Top 5 Sewing Hits

1. V8805 Red Knit Dress

Normally, I don't wear dresses. Perhaps, I just didn't like the dresses I had. I wore this dress  a lot and always received compliments.  

2. Papercut Rigel Bomber

This jacket is my favorite make of the year. Since I live in Florida, I didn't wear it as often as other lighter weight jackets. The weather did permit me to wear it often last winter. Usually, I wear it opened which looks better. I do like it closed because it shows my favorite feature, the zipper.

3. Grainline Morris Blazer

I love this blazer and wore it a lot.  On a whim, I entered it in the Girl Charlee July 4 contest and won  a $75 fabric prize. The fabric is so  comfortable and goes with many other garments in my wardrobe. The pattern is great with clear instructions. There will be another Morris Blazer soon!

4. Blue Prints Saltbox top and Sew It Over Ultimate trousers

This outfit ranks as the most often worn, particularly the pants. Yes, I did hem those pants after looking at the pictures. The pants are starting to show wear now so I definitely will be making another pair.

5. Cashmerette Appleton Dress

I have another dress in the top 5 which surprised me. After trying numerous unsuccessful wrap dress patterns, this one went together like a dream with only a SBA as an alteration. The fabric from Mood sewed easily and is soft and comfy.

I pleased with my successes this year. Next up, I'll show my misses.

Cashmerette Appleton Dress: My New Favorite

I made the Appleton Dress on a whim. After all, I'm usually not a plus size and have never been successful sewing a wrap dress. I've tried at least 4 wrap dress patterns and twice as many muslins. The only thing that I accomplished was a bunch of wadders. I expected to cut this dress up to make a top. Since I love the fabric, I almost didn't try to make the dress. What a pleasant surprise!

I made a size 12 with a SBA. Usually, I have to do a FBA so that was another surprise. I didn't do any other alterations to the pattern. The instructions were excellent so the dress went together easily.

Hubbie was taking these pictures. This crooked picture is the only one of the back.

I doubt that I will make this pattern again, but I would like to try the Cashmerte Washington dress at some point. I don't need that many dresses. My wardrobe is screaming for tops and cardigan. I'm off to finish a cardigan.

Happy Sewing!!

LRD: Vogue 8805

The little red dress is a garment that I've wanted to sew for a long time. I needed a dress that packed well and was easy to sew. When I saw Lori's dress, I knew what I wanted to make. The dress was exactly what I wanted. I was not disappointed!

I was amazed that my adjustments were similar to hers.I made a size 12, C cup, lowered the bust dart 1/2", and used self fabric to bind the upper edge. Also, I coverstitched the seams because the dress was just too plain otherwise. Unfortunately, the coverstitch does not show in the photos, but it did make a big difference. The fabric has been in my stash for a long time so I don't remember where I bought it. It is a red pointe that I did buy with the LRD in mind.

The only change that I will make next time is a sway back adjustment to take care of that extra fabric in the back. The next version will be color blocked. What a great pattern to play with different ideas and try new techniques!

Yes, my expressions are strained in these photos. I have a hard time smiling a lot when the temperature is in triple digits and the sun is in my eyes. For most of the day, I was running errands. So, I was sweating so much that my hair was sticking to the sides. I had put off taking pictures for a while. If I kept making excuses, this post would never happen. There may be a perfect time for taking pictures - I haven't found it yet.

There isn't a lot going on in my life except for the maintenance of my large house and yard. Other than sewing, the high points are family time, playing with my dog, and reading good books. I finished the Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. The writing and character development is excellent. I can see why it won a pulitzer prize. It is a very long book that is hard to put down at many points. Now, I'm reading something a little lighter, Hyperion by Dan Simmons.

Happy Sewing!!

A Dress I Love

I love this dress pattern, Silhouette 4014. So far, it's the first wrap style dress that fits well enough to wear.

The dress is made from 2  jersey panels. I'm not sure which I like the most: the soft jersey or the gorgeous floral designs. At cutout time, I was planning to copy the dress that Peggy Sagers (from Silhouette Patterns) showed on one of her webcasts. The only part that I copied exactly was the top back. From there, it was a "creative" cutting of the fabric that I had left.  I needed another panel to do an exact copy and the fabric was sold out. SURPRISE!! I probably didn't have 1/8 yd of scrap pieces. Anyway, I am happy with the results.

