totes over gardens
The weather has been so unseasonably warm and inviting that even I thought it might be nice to garden this weekend. The dogwoods are in bloom, including these massive giants that I can see outside my bedroom window.
So there I was, trying to enjoy the good weather and do some much-needed work in our flower beds. After the glow wore off, I believe I muttered "I hate plants" more than once. It's a feeling born of desperation, my response to the reality that I cannot win out there. The weeds just keep coming back. The wrong plants grow everywhere and the right plants wimp out. Who am I, little old me, to stand alone against mayhem in all those many beds?
Besides, I don't like it - darn it! I want to. But, I don't.
Our home is 50 years old. The garden represents 50 years of rambling from someone who apparently enjoyed gardening. I've lost count of how many random lawn decorations and decrepit bird houses we've discovered and trashed over the years. On Saturday, while I was weeding so despairingly, I decided we needed to remodel the yard. Simplify. Have less to do.
On Sunday my mom came over to lead the charge. She's a total green thumb. I showed her the area I wanted to change, getting rid of one flower bed and shrinking another. She gave it too me straight - I needed to declutter. There was a lot more we should take out before working on those beds.
So, we moved rocks. Moved furniture. She single-handedly pulled down a metal fence post (ok, it was rusted). Dug up countless weed trees and briars.
This used to be a crumbling cement pad. Randomly placed. Brandon and the kids tackled that.
This used to be a plastic-lined pond that no longer held water.
Basically, we demoed all day. There's not much to show for it, but some new open spaces. That and a lot more work to do. Grass to plant. Oy.
Hey, but there's this! Before my mom left, we put in the tomato plants, each in her own cage. It's hard to see, cause they're just babies. This is my favorite moment of the vegetable garden. New plants (none dead yet) with no weeds (because we just tilled and mulched) and all sorts of promise. I have other things to plant in here, like onions and then melons and pumpkins later on. But, for now, it's looking respectable, at least.
So.... I didn't get to sew ALL weekend. Humph! (And, yes, the fact that I'm not sewing occurs to me over and over again out there in the garden.) Today I have been sewing to make up for it, instead of cleaning the house.
Here's the back to the Pezzy tote! It's a courthouse steps arrangement made with leftovers.
Except I like it so much, that I'm not really sure that it's the back anymore. I worked and worked away on this until it. was. done. See, I can win with fabric.
On this side, I created the black grid (which I promise is even in person) and used Steam a Seam Lite II to fuse the squares in place. The edges are secured with a zigzag stitch and the blank squares are quilted with an "X" in each. I likey.
Totes over gardens, for sure.
So there I was, trying to enjoy the good weather and do some much-needed work in our flower beds. After the glow wore off, I believe I muttered "I hate plants" more than once. It's a feeling born of desperation, my response to the reality that I cannot win out there. The weeds just keep coming back. The wrong plants grow everywhere and the right plants wimp out. Who am I, little old me, to stand alone against mayhem in all those many beds?
Besides, I don't like it - darn it! I want to. But, I don't.
Our home is 50 years old. The garden represents 50 years of rambling from someone who apparently enjoyed gardening. I've lost count of how many random lawn decorations and decrepit bird houses we've discovered and trashed over the years. On Saturday, while I was weeding so despairingly, I decided we needed to remodel the yard. Simplify. Have less to do.
On Sunday my mom came over to lead the charge. She's a total green thumb. I showed her the area I wanted to change, getting rid of one flower bed and shrinking another. She gave it too me straight - I needed to declutter. There was a lot more we should take out before working on those beds.
So, we moved rocks. Moved furniture. She single-handedly pulled down a metal fence post (ok, it was rusted). Dug up countless weed trees and briars.
This used to be a crumbling cement pad. Randomly placed. Brandon and the kids tackled that.
This used to be a plastic-lined pond that no longer held water.
Basically, we demoed all day. There's not much to show for it, but some new open spaces. That and a lot more work to do. Grass to plant. Oy.
Hey, but there's this! Before my mom left, we put in the tomato plants, each in her own cage. It's hard to see, cause they're just babies. This is my favorite moment of the vegetable garden. New plants (none dead yet) with no weeds (because we just tilled and mulched) and all sorts of promise. I have other things to plant in here, like onions and then melons and pumpkins later on. But, for now, it's looking respectable, at least.
So.... I didn't get to sew ALL weekend. Humph! (And, yes, the fact that I'm not sewing occurs to me over and over again out there in the garden.) Today I have been sewing to make up for it, instead of cleaning the house.
Here's the back to the Pezzy tote! It's a courthouse steps arrangement made with leftovers.
Except I like it so much, that I'm not really sure that it's the back anymore. I worked and worked away on this until it. was. done. See, I can win with fabric.
On this side, I created the black grid (which I promise is even in person) and used Steam a Seam Lite II to fuse the squares in place. The edges are secured with a zigzag stitch and the blank squares are quilted with an "X" in each. I likey.
Totes over gardens, for sure.