The Vintage Hankie Scarf

I saw this idea a while back on Pinterest and immediately ran up the stairs to delve into my hankie collection. It only took me months to actually make it, because I don't have a sewing machine and only recently remembered to take the long ago fated hankies to Mimsie's with me. I didn't take the time to iron or pin them. I just carefully folded each one in half, zipped up the long end of each one individually, then sewed them together end to end. The effect was nicely wonky (as opposed to the much feared direly wonky), just as I had hoped for it to turn out. The only thing I would not recommend is using handkerchiefs of differing weights. Thankfully, my heavier one ended up towards the back of the neck area, so it wasn't much of a problem to work with when arranging to wear the scarf. However, if it had been further down, it would have hung much more stiffly than the rest and would have been most unflattering. 

It took me forever to get pictures I was okay with posting of myself and the scarf. The lighting in Mimsie's new sewing room is wonderful, though. I will probably tote many projects out there with me from now on just to get that perfect afternoon lighting!

Wishing you all a day of merry makes and plenty of cups of tea. 

Before & After

           Voila!                                                      Gag

 My Cath Kidston address book, Farm Chicks tape measure, and array of happy pens found a sweet nesting spot for sure.

 This one begged for my seed packets.

(maybe now I will remember to seed them in the right and proper time)

Hidden away behind the pretty packages are individually wrapped moist towelettes. They come in incredibly handy at many odd times, but I didn't want their sterile wrappings peeping out of the pretty basket. Now they will be quick to grab on our way out the door to roast s'mores over the fire pit, yet blissfully invisible at all other times. 

 I happened to be cleaning out the dining room linen cupboard the same day I hung this organizer on the wall. The red be-sequenced napkin rings were too sparkly to be stuffed in a dark cabinet all the time. 

 Peeling off the dollar price sticker, a good scrubbing, and a dousing of pink spray paint certainly did the trick for this hanging organizer. I had originally bought it for the craft room, but realized it made more sense down here on the office side of my kitchen. I still may line the baskets with fabric in the future, but for now, it is finito. 

Happy day to you, dear friends!

P.S. Wishing a very Happy Birthday to my dear Daddy-O. I love you!

Vintage Hankie Wall Quilts

Remember the barn tour I posted about a while back?

This was a lovely bit of inspiration that I took away from the day.

We met a lady who handmade these wall hangings from her beloved grandmother's collection of vintage hankies.

Even though she inherited her grandmother's entire trunk of handkerchiefs, this crafty and caring woman decided to turn them into keepsakes her whole family could enjoy.

She plans to make a total of 14 of these beauties and was just beginning a deep purple one when we happened her way. She was kind enough to share her secrets in making them.

First, she organized the hankie stash by color schemes. Then, she started layering and piecing them onto a fourteen inch square of muslin. She cut each hankie strategically in order to maximize the usable space, thus eliminating  stains.  Often she cut along the diagonal to get as much visual interest as possible. After safety pinning each piece approximately where she wanted it, she did some quick and simple hand-stitching to secure it all on the muslin square. Next, she created a two inch border out of coordinating fabric. Once this was accomplished, minimal machine quilting was applied all over ~ just a gentle wiggle up and 

down the square and all around the border to further 

secure everything in place.

Look at all the ways she layered and embellished her creations! I love how it gives the overall effect of a crazy quilt, but without all the extra tedious hand-stitching they traditionally require. By looking closely at some of the pictures, you will notice that this talented quilter took the time to transfer old photos of her grandmother onto fabric so that she was able to add yet another layer of nostalgia to each wall hanging she made for her family. What a beautiful keepsake that will be 

treasured for generations to come!

Gets me thinking about trying this with some of my own hankie stash. Hmmmmm...

Happy Quilting!

Farm Fresh

I love Farm Markets.

With all their bright and happy color...

Vintage Signage...

And gorgeous array of Fruits 'n' Veggies!

This was my favorite color palette of the day, for it was

eye-catching

vibrant

&

fresh

 Picking the perfect peach to take home... Yum!

More adventures with Mimsie to come. It is our goal to make at least one excursion to a local market, shop, or small town each week this summer.

So stay tuned!

P.S. Wishing a very happy 23rd birthday to my baby sis from across the miles. 
I love you, Jess! Imagine us going out for a birthday tea ;-)

Variations on the Daisy Wheel

In case you cannot tell, I am lately rather fond of making dishcloths. Here are a couple colorful variations on the same pattern found
here on Ravelry. The purple one was for Mimsie and I forgot to start with the solid color, so I made the next band wider to help balance it all out. My hands adore the  cottony thickness of handmade dishcloths. 
What are you adoring today?

Sunday Scripture

This week, I wanted to share this link. Read it with an open heart and take the encouragement it offers. How many times do we needlessly beat ourselves up over a failure rather than dusting ourselves off and learning what we can from the hiccup? I hope this blog post inspires you as it did me with renewed energy to walk in Christ with joy.

"Then, by the will of God, I will be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be an encouragement to each other."

~Romans 15:32~

May you live each day vibrantly for our Heavenly Father!

Barn Tour

Saturday last, Mimsie and I had a frolic in the countryside. Our county held a five barn tour in celebration of farms that had been in families for over a hundred years. At each of the stops along the driving tour (which was about a 22 mile loop), there were displays from local nature societies and businesses,  historical information about each barn as well as live music and artists en plein air. 

 This structure was made by a local carpenter using only the traditional methods of notched wood, dove tail joinings, and handmade wooden pegs. Quite impressive to behold and built to scale to boot!

One of my favorite stops along the way. Mimsie bought us a lovely peach pie from this Amish bakery. The crust was divine -

 all evenly golden on top with the perfect amount of flakiness. Mmmmm....

Mimsie snapped this photo of me beside the garden that was to the side of the Amish farmhouse and bakery. Just love how neat and tidy it looks. The windmill over my shoulder was whirring happily in the breeze. I think it liked sporting its freshly painted self for all the visitors to see. 

 While only two of the five farms featured were Amish, this is where I had my camera most handy. I love how the family reinvented tree stumps into new and beautiful purposes.

One of the artists en plein air hard at work. The heat was rather brutal that day, but the shade did afford a pleasing breeze.

~ Bachelor's Buttons ~

Does anyone happen to know what plant these egg shells are guarding? 

I am very curious to find out. The eggshells glistened so attractively in the afternoon sunshine.

 I must admit, I was rather mad about these goats taking endless pictures of their antics. They seemed to float up and down the hillside obviously enjoying the golden rays of a June sun.

Wagon ride!

(try saying that 3 times fast... hehe)

The raised vegetable beds in this potager garden gave me a bit of garden envy. Somehow, raised beds give off an air of being easy to care for thus dazzling me with delusions that I would be a better gardener if only I had some raised beds, too. 

(Although my rational self knows this to be entirely untrue)

All in all, it was a lovely day to discover the hidden charms of our local countryside and a wonderful way to support local art and business. I'm really glad Mimsie and I took advantage of this unique opportunity.

Wishing you all a lovely day!