I'm loving......

Gardening time.....I planted this morning basil, oregano, and cilantro. (and my morning had so many things on its "to do" list that I forgot to show up at the store to teach a class....thank you Jen, for stepping in...!) The cilantro is always iffy....it seems to be a very sensitive plant and the sun has fried it in the past. So we'll see. I could subsist on basil all summer, though.....as well as.......

......my yogurt "parfaits" - Trader Joe's French Village Vanilla yogurt, chopped strawberries and/or blueberries, with Trader Joe's Mango Passion Granola mixed throughout. Heaven.

Summer wear - this is a 1973 pattern I picked up last summer at a yard sale. The perfect fabric finally arrived (ahem, at Hip Stitch) The pattern was not easy to follow - techniques were different than today, like interfacing not attached right away to the facing pieces like in today's patterns, so I made changes as I went. My husband said I look like I stepped out of the movie Edward Scissorhands. (What does that mean?! I haven't seen the movie!!) Will someone please explain it to me?

Anyhow, I love the dress - I feel so, well, groovy wearing it!

Here's the pattern:And now I can reveal the birthday gift I made my dear friend Lisa, who revealed to me that she READS the blog so I couldn't post this until I gave her the gift. I made her the Weekender Bag, and though it's a pretty difficult project, I love the result, and would actually make another!

Happy Birthday, my friend - I'm very proud that I got your gift to you only one month and one day after your birthday!

We're just about ready to post the May calendar, which includes a class on making a Yoga Mat bag, and the Weekend-Away Travel Bag, on a day/time that I hope you can make, Robyn!

Oh, on a side note ('cause I never digress..) last night was the preview - for parents - of the puberty movie being shown next week at school to 5th graders. Oh my goodness, I was taken right back to 5th grade myself and had to fight the giggles all through the viewing. Now it's real - I can no longer avoid that my kids are growing, and I have to keep a straight face when I explain things that might come up, and I have to use the right words for body parts! What kind of mother am I?!

I'm an empty nester

Well, they're gone - all 3 baby robins have flown the coop....and how sad I am. I checked on them Friday morning, and they were there, plump and fluffy - took the girls to school, went to the store, came home, and.....an empty nest. Maybe this is a small preparation for the real thing in 8-10 years.

Thursday night at the store, Kay, Julie and I made the travel bags from Weekend Sewing. We had begun at the last craft night, but ran out of time. Kay and I used scrap fabric from the lounge; Julie's is in the middle, made with Amy Butler's Lotus Collection - Geisha Fans. This was a fairly simple pattern - once we got the directions down. A few confusing moments!

Our scheduled Spring Soiree may have to be re-adjusted a bit. Scheduled for Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, my kids just came home with flyers for our school's annual Spring Fling on the evening of May 1. Heather and I are both volunteering at this event, and Jen will be there with her family! Thus, the craft show/soiree will be all day Saturday only - maybe extending after hours a bit....I'll be sending out an email about this to customers!

A clarification about Jen's baby.....'Dean' is her last name, not his name.....we're privy to his name, but will reveal it when he's born, which we just found out will be May 4, unless she goes into labor before then! A new addition to the Hip Stitch family!

Dagmar's sock knitting class finished up this past week - how fun it was to watch the progression as the ladies knit their brightly-colored socks. I hope to be able to make my pair soon.

More good things

Here's Miss Ann and the tote bag she made:

It was a quite a project, but came out beautifully, loaded with pocket and heavy duty interfacing. She took a class at Southwest Decoratives (fabric from there, also, and we still let her into the store even though she cheated on us!!) Good job, Ann!

And another good thing - baby boy Dean is just a few weeks away from making his appearance. Jen goes tomorrow to get her c-section scheduled. We can't wait!

And more on my obsession with the baby robins outside my window: all 3 are doing just fine, and now have quite a fuzzy coat of feathers. Mama is taking good care of them - I hope to be able to document them until they learn to fly!

A delivery from the UPS guy today: all Amy Butler fabrics - a number of bolts from the Nigella line of home dec., as well as Lotus, Belle and Daisy Chain - some that we thought were just swell!

Good Things

Alright, now I hardly EVER do these things - you know, forward on an email that tells you to "forward to 7 people", or do those lists and pass them on.....but I was on a blog I like and she's doing a week of "Good Things".....listing a few things each day that are, well, Good. So here goes:
*the baby robins outside my bedroom window bring me endless happiness as I spy on them.
*my best childhood friend is coming to visit tomorrow, from Delaware, and I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! We met when she was 5 and I was 6, and though it breaks my heart that we can't live closer, I'm going to relish every moment we have together on her short visit.
*I broke out sandals today, and felt so light and breezy and I can't wait for summer!

Jen is making the Flower Girl Dress from Weekend Sewing for her 2-going-on-10 yr. old (that girl is so darn smart it's like talking to another adult sometimes) She cut out the fabric, and found that it didn't call for enough in the pattern directions. Grrrrrr......we're having many little frustrations with this book, but I still love it and will still continue to make things from it. Any one else have some insight/feedback?!

Speaking of smart little girls, a wee little one named Delilah was in the store today with her mom and grandma - I think she was 2? Anyhow, she sat and sewed with the lace-up cards we have for kids, which many kids don't have the patience to sit and complete a card. Little Delilah was so adorable, sitting and 'sewing' - I was very impressed with her stick-to-it-ness and her fine motor skills - such tiny little hands - such a cutie-pie. Kids never fail to impress me.

Signs of spring!

Here's what was just outside our bedroom window this afternoon:
We'd been watching this nest for the past few weeks, as the mama robin sat patiently on her eggs. We stealthily snuck peeks through the window, trying our best not to scare her away. What a neat sight to see the newborn birds today! My daughter Jane took this photo - pretty cool!
And the dress is done - here's Claire modeling it:

1st communion is still a few weeks away, but she nudged me along, making sure I finished it in plenty of time....nudging is what I need to finish projects!

Happy Spring!

Wooohooo!

I got up this morning and 1st thing went to the computer to alibi.com. Their "Best of 'Burque" was published.....(drum roll).....we tied for 3rd place in the "best new business!" What a thrill! A customer came in today and said "I didn't even know about it - I would have voted for you!" Yes, we kind of didn't get the word out too much about voting....we didn't know it was going on until the week before the deadline to get votes in!

So we're just tickled pink to get third place - thanks to those who were in the know and voted for us!

Here's Claire, wearing the "Jane's Head Scarf" from Weekend Sewing. I made it up last night - super easy - and was going to wear it today, 'till she spied it and asked if she could wear it to school. So I let her, jokingly telling her that she has to tell anyone who asks about it that it's made with Amy Butler fabric from Hip Stitch! Our kids are some of our biggest advertisers!