Consew Is Here!

Yay, the iron showed up! 
I have it all set up but I need to take photos. 


...isn't it beautiful?????  :D

Consew CES-300 Gravity Feed Steam Iron

This will be a quick post as I have to jump into the shower in 2 seconds. :)

I'm very excited! I ordered a Consew industrial iron (CES-300) this weekend. It was on sale at $100 off. I HAD to get it. I've wanted one for three years. It has a hand guard for prolonged periods of steaming and weighs 4.6 pounds. COOL! I don't know how many days it will take to get here, but it's coming UPS and I assume 7-10 business days. It's shipping out of Baton Rouge, LA. :) I was spoiled at school – we had industrial irons and machines to work on. One day I'll get the machine (they have KNEE LIFTS! ..Oooo so dreamy!) :) So I've been either too busy to write or too tired. I've mentioned on other blogs that I have 14 days left after today of this busy schedule. I hope everyone is doing well and I'll be back strong in 15 days. :D Woo hoo!!!

Sewing Up A Storm!

Back to the tote! I worked a little more on my REVERSE APPLIQUÉ TOTE project today. I'm not going to lie, this type of hand sewing IS NOT for me. As you can see from the photo below, you clip your fabric and turn it under then hand sew the edge down with a hem stitch. That got old for me. I hand sewed the petals and the center of the flower but when it came the stem and leaves, I moved to my sewing machine desk. IT'S QUICKER! Hello! Also, the machine stitching will handle washing better in the machine. I'll learn what sort of job I did when I was the tote for the first time.

Here's the finished product! It's a little different from my drawing, but it's very close. I should have clipped the stem a little more on the curve to get a smoother edge, but in the end, I think it looks artsy.  Even the leaves aren't as smooth as the petals. If I ever to this project again, I will remember the technicalities. :)

I still need to put the handles on the tote. I picked up some "webbing" in the upholstery section at Mill End Textiles. This was priced .65 cents per yard. I've never purchased webbing before. If I remember right, I learned to use the webbing for handles at sewing.about.com. I think I'd like to put a facing along the inside edge to give the tote a finished look.  

While I was shopping at the fabric store, I made sure that I checked out the water soluble fabric markers. I read about them all of the time in my Threads subscription.  Check this out! You just use it like a regular marker (Kwik Sew 3054 is the pattern I purchased. I'm getting to that!)

When you're done with the marking, you just mist some water on it and it INSTANTLY dissolves. THIS IS SO COOL! I tested it out on some mauve broadcloth too - works like a charm. :)  

There are several brands (okay, there was 3 at the store I was at) to choose from, including Clover, which is a brand in the quilting supply section. The Clover marker ran $5. I forget the other brand for $4.19, but I grabbed the cheapest at $3.89. Photo of the package below. I have a few other Collins products in my sewing supplies and I've never been disappointed, so I went it. I was a little nervous to put any marker on my projects, to be honest. But it turned out as SUPER COOL. Glad I got it. 

So Kwik Sew 3054! I picked out a cute basic skirt/tank-top pattern. The designer (Kersten Martensson) is just awesome. (Same designer for the bras that I like to make.) She designed this skirt and top pattern for fabrics of georgette, silk, silk-like fabrics, charmeuse, crepe or challis. I picked out some baby blue linen, because I didn't want to make a lining for the skirt. I guess I'm still looking for a few basic patterns so I can reuse them with different fabrics for the seasons. I really like Kwik Sew because all the patterns are tested. :) How Cool is THAT!? I haven't had to make any adjustments to a pattern yet. My tastes are pretty basic too. 

My finished skirt on the dress form.

And instead of ironing on a tag to the back of the skirt, I sewed a button on the front. I doubt that I would ever tuck a blouse in, but I won't lock myself into that idea just in case I come across a top that looks cute tucked in. 

This gal made the top. Check it out. I love her fabric! I need more experience sewing satin fabrics. I used the wrong needle and I had threads running all over th place. I basically ruined the fabric. :( O'well. Now I have learned! 