Two days have gone since I started this post. Hubbie came home with groceries so I had to stop writing. All those goodies had to be put in their proper places. Then, the laundry was dry so there was more to put up. Then, the holiday prep needed to start and then.... I imagine you know what I mean. It's so cold here that I feel foolish writing about a summer dress. The yard looks a lot different from the pictures, also. Winter has arrived in Florida. My daughter in PA would call our 40 degree temperature a heat wave.

I'll stop rambling and get to the details of this dress.

There is an angle wrap at the bottom of the skirt which is slimming. Believe me, I need all  the help that I can get.

The back facing is so long that I didn't have my usual problems with facing - uncomfortable and flipping up even with understitching.

I didn't make any adjustments to the pattern (rare for me) other than shortening it by 4 inches.
Here are some more pictures of the panel placement:

For the most part, the sewing was easy. It was a bit tedious attaching the back facing to the wrapped side seams. It wasn't hard, just took a little time.  I did have frog stitch (rip) the skirt because I ended up putting the side seams in the back. Next time I make this, I will mark the skirt sections so that won't happen again! If you look closely, you can see some ripples in some of the seams. I was sewing with one and a half arms since I didn't have full use of my broken arm. Believe me, it takes two arms to sew a proper seam on a knit. Because of the sewing, I was hesitant to wear it. I was sure everyone was looking at the seams. Well, not really but I knew the problem was there. DH likes the dress a lot and I got lots of compliments wearing it.

I have other projects completed and not photographed yet. Hopefully, I will get that done before summer is here. I almost have full range of motion in my right arm so that is no excuse now. I even did a strength video this morning for the first time and the 3 lb. weights felt too light. We'll see how it feels tomorrow. Tomorrow is house cleaning day with my boys and family coming for their second Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday. Now, I'm off to cut out the red silk charmeuse shirt that I want to wear for the holidays.

Happy Sewing!!

OAL turns WDE

I thought experience improves sewing. Generally, it does. I just didn't learn from my experience with this dress that I made for the outfit sew-a-long. It is definitely my Worst Dress Ever. Here's the gem that somehow came out of my sewing room.

Yep, I was acting silly (might as well laugh at mistakes) and doing one of Lauren's (Ladybird) classic poses. The dress is S1803. If you want to see this dress made properly, check out Lauren's post . She made two awesome versions of this dress and has a number of tutorial posts for sewing it.

First, I'll talk about what I like about this dress. I was surprised that I could wear this style because it is quite different from my usual garments. I'll make it again at some point, but not right away. Also, I was pleased with the actual sewing of the dress. It was fun. The sewing isn't perfect, but is pretty good.

The problems began when I picked the fabric. I wanted a print and liked the colors which go perfectly with my OAL Myrna sweater. It has been resting in my stash for a very long time. Since it was a bit stiff, I washed it in coca cola. That helped and the drape seemed to be fine. I barely had enough fabric to cut out the dress. I tried to do some matching of the prints, but there was not enough fabric. I thought about stopping and using another fabric...sure wish that I had. Take a look at my scraps.

I did cut out the tie belt by shortening it a lot. Then, I decided that I didn't like it. Anyhow, I thought that I had the prints matched close enough at the seams but I was wrong. I was having fun sewing and didn't realize how bad it was until the photos. With the finished dress, I could see how cheap the fabric was. I doubt that I spent much because it's been around since I started sewing years ago.

This dress was a big disappointment. I won't say "learning experience" because I should have remembered what I already knew. I certainly was reminded!! I'm hoping my next sewing project will have better results.

Dawdle or Surge

My sewing and blogging is going at a dawdle pace. That pace is like my dog, Roxy, when I call her to come into the house. That's the pace where she swings her hips from side to side as she slowly moves one foot forward. She moves more to the side than forward as she looks up with big brown eyes that say, "Do I have to?". I'd like my sewing and blogging to be at a surge pace. That's the pace when Roxy sees her favorite neighbor. That dog can move faster than lightening. She's licking his hands before I can see where she is. I'd like my sewing to be going at the surge pace. Certainly, my mind is ticking at that pace with lots of ideas for Fall. Unfortunately, my sewing is dawdling. I got a few garments made in September, but feel like I moved more to the side (looking at lots of new ideas) than forward (actually sewing garments).

