The Boys' First Embroidery Lesson

There's nothing like watching young (tiny) boys handle a needle and thread for the first time to make a mama feel that all is right in the world, for a moment.

my favorite garden

My gardening triumph of the season came from one of those "ah-ha!" moments in the back yard. For my birthday (in early May), my mother gave me a collection of hand-painted terracotta pots and took me to Red Wagon Plants to fill them. But with curious twin toddlers, anxious to explore our backyard, where could I put them and ensure their safety? 

On top of the bike shed! Tall enough to keep tiny fingers away, close enough for me to water and harvest easily! This position had an invaluable bonus: visible from the kitchen window in our upstairs apartment, I look out on it daily. I see it every morning and think, "Really need to water those petunias," or, "Maybe I'll use some of the tarragon in this potato salad," et cetera.

Unlike the rest of the backyard, or most of Vermont this growing season, the environment on top of the bike shed was dry and hot. Next year maybe I'll put the petunias somewhere else and try some Sungold tomatoes.

Potato Printing at the Bobbin

Thanks to Gyllian, Rachel, and to Aubrey, we had a lovely class in Basic Printing on Tuesday. Using stamps cut from potatoes, Aubrey made beautiful leaves, flowers and grass on muslin and cotton jersey. 

I finished a two-color tree pattern on muslin.

If you're interested in taking a printing, sewing, or crafting class at the Bobbin in Burlington, find them here: http://thebobbin.com. It's lots of fun!

the crushable sun hat!

This mock up satisfies all my sun hat pattern requirements: shady, cute, doesn't hit the back of the neck, and crushes up to fit in your pocket! The fabric is block-printed cotton muslin with a broadcloth lining, modeled here by long-time friend of the Flying Hen Studio, Megan O'Brien.


Looks like I'll need to make a couple up for sale. I wonder how fast I can ride my bike without it flying off my head...