #64! You have found so many great fabrics to use with that pattern and each one is unique! The garden looks great!

Coco said...

Love pics of your beautiful natural garden. So pretty. Bet you are thankful for your deck every day...

Michelle said...

Be still my heart; you have WHITE wild iris?!?

Shuttle, Hook and Needle said...

Garden looks lovely! Like the idea of the bed frame under the deck. I am a wind chime junkie too!

Theresa said...

Louise, So glad to know I'm not the only wind chime junkie. Have you heard David Blanchard's chimes?

Michelle, The white ones are the only ones we have, in fact I'm not sure I've ever seen another color here.

Coco, You should have seen the garden a month ago, it was all natural clover. That stuff over runs the place. We grow what the deer won't eat for the most part, but I do have some little gems in there hiding, I hope. We love our deck, just love it!

LA, I have so much fun with the #64. Can't get enough of it and the proportion is just so good. The garden is heading into year 3. Some things didn't thrive and we pulled em and put in some others to try and some TNT plants, like more lambs ear, one of my favorites.