In September, I decided to celebrate National Sewing Month by exploring ways to improve my sewing skills. I reviewed a number of books, watched online webcasts, and watched DVDs in my stash. The highlight of this educational experience was the webcasts by Cynthia Guffey. She has webcasts on Seven Core Sewing Skills, How to Fit a Jacket, and How to Fit a Skirt. All three are excellent. I plan to use a lot of the information in the near future. The webcasts can be found on Daily Craft TV. The cost is only $9.99 each for unlimited viewing. The DVDs I watched were from Silhouette Patterns. The regular price is $29.99 each, but there often are special offers at a reduced price. The ones that I watched and will use this Fall/Winter are: Just Jeans, Leather is for Every Body, and Factory Tips & Techniques-2. Of course, I watched the Silhouette Webcasts as I do faithfully. They are full of helpful information and ideas. These are free and available through the Silhouette website.


I also spent a week at the beach in September. I got lots of wear and compliments from the 3 garments that I did manage to complete. Here they are:

This maxi dress is Silhouette 4000, a swing dress. I had to increase the size of the darts 3/4" to keep the dress from puffing out at the front like a maternity dress. Once I fixed that problem, I liked the fit. The back has a center back seam which gives the dress enough shape to keep it from looking like a tent. I took a picture of the back, but it looks exactly like the front. The seam doesn't show on a photo of this black dress. It is comfortable and casual enough for dinner at Florida restaurants.

This is the the maxi skirt that I wasn't sure that I would ever wear again. I thought it made me look too large. Apparently, that's not a big problem since I continue to receive positive comments. It certainly is comfortable and suitable for lots of evenings out.

My running/walking shorts got lots of use for walks on the beach. The water was beautiful to see and warm enough for swims and body surfing. I used Silhouette yoga pants pattern which I cut shorter.

I like this blouse which still needs hemming. It's made from Silhouette 475, modified to cut on the from fold. Also, I eliminated the collar. To me, the peplum is soft and not too obvious at my hips. There are only 2 problems. First, I can pull it over my head but that stresses the neckline, even with my small head. I know that I have to add an opening in the back or shoulder. Second, this looks like a Spring blouse. I'm ready to sew for Fall so this may get packed away in the UFO section. I do like this modified pattern and will make it again in several versions. In fact, I've altered the pattern by lowering the neckline an inch. I don't want to make that too tight neckline mistake again and have to add an opening.

 October is half over so I'd better get busy and, at least, pick up my dawdle pace. Happy sewing to you!

Bits and Pieces

Since I last posted, I've felt scattered. My sewing reflected my feelings. I figured that it was time to sew Vogue 1250 like everyone else in blogland. When I saw Carolyn's most recent version of this dress, one of the fabrics in my stash started screaming "Me, Me". It's not a ponte. It's a gauze type fabric with a backing, but the houndstooth is similar. I purchased it from EOS because I loved the camel and brown color combination. This fabric was not a great choice for my first version because it raveled like crazy. Also, it didn't have enough stretch for this design. I took out the side seams as much as I could. With a bit more ease, I would like it better but it's wearable. I like it.

I'm still trying to decide how to finish the armholes and hem. Usually, I topstitch. I just don't think that would look very good with this fabric and design. I'll probably serge and hand stitch although I may use binding. Right now it's hanging in the closet waiting for the final inspiration. For the back I turned and used stitch witchery instead of a facing (got that idea from Carolyn). I like the way it finished the edge without a facing flapping around.

While procrastinating making that decision, I started working on a shirt for DH, Silhouette 6012.The definition of sewing insanity is making a tailored man's shirt in a cotton gauze, especially for the first time. I made the mistake of asking him what fabric he wanted. What a trip this has been! I've been trying to get all those points just right and, finally, realized that is not going to happen. It's crazy anyway. He wants to wear it in the garden to stay cool and protect him from the sun. I seriously doubt that he will notice those points. I have finished all the pieces and sewed the front and back together. The rest should be easy, right?

I was too lazy to press the sleeve before the picture. I just wanted to see my progress. The collar does have a band that I added after taking the picture.

My work on the shirt stopped when I needed something to wear to a funeral. At my age, I knew that I needed a funeral dress but it seemed morbid to start sewing one. I am tired of wearing my old black pants and t-shirt top. A good friend died of cancer last week. I was planning to take a picture after the funeral but just didn't feel like it. A picture of the dress will come in a future post. While appropriate for a funeral, it's also a nice date night dress.

