Today, I bring you WAM

Wow, What a Monday!

If this is any indication of what this week will be like, bring it on! You know when you wake up refreshed and the sun is shining. And when the baby is in good spirits and naps well, it's all good.

Yesterday was incredible.

The sun was shining and gorgeous.

I worked in the garden. Finally planting some of my bulbs that were beginning to sprout.

Finn got a bath, which always takes longer than I think. These days it's really a squeeze to fit in a little play, lunch and a bath between naps. Which is why we do *not* do it every day.

The bonus is that while Finn splashed about I managed to fold a whole load of whites and hang another load of cloth diapers. Reminder to self: the purchase of an old english style from the ceiling drying rack is getting more urgent. Finn splashes about so much in his little bath it would be really handy to mop when he is done without all the drying racks standing in the way.

I ironed at least 6 pieces of clothing, something for everyone in the family.

We had an amazing lunch, leftovers from the previous night's dinner .. it involved a favorite for everyone. Butternut squash for Finn, quinoa for me and spinach for papa with a liberal heap of garlic and leeks to boot. Yes all in one dish. It was Delicious, with a capital D. I'll try to write it down .. man, that's the 3rd thing I want to tell you about kitchen-wise. Must get going on that too.

I ended the day purely in my element ... teaching a class, 

the first in over a year, or maybe even two. 

The first in this house. 

It was fun and wonderful. 

My students are the best!!

It's also one of my best classes, some of you know it 

and love it as much as I do. 

Think old-school with modern tools. 

The ins and outs, whys and what fors. 

This photo taken of a few years ago of Pearl's blocks
during a discussion about colors and setting options.

Skills-building ... if you've taken this class I'd love if you'd leave a comment and tell us what you thought, learned and / or enjoyed about it. I'd be over the moon if you sent me a picture of your quilt!

Today wasn't much different. 

Although I feel a tad less accomplished, the weather was gorgeous and I did work in the garden while Finn napped. It's warmer than yesterday which makes me a little sad. 

I'm still hoping for snow. 

I was hoping to see / experience our first snow on This * Little * Farm. 

I was hoping Finn would see his first snow.

He's even dressed (to sleep) like a snowbaby 

and was having a sweet moment with Mr. Snowman ...

That said, I do remember that our worst/best/most snow last year 

was actually after he was born so maybe there is still hope.

It's hard to imagine that we're coming up on a year ago already. 

Axel brought this basket of daffodils to the hospital last year when the boys were born. 

And now .. we're already into February, 

before the month is over 

my little itsy bitsy baby boy 

will turn 1 year old.

I'm maybe a tad in denial. 

A tad sad. 

But ooooh so excited.

Today I took pics of him in his little bed, a beautiful antique loaned from a friend. He really outgrew it a while ago but I love it so much and since he isn't rolling we've stuck to it, but now it's really time.

The gorgeous quilt is a gift from our friend Lisa.

On the left Finn is 2-1/2 months old, on the right 8 months.

Hand projects in the evening are still mainly my Randjes per Week, but I might have to take a break and knit Finn another hat. We're kind of wondering if he's allergic to wool and that cute hat I made him. I would be sooo sad if his is ....

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Crazy Spring (Give-Away)

Spring has most definitely sprung here .. gorgeous weather, sunny days, blue skies and warm nights. Yesterday we switched our winter duvet for the summer one .. and slept sooo much better for it.

Today was our monthly "Crazy" class ... instead of a typical crazy quilt we do a variety of things using various fibers and techniques.

This is today's result and I couldn't be happier ...



The nest measures just 1-1/2" (3.8cm) wide and uses 6-threads of Weeks Dye Works floss in two colors plus a few strands of 2mm silk ribbon.  The moss is worked with 2 and 3 threads in french knots of 2-3 wraps.  The leaves and flowers are both 4mm ribbon.  It's tiny and I love it!  I will smile every time I look at this little piece.

I also made this sweet egg last week using felted wool and embroidery. I tried to take a pic of it in the window of the shop but alas it's just too sunny ... sorry



But see that pennant line hanging above ... would you like to win one??  It's not complicated really ... a length of rick rack and a stack of diamonds cut from 30s repro fabric then pressed in half and hung over the line.  Voilá - it's cute, simple and hey - you can always use the fabric to make one of these pin cushions after Easter!


It's easy to enter ... just leave a comment before the end of the weekend.  I'll do a drawing on Monday and get it in the post to the winner so you can add it to your Easter decorations!

I know many of my friends are not enjoying the surprises that Mother Nature has had in store the last couple of days so I hope this cheers you up a bit ... here's a shot of my courtyard garden (the chicken wire is *supposed* to keep Whisper from trampling things)

Anyone have a theory why that one daffodil not only shot up 6" above the rest but refuses to face the sun in spite of 3 days of gorgeous sun ... Pin It Now!