Veggies & Tote!

My eyes hurt – I must be at the computer too long. But I can't help it today. I have veggies to share! :) This photo is of our first “harvest”.

We've been eating lettuce and random squash but nothing has grown this plentiful – a plate full. I'm thinking about finding a squash soup recipe because one of our squash is GIGANTIC.

Two Saturdays ago, we sprayed Ferti.lome on our plants because of the invasive caterpillars. I thought I got all of the squash that were eatable size, but I guess I missed one and it just kept on growing. Wow! I wouldn't have been able to put this garden off alone. I was growing discouraged to the point of having no energy to take care of the issues.

I guess if a person wants to have a vegetable garden, they gotta spray for bugs. I just wash the veggies off with soap and lukewarm water to get any remaining chemicals off, if any. It's rained since we sprayed, but I wanted to be safe. :)

On the sewing front: I've been working on another creative project. A tote! This tote is nothing like my other totes though. I'm using reverse appliqué for the design. This is where I got the idea.

Here's my design.

I'll take photos of my fabric choices and how far I've come on the project later. I tried getting my colors true to form, but GIMP wasn't helping me today – or I wasn't choosing the right options. :P More to come later!!!

Tawnya Goes Bug Bonkers (and sews a little more)

Aaaaaaargh! I HATE bugs! Just look at our garden! Sigh. When I see all of those bites taken from the leaves of our food plants, I don't even want to eat food from plants that are NEXT to these in the garden. I gave up on the broccoli and cabbage a few days ago, but my sweetheart decided to “beat the bugs” and told me to go pick up some poison. I picked up some Bug B Gone by Ortho, but we wanted to try this new sprayer tool out that he picked up so we're going back today to see if we can find a liquid mix. In this photo, our broccoli plants are being destroyed. Our cabbage plants are far behind!

Here is a photo of one of the nasty villains too: Cabbage White butterfly. Yes, it's in the category of a butterfly but it looks like a moth to me. I'm not helping it out of the net. (Evil grin)

Meanwhile, I'm very pleased with how the summer squash is growing. I'm sick of the ants that crawl all over, but maybe we can dispose of them with the poison we put on the plants.

I wanted to share how large my marigolds have grown also. They are as big as our lettuce! Crazy! I didn't know that Marigolds grew so large. The package of seeds said they are miniature, and I "assumed" that meant the whole plant. LOL.

I have been very busy working more but I still keep trying to stay sane with my hobbies. When I had an itch to sew and began my new rose bra, I didn't know it would snowball. I made some ladies boxer shorts to match! Again, the pattern I used was Kwik Sew 2489. Shorts are SEW EASY! Everyone should make a pair. I plan on making flannel boxers too! Cute cute cute. They'll keep my bum super warm on cold nights. :P (Okay, I didn't need to make that stupid remark, but I'm "free associating" here. Just going with what's on my mind.)

I ordered some more supplies from Sew Sassy Fabrics to complete the bra. I paid $8.99 for ground shipping. I think the location it's coming from is Alabama, but I'll have to double check that. I'm in Minnesota (in case you're new to my blog). I'd much rather spend my $8.99 to the supplier! (just in case someone who works there reads this) but I am just as happy to pay the fee because I don't have a local supplier. WHAT!? Yeah, I live in the Twin Cities and NO BRA MAKING SUPPLIERS! Sigh. *Lightbulb* "Maybe I should open a bra/corset making supply store!" (It'll never happen; I just have great ideas.)

I impressed myself with matching my crotch seams perfectly! This practice is paying off. I can see my skills strengthening. :) It's fun!

In order to distinguish front from back, I used an iron-on tag. This is a brilliant idea. They wash well and don't scratch the skin.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed this crazy episode of "Tawnya Goes Bonkers (and sews a little more)". :) Until next time...

Sewing Up a Bra!