Sewing has been slow the past few weeks because we are remodeling our master bathroom. It's hard for me to concentrate with all the banging, etc. going on. Here's my home work-in-process picture:

You can see the edge of embroidered quilt I made years ago. That's the only pretty part of this picture. I can't wait for the construction to be done!! I'd like to work on organizing and decorating my sewing room. I've seen so many great pictures on the blogs lately. I'll get to it - soon I hope.  I'd like to finish some of my bits and pieces first.

I did finish cutting out the lace anniversary dress except for the lining (which was orderd and only arrived a few days ago). I doubt that I will start the sewing until the end of May or June.

I've tired to resist all the wonderful fabric sales around. I barely have room for my large fabric stash. I saw this on EOS. It spoke to me and was in the cart before I knew it. I'm looking forward to an easy (hopefully) summer dress from the fabric. I want to end the post with a pretty picture so  here it is:

DeBubbled Delight

This is Burda Style Magazine 05/2010 #106. The Burda description is "The dotted batiste dress is just right for summer. The balloon effect is achieved by a shorter skirt lining that is attached to the hem edge of the dress. The casing elastic in this seam then gathers or "puffs" the hem edge". When I made the bubble version, I did look like a "balloon" and the "puffs" definitely were there. I have enough "puffs" of my own, thank you Burda. I quickly found the seam ripper and burst the bubble.Overall, I like this revised version a lot. I especially like the final neckline although I needed to do several muslin revisions before I felt comfortable with it. I raised the neckline 1 inch and moved it 5/8 inch closer to the neck. I took 1 inch from the center of the bodice and lengthened it by 1 inch. Also, I did a 1/2 inch petite adjustment. I had to fiddle with the back darts a lot. I can't remember exactly what I did now. I did raise and move them. In the final dress, I reduced the side seam 1/2 inch from top to bottom. Despite the muslin fit, the dress was too big in this fabric. I learned a lot about fitting during the process which required a lot of experimenting, trying again, etc. etc. I do like this more fitted look in the top. The trick for me is getting it to fit and still be comfortable. I'm proud of my end results and learned quite a bit that I believe I can apply to other garments. Also, I was delighted with the fabric match of the back invisible zipper.

The fabric is 100% cotton from Fabric Mart. These pictures were taken after running several errands. Although it was hot and humid, the fabric is barely winkled. Amazing!!

On the down side, I wish that I had paid more attention to fitting the skirt. The full skirt is very comfortable, but it could lose about 3 inches in width to make it more A-line. When Shannon made her version, she changed the skirt to a sheath dress. For me, I don't think that the width needs to be reduced that much, but some reduction in width is definitely needed for de-bubbling.

I enjoyed wearing this dress and know that it will get lots of hot summer wear. It also came close to following Trinny & Susannah's rules for my body type. The square fitted top is recommended for my vase upper body and the slightly (I had too much) flared skirt of my lollipop lower body. Of course, I ignore their "rules" on a regular basis but I like using them to try new garment ideas. I love it when it works!

The English Garden Dress

This B5488 dress was finished over a week ago. My biggest problem was getting a photo. Despite our crazy Florida weather, I was determined to "model" it outside in the garden. When there was sunshine, the heat (index 109F) and huminity was so high that my camera screen fogged. Late in the day, there was lightning and/or rain. The possible days were windy. I thought that I had chosen a perfect day. Then, the wind decided to appear at an inappropriate time (for me). The dress tends to ballon with the wind. Maybe, I need to rename this the "billowing dress". Please keep this in mind. I look heavier in picture than I am (ugh!!) and the hem really is even. If you look closely, there is a flower stalk in the lower left corner of the picture. I managed to cut off the other flowers. The butterfly even flew away from the camera! That's enough whining!

Here's a picture on Dolly, without the wind. I think it shows the actual fit of the dress better.

This dress is super easy to sew. It only took an afternoon even with a couple of problems that I experienced.The pleats might cause a bit of a challenge for new sewers, but they are clearly marked on the pattern pieces. I did have a problem with the yoke in this fabric. I changed (means ripped out) the yoke in the same fabric. It didn't look right, looked sloppy, and reminded me of a mumu (a real danger with this pattern if anyone is not into mumus). I was able to find a matching fabric in my stash. Note: A large fabric stash can help with emergencies. Once the yoke was sewed, it looked so lonely that I added a band to the sleeves. BTW, I added about 3 inches to the sleeves. The yoke and band looked just added on (which they were). So, I added topstitching in the darker blue. That helped a lot. The picture of the yoke is blurry but it does show the topstitching. The picture of the sleeve band is clearer.

