Pink Yarrow

For those wondering what a "ripe" tomatillo looks like, look no further. My first post on this blog featured the delicate-looking "lanterns" of the first tomatillos and here they are ready to be picked. Below is a bowl of picked tomatillos ready to be cooked and made into salsa (also a few more tomatoes from my paltry harvest this year).


Below, my pumpkin is finally turning orange. I really thought I was going to have to make do with a green pumpkin this year, but I just needed some patience!

Mr. Monkeysuit is featuring Sentimental Quilts this week for Quilt Month. I only own two handmade quilts, and both qualify as sentimental. This yellow quilt was a gift for my first born. It is not a crib quilt, but a lap quilt. I love the design and the fact that it is yellow. I understand that quilters shy away from yellow because it is such an attention hog it is hard to match it with other colors. So, the perfect solution? A yellow quilt! When I first received it I planned to hang it and display it. I was promptly scolded by the quilt's maker (a family friend) and told this quilt was made to be used! It is a favorite of all 3 kids and their dolls and I'm so glad we're using it and enjoying looking at it.


The pink quilt was also a gift for my first born, but has a sad story behind it. It is a hand-quilted wholecloth quilt that was made for a baby girl who never quite made it into our world. The family held on to the quilt for more than two decades, two sons and two grandsons and then decided it needed to be passed along to a baby girl. It's so pretty and delicate, I hope you can see the flower pattern in the middle and the prairie point edges.

We are in the midst of a dining room re-do this week, mostly involving paint. Here's a sneak peak of Paprika, Wildflower and Cinnamon (which I think actually looks more like Terra Cotta...)

I'm making a root vegetable soup tomorrow with our harvest of carrots and turnips. One tomato, one lonely tomato so far this year. There are a bunch of green ones on the plants, but I don't know if they'll ripen this late in the year. *sigh* There's always next year - and I'm planting earlier!

I had the opportunity to visit one of my favorite thrift stores today and what a good day to visit it was. Although I was there to look for crafting supplies (they have a nice, big selection - especially of fabric), I found a few other things as well. I promised myself I wouldn't pick up anymore ceramic pieces from thrift stores or rummage sales, but I just couldn't help myself with these. Above is a vintage Relpo daisy vase. Below is a Pearl China Co. swan. I love them.

My big score was this embroidery kit. Below is the owl.

Here are partially finished flowers.

Here are the pictures from the package.

Here are my fabulous fabric finds - I'm using the white for an embroidery project I have planned and the plaid for the girls' quilts project I will start after finishing the doll quilts. The pink is Swiss Dot - need I say more? The blue I'm not sure about yet. It's heavy so I have to unroll it and see if it's home decor weight or just a lot of unwashed fabric rolled together. It fits in with my "stash", so I'll find something to do with it.

Lastly, E's treasures. This is what my sweet and patient little shopping partner picked out. I can't believe I didn't have to talk her out of another stuffed animal or junky game. She's a smarty pants!

It's Quilt Month at Mr. Monkeysuit. Coincidentally, I just started my very first quilt this month (although I've been planning to make one forever). I decided to start with a doll quilt so I can make all my mistakes on something small that I haven't committed too much emotional energy to. I actually plan to make three doll quilts, one for each of my daughters. Hopefully that will give me