Things are Growing!

It's been busy busy around here ... we've had a few good days of sunshine and the wind / temperatures were mild enough that I managed to do some weeding in the garden. The 265 bulbs I planted in the courtyard really made lots of progress this week ... I can hardly wait for the mini daffs to open their sunny buds.

Monday was an amazing day here. It actually got too warm in the car ... whatta feeling! I took Axel to work in the morning so I could have the car to go by the garden center. I stocked up on primroses and spring bulbs and planted up two meter-long planters for our kitchen window sills. It's a wonderful feeling to come down in the morning, open the blinds and be greeted by an explosion of color.



Whisper and I were just talking the other day about how much easier this winter was. It seemed to go by much faster ... she thinks it's because we didn't have that very deep freeze over the new year. But I think it helped that we always had blue skies when we looked out the shop and kitchen windows into the courtyard.

Evenings are spent with Dots ... lots and lots of dots. I can't tell you how much I am enjoying this project. It's contagious and addictive. The layout here is not right, for that you need to look at the sketch in the right column of my blog but for now I'm one dot away from having 17 blocks finished. And I've trialled the Bowl Block, here's a close-up.

And Angéle has finished her table runner! Isn't it scrumptious. She chose not to quilt it so just hemmed a really long (over two meters) length of fabric then used the Dots template and overlapped the first row of dots each time to get this fantastic centerpiece. Yes, I'm drooling and seriously contemplating a 3rd dots project ... yes, I know, crazy! Third you ask .. oh yes, I still need to show you pics of my bright and cheerful dots blocks.

I have lots more to show ... another mini project, the beginnings of an Amish swap with Liz, new pillowcases .. and .. and .. and ..  I have been busy ... the spring bug has hit :)  But I might be a little AWOL the next little while, you see we're going to paint our bathroom and then our kitchen.  Both are huge jobs as both involve panelled ceilings and the bathroom has tons of really ugly tile to cover up.  So when I re-surface, I promise there will be more updates.  And if I get a chance I'll drop by with a few pics here and there.

Happy Spring, Happy Sewing!  xox Jovita Pin It Now!

The Kiss of Spring is a Wonderful Thing!

Editor's note:  This entry was originally posted on my old blog 29APR2009.  Life has changed, the blog has changed and the shop now has a new home.  But it's history and some of it's interesting ... and I hope you enjoy some of the background.  signed JG, 12AUG2010

Phew - I am so glad Spring has finally arrived ...

First thing you'll notice is that it's been ages since I've posted ... why? Well, there's been a lot going on and I hope you'll understand.

1. I wanted to move my blog - involves finding the right location and the actual move - accomplished yesterday.  We hope you like the new look.  It turns out that move wasn't right either.  I'm hoping this new start will be the right one.
2. In January I had to make the very difficult decision to close our showroom in Everett (Washington).  Decisions like this make me want to stick my head in the sand ... but made it needed to be and I think (eventually) it will feel as right as it should.  It was the right decision, I know that now and am loving having the shop here in Belgium.  But a visit to the NW would not go amiss, I am missing everyone sooo much!
3. I travelled to the US for 10 weeks - yes, 2-1/2 months - all in one go.  That's just too darn long to be away from home but there was a lot to do.  It turned out I bounced around staying with a bunch of friends which was a lot of fun but did cause (just a little bit) of disorganization.
4. Therefore ... many things fell by the wayside - the blog was just one.

Here's a picture of the container we shipped to Belgium - thank goodness to a number of friends who helped me pack it just two days before I flew out ...

I returned back from Seattle last Friday and am becoming reacquainted with my home and garden.  Ha - if I thought my "work" list was long ... you should so the household list of things to do.  That of course never ends.  We moved to a bigger home/shop in December '09 and I'm slowly (painfully slow) getting it re-decorated and looking more homey.

Regardless, I'm going to forge ahead.  You'll see many changes at PEACOCK & periwinkle - yes, we are still around - we still carry ribbons, silk and many other wonderful things that you have always enjoyed from us in the past.  Yes, indeed, P&P has gone through some changes.  The shop is now branded "Jovita's Patchwork Atelier" - to make it more European multi-language friendly.  But P&P will still be around more in it's original capacity as a "resource center."  I hope to tell you more about that soon.

So - rest assured I'm back and eager to show and share everything I've been up to ... stay tuned!  Well, it turns out I wasn't as rested as I hoped.  It took me nearly a year to build up the energy to re-open the shop and another summer to be ready to tackle blogging again.  Long may this new burst of energy last. Pin It Now!