Well, I had to start a new project. I put the Flower Guy in the storage closet. I minimized him so much on the new drawing that I couldn't get the detail to his face in, and it just didn't look the same. But I've had an itch to sew for quite some time, so I started a new project: a brassiere.

My fabric is a pretty rose pattern on lightweight cotton. I don't know what I was really looking for to begin with, but then I saw the roses on the light blue background and decided to go with it! My pattern is Kwik Sew 2489. Kwik Sew is a pattern company located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Kerstin Martensson is the designer. Kerstin also has a book out on making lingerie that I am interested in. A copy awaits on my half.com wish list. :)

I was intimidated the first time I attempted making a bra. It just sounds intimidating, doesn't it? Well I learned there is almost nothing to making a bra! And this time around, I'm going to apply some cute lace to it—if I have it. LOL. It's quite a lot cheaper to make your own bra then to buy a cheapy at Target. I use Sew Sassy Fabrics for supplies. The link is also on the side bar for my own easy access. :) They ship FAST! I encourage everyone to choose a pattern that they like and GO FOR IT!

 Now this is a photo to show how much I did yesterday with the rest of the supplies to finish it. I plan on finishing it on Saturday (along with beginning my new weight training program!) and then hopping online to display a photo (not modeling it though, sorry! LOL).

I'm pretty satisfied with my stitching, although no one is going to see it, I still want to have nice quality. :) The topstitching on the cups are my favorite. I had the idea to sew the stitching in another color after I did it, so that will be the next bra! Wish me luck on finding the perfect lace for this rose pattern!

Flower Guy is Finished!

I finished my Flower Guy tonight. I think he turned out pretty cute!



I had the idea to illustrate the Flower Guy doing a few different things and putting a story to it, but not right now. Maybe I'll try something in a different medium – who knows with me! To say the truth, I really want to work on my afghan and it's been over 80° outside! Argh! Haha... Of course I'll post the next thing I work on. :)

Peeping on Summer Squash

Aaah! I am so excited! I am finally able to see the beginning of our summer squash. I couldn't believe my eyes. The flowers kept falling off and I was getting so discouraged. I did some research online and learned that squash plants have male and female flowers. Male flowers do not produce fruit (go figure!) and fall off. In this photo, you might be able to see the skinny stems with nothing at the top – the flowers had already fallen off. It looks like I have two squash growing side by side. YUM!





I read to harvest when the fruit is 3 to 4 inches long for the best flavors, so that's what I plan on doing.

The last photo is the full garden. I just wanted you to be able to see the difference of now and when I just planted it. It sure is rewarding to see the difference in growth! :) Yes!

Tomato Hornworm & the Flower Guy

Hello hello!

I have been meaning to write on this blog for about a week and just haven't made myself until this morning. Yes, today is THE DAY!

Garden talk: Our garden keeps growing and, unfortunately, so do the bugs in it! Every day I pick off these little green caterpillars that are munching away at my leaves. It's a lot of work, and a lot more work than I'd hoped for. Well yesterday I found this caterpillar munching away on a cabbage leaf.



I think it's a Tomato Hornworm Caterpillar. I haven't looked at my tomato plants closely since I planted them because I've been so worried about the cabbage getting infested. Today I will have to inspect the tomato plants thoroughly. One of my cabbage plants was so infested with caterpillars that I tore the entire plant out and threw it in the trash. I've decided to pick up some bt to spray. I'll keep picking until this weekend, and then I'll purchase some bt. I've read that people spray every 2 to 4 weeks.

Where do these little larva come from? Moths. They can lay 100 eggs at a time and if a person sees two moths flying around their leaves in the garden at night, that is 200 eggs they are laying!

Other news: I suppose this is “Art News”. I'm drawing a Flower Guy. I haven't finished yet, but this guy is also into flowers and gardening.



