In the queue

This spring has been very busy, in all the best ways. And I'm finally sitting down to share some of the more creative things that are in the queue.

We've been gardening on faith for the last few years and this year feels like the big payoff.  Everything in the yard seems to have expanded two-fold this season.  The best part of all of this is that my mom and a family friend of ours are really proficient gardeners, and most all of these plants came to our home after being split from their gardens.  Which isn't just thrifty, but nice to sit and enjoy a little landscape that feels like home.

Hostas, volunteer oregano and lilies

Lily of the valley

Japanese painted fern and creeping jenny

Columbine

Gnome guarding the mint (hello mojitos)

Yellow-green hostas in the rocks

Love this hosta and it's painterly greens

I've also been knitting a little.  (Stress a little.)  The weather has been so beautiful that it's hard to force myself to sit down and knit when there is so much to do outside.  This is a 6 month version of the Forest Park cardigan.  I'm still planning to finalize the pattern, it's just been on the back burner... Isn't this color great... I think it is called Apricot (Quince and Co Chickadee).

Work in progress

And I'm dusting off the sewing machine and revisiting some of my old and new favorite Oliver and S patterns.  I've been really careful to trace each size of these patterns and not destroy the originals.  And it's fun now to see just how many sizes and versions of this blouse I have made.  No less than four sizes of this pattern have been finished for our girl.  And this summer will be complete with three new versions.  This big coral colored print is an out of production Amy Butler, I think.  The pastel with woodland creatures is accented by red rick-rack in the print.  And really, who doesn't need a blouse that  has garden gnomes on it.  (It's a Heather Ross print from Spoonflower... darling!)

Class picnic blouse - and another gnome.

And my newest Oliver and S pattern is the Ice Cream Dress.  Last year I scored this fun monkey print and there is some major excitement around these parts about wearing a monkey dress.  (I'm fully aware that I need to enjoy the current zeal about wearing handmade clothes now... this surely won't last.) And the other print is something equally fun and whimsical.  It's an alphabet made out of illustrated plants and animals... again kind of woodland themed...   we'll see how these turn out.

Plans for the Ice Cream Dress

Stay tuned for some finished product photos... hopefully soon.