In the muslin, I made my usual size 12 for the top and tapered out to size 14 for the hips. This pattern has A LOT of ease. I ended up making a straight size 12 for the final dress. The extra ease made a great nightgown!

During the month of May, I actually made 2 nightgowns. Despite the ugly fabric of this one, I love both of them. There will not be any more oversized t-shirts at night!

I do like this dress although I won't say I love it. I won't make it again although I may shorten it and make a top. It's just so hot that I like a looser fitting top in the summer. As for dresses, I definitely will go for more fitted in the future.

I've finished a skirt that I love. This post is long enough for now so I'll post about it later this week.

The English Garden Dress

I love delfiniums. Aren't they pretty? I don't remember seeing these flowers when I was in England, but they look like they belong in an English Garden. Certainly, they typically don't grow in Florida. We grew these from seeds. I guess they adjusted to our crazy weather. We even have some more coming. I hope they make it before the Florida sun scares them away.
This is the fabric that I first saw on Shannon's blog:

When I saw it, I went to the Fabric Mart Site as fast as my fingers could type. It reminded me of the delfiniums. They still had some of the fabric left. (Of course, several other fabrics jumped in my cart to keep it company on the ride to my house.) For some reason, I can't seem to get Fabric Mart e-mails despite multiple requests. I seem to do all right, though, with blog reading and fabric browsing!

I spent a lot of time deciding what pattern to use for this fabric and looked at numerous dress patterns. Finally, I narrowed it down to two. My English Garden Fabric decided it wanted this one (B5488):

Maybe, it was the dress on the model who was wearing a similar fabric. Another fabric started screaming that it wanted to be the other dress pattern. Yes, my fabric makes a lot of noise. Usually, I'm wise to listen to the fabric. I'm not so sure this time. The pattern is an easy one that should have gone together quickly. There weren't any major sewing problems. I'm just not sure that I like it so I kept dragging my feet on finishing it. Finally, I hemmed it today. It's on my ironing board ready for the final press. I'll take pictures when the iron finishes (It's slow sometimes.). Then, I'll decide what to do about it. I definitely love this fabric and really want a dress that I love, too. There may be a remake in my future. It's NOT going in the trash.

The Bad Boy Dress is Ready to Go

This Burda 08/09 #113 was made from a panne velvet fabric that acted like a bad boy the entire time that I was sewing. I even used a roller foot. The foot helped but the fabric was still a challenge. When I wasn't fighting the fabric, I was fighting the confusing Burda instructions. In the middle of this "exciting" experience, some thread got caught in the bobbin case. Big Bertha (my Bernina) simply refused to move along the fabric. Naturally, I thought it was the fabric, the needle or the tension. I nearly panicked. I finally tried to sew on some cotton and, of course, it didn't sew any better. I even rethreaded and didn't notice the caught thread. I didn't see it until I tried different thread as a last ditch effort before taking it to the dealer. Of course, my machine is due for her annual check-up, but not in the middle of making a dress! When I saw the problem I felt so STUPID. There were so many times that this dress almost went into the waste bin. Now that the pain and suffering has subsided I do like the dress and plan to wear it to a concert next week. After looking at the picture, I don't like the tights and shoes with it. I look too much like an old maid school m'am. (Note: I'm referring to the dowdy look. I know a number of single school teachers who look quite chic.) The major difficulty that I had with the Burda instructions were the direction for attaching the facing. I did read Dawn's blog where she just eliminated them and added stretch elastic for support. I planned to do that until I started working with the bad boy panne velvet. It just didn't hang smoothly and got bunchy and ucky looking. Sooo I went back to studying the directions for facings and, finally figured them out. At least, I think I did and was able to attach the facings. Here is the bodice before the facings are attached. There is a lining piece that is sewed right sides together to the front section and turned inside out before attaching the side fronts. I used a stretchy knit fabric that did work well. The center front section is gathered.

Here the facings are attached to the back, sleeve, and side front in the standard manner,
I sewed a piece of seam binding to the front edge to control those gathers. I would have preferred to use stretch lace but only had red and bright blue colors (ugh for this dress). I then folded the front edge level with the facings and hand stitched to the lining.