I thought I might try to illustrate the Flower Guy working in his garden and possibly riding his bike with a basket full of flowers and put a story to it. I haven't decided yet. I guess working with kids motivates me to a point. I also have great ideas and high drive, but the problem lies with having TOO many ideas to implement in a timely manner. :P I get around to some things, and not to others. Such is life.

Well, I plan to post the Flower Guy again when he's completed. :)

Note: The medium used to render the drawing is Prismacolor colored pencil.

Garden is Up & Growing!

Okay, I'm back with an update on the garden front. If you remember, I hate bugs—especially ants—so I tried to get rid of them with the Borax/granulated sugar mix. Well, that was all wrong! I needed to use POWDERED sugar. I don't know if I killed any ants or not, but I saw several crawling around yet. It wasn't quite the entire colony, but still gross! But here's the real issue. Not only are ants gross, they have eaten my seeds in the past and I wanted to get rid of them. Blah blah blah – I said all this in my last entry. So anyway, I tried the powdered sugar but I think they are just too darn smart and didn't go near it–blasted creatures!

So this next part is funny. I gave up on killing ants and planted seeds anyway. Did the seeds sprout? OF COURSE THEY DID! I was slightly worried, but that's because I tend to lean toward anxious thinking at this juncture in my life. :D (This too shall pass!) Haha. I got over the entire ant thing as soon as I laid my newspaper and straw mulch. Everything is growing nicely. I found a bug nibble on my bell pepper plants and sprayed them immediately. Since I sprayed, no more munchie-marks.

So here's the entire garden: planted, mulched, and all flowered up. I finished cutting sod for the gold stone and even planted some moss in the dirt around the edge (hopefully it will take off). Edward did a fantastic job on building the fence and Petunia shelves. I'm in awe every time I look out the window and see the garden.





Here's new garden-news. A new addition to our front corner garden is "Prickly Pear" cactus. It's a gift from a nice gardener-gal who lives just a little ways from us. I read that Prickly Pear is native to Minnesota, but I can't cite it, so …sorry. But it is all over the state. It thrives well in sandy soil and that's what we have here. The bloom is a big yellow flower – unlike other flowers I enjoy. The blooms are like a soft yellow wrapping paper tissue. I suppose ours won't bloom this year, but I'll be anticipating them next spring with camera in hand! :)



All right, tonight is “date night” at the local A&W for me and my Sweetheart. Time to go get all dolled up!

Learning The Garden Ways

Greetings!

The garden is coming along fantastically, but I have been running into some things that I need to add, change or discard. I have a small handful of photos to share.

To begin, the day I put my first set of plants in (tomato, jalapeño, bell peppers, cabbage, lettuce, & broccoli) I noticed all of the ants. Two years ago, I planted green beans for the post, 15 seeds. Six of those sprouted. I KNOW the ants ate them because the area was infested. So when I saw the ants, I was reminded of my experience two years ago. I decided to take some action this year! That's right, I'm in charge of my garden.

A person could search all day long on remedies to rid the ants, but I tried one that I found in one of my perennial books and adjusted the recipe of destruction. :) The book suggested 3 cups of water, 1 cup of white sugar and 4 tsp of liquid boric acid. Bring these to a boil and pour into small containers. The other suggestion was Borax and icing sugar – equal parts. I used the latter, however, I chose white sugar instead of icing. I totally messed that part up, but ants ate like mad. Hopefully some of the Borax was ingested (and administered to the QUEEN!). I didn't seen ants in the garden yesterday when I looked, but I'll be planting seeds today and I will get a closer look.



I hate bugs. I hate them with a passion, but I love flowers and food so I must come to a truce so I'm able to work the garden. Several plants bring beneficial bugs to the garden (and some eat the bad bugs!) so I am trying to plant those. Since I'm broke, I'm starting everything from seed. Plus, it's more fun to watch the growth from the beginning stages of a plant. At any rate, what I just learned is that Chrysanthemum (Daisy) deters ALL bad bugs! I planted two of them in front of my broccoli and cabbage.



A list of other plants that attract beneficial bugs are:
Ajuga, Aster, Black-eye-susan, Butterfly weed, Coneflower (Echinacea), Feverfew, Goldenrod, Marguerite, Monarda (which is somewhat invasive), Speedwell, Thyme, Yarrow, Clover, Dandelion, Dill, Fennel, Lavender, LEMON BALM (which I have seeds for), Lovage and Queen Anne's Lace.

Hummingbirds are also beneficial for the garden because they eat insects! I have a Hummingbird feeder hanging near the garden post and I am setting up some pots on the high posts full of “Dreams Burgundy” Petunia. Apparently the birds are drawn to this plant for nectar. (I plan to dig in the gold stone for the garden entrance in the next couple of days.)


I also planted “Red Star” Petunia in 10 pots along the front of the house. This is somewhat of a problem area because it's shade most of the day and then from about 2:30 pm on the sun creeps along the front of the house and boils up the area! HOT. I tried shade plants there, but it's just too sunny at the end of the day. I love terracotta color so those are the pots I chose, matching the mocha house or not, I wanted it. :)



For the deciduous shade garden, I planted Vincas, Mimulus and Impatients. The mimulus is a guess because the label in the plant said it needed different light from the sign on the table they were sold on. They were in the greenhouse so I am inclined to think they would do better in the shade. I'll just keep fertilizing them and see what comes of it.





And finally, the mystery plant bloom REVEALED! California Orange Poppy! I hated the foliage at the beginning of the year, but thought twice before I weeded this creepy looking stuff. I have been weeding this poppy flower out of the garden for two years. I am uncertain whether it calls to beneficial insects or not. I did brush off a squash bug though. I think it was a squash bug at any rate. I will keep a close watch out, of course, to see what insects it brings in. But it is BEAUTIFUL! Ed loves the orange color too. :)

Took the Compost Down!

Oh my gosh, do I ever feel like putting a heating pad on my back! I've been doing garden work all day and I would use the heating pad if it wasn't for my sunburn! Today was so beautiful (after many days of rain) that I wore my swimsuit in the yard. I couldn't reach some spots of my back too well with the sunblock and since my Love is on his fishing trip, I had no help. :P

All right, this is what I did out in the yard today! I have been keeping a compost for the past two years in the back yard by our shed. Today was the day that I de-fenced it and used the rest of the dirt in the new flower bed. I smoothed the area out. I can either put more plants there, or we can just use that space for storage. It doesn't get many hours of sun, but it's the hottest sun of the day that it does get.



Our rhubarb seems to be doing fine in that space. I'm going to see if the chives do well in next to the rhubarb. This is why: Our doggy, Chubahka, has discovered that he loves chives and couldn't stay away from them. He ate most of them down to the dirt. When I saw him, I hollered at him to get away and he ran over to me, wagging his tail and panting. It was the first time that I actually loved smelling his breath. Haha! So, I moved the chives on his account. They now need to be fenced.



So now the flower bed! This garden has all of the little seedlings I started indoors now. I've been bringing them outside for a week or so, before the rains, so I know they've had some time to get acclimated. But they aren't ready for the cool nights yet. They need that added protection. That's why the milk cartons are over them. I plan to run outside as soon as I wake up to check on them. It's not good if they get too hot, either, so I'll take those off when I check on them – if the weather is dandy.



Off topic – sort of. When I went to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, I fell deeply in love with Lemon Bee Balm. I want some! During my trip to Walmart today, I saw the seeds and freaked out (inside though). I might have jumped a little. Maybe a small pant or two. LOL! They were a buck! Into the cart they went. I'll put some of this Lemon Bee Balm in the flower bed because the foliage is just gorgeous and it SMELLS SO PRETTY!! Get some and grow it in your kitchen at the very least! :)



All right. I still need to locate the photos to post here and I'm really sleepy. I think it took me an hour to write this entry tonight. LOL! I gotta get to bed. :) Nighty night!