After attaching the bodice and skirt, I started to sew the casting for the elastic at the waist. Fortunately, I did a "try-on". Sewing the elastic where Burda said created a muffin top and made me look like someone from Alice in Wonderland (can't remember the character's name). Anyway, it looked ridiculous. I did remember Carolyn's wise words: just because the pattern says to do it one way doesn't mean you can't do it differently. I put the casting and elastic below the waist and on the skirt rather than the top. Yep! It's done and ready to go. The blood (from pin pricks), sweat, and tears didn't even stain it!

Since I finished this dress, I made a pair of pullon pants and the HP Sunshine top that I'll post about when I get pictures. Today I traced the pattern for a pair of shorts. It was 80 degrees and I was ready to wear them. I certainly was not in the mood to sew the wool skirt that is cut out and ready to sew. Who knows - We could have temperatures in the 30s next week! Meanwhile, I'm dreaming of Spring and Summer and all the great new patterns out there. My February Burda even came today with several tempting garments crying to be made.

Little Things Make a Difference

I know that little things do make a difference. Why am I so amazed when I actually see the difference? Just goes to show you - When something doesn't seem just right, it probably isn't. The solution takes a while to find. Sooo....Here's my completed BWOF 12-2008-114. It almost became a nightgown (as originally designed by Burda).

I took off the original neck binding. That was so much "fun". I must have patience that I didn't realize I had. I had to be so careful not to stretch the neck. Yes, there were several times that the thought of nightgown sounded pretty good! Once I finished it, I tried the dress on with my new red shoes that I love. Both the shoes and dress instantly looked blah. Amazing!! Fortunately, I had these black shoes that worked fine. For comparison, here's my original dress:

I love the new version. Sometimes a little more time and patience is worth it!

June Review

In my sewing world, June began with a shell that was okay but messy to sew, continued with a dress with good sewing but poor design, and ended with a skirt that I love. That's a pretty good way to end the month! I've posted about the NL6163 shell. The second garment was BWOF 12-2008-114 dress. The polyester knit fabric was not something I usually wear but I really like it. It's been in my stash waiting for the right pattern. When I saw Karen's interpretation of this Burda nightgown pattern, I thought that I had found THE pattern. When I finished it, I was not sure if I had a nightgown or a dress. I put it on the dressform and tried it with a red belt. The belt helped but still "no cigar" in my opinion.
So, I had my photographer and outside designer (DH) take a picture of me wearing the dress. Please excuse the lack of makeup, combed hair, and shoes. I wasn't planning on posting the picture. I decided to go ahead as the picture also shows part of my "organized" sewing room with WIP and I want to have a "before" picture. DH said that something was wrong with the neckline. I think that it is a little too low, but he didn't have a problem with that (men!). He said that the neckline fabric binding makes it look like I sewed it wrong (not so!). I held up some red knit to the neckline and it looked sooo much better. As they say in the Fashion Show, I was "hanging by a thread" although the sewing was fine. Fortunately, I can fix it. Also, I'll add some belt loops. With my high hip, the belt hangs a bit crooked.

The third garment is a stretch linen skirt, BWOF 08-2008-121. I did my usual adjustments: increased the waist at the side seams 3/8", shortened 2 inches, and did a 1/2" high hip adjustment. I lined it with 100% silk that I bought on sale at Fabric Mart. The colors weren't great but it is nice and comfy for lining. The fit was perfect to me. This skirt has a nice swing that makes me smile. I'll do a full review on PatternReview soon.

I will wear it with an over-blouse. I'm just to crooked to show my waist unless I'm showing a design!

I'm pretty pleased with my sewing productivity given that this was a busy month in the garden. Although hubbie is the master gardener, I still have quite a bit of work to do helping him. We"ve closed up most of one of the gardens for the summer.

There are a couple of lima bean and snap bean plants peeking through the covers. Ever try to shell lima beans? I love to eat fresh ones, but they are hard on the nails and patience. We have cucumbers and snow beans still left in this garden.

This picture shows the second garden. If you look closely, you can see the few cherry tomatoes that we have left. There also are collard greens and pineapple plants.I love minature roses. I lost one of my favorites during our three weeks of solid rain. That plant survived 3 hurricanes (barely) and just drowned in the downpour of rain. Anyway, My sweet DH bought me several more. Two of them have been planted in their new homes.

I should be able to spend more time in the sewing room this month. First up is fixing that crazy print dress with a red neck binding. Then, I'll do the buttonholes and buttons for a blouse that goes with the green linen skirt. I almost finished it in June, but didn't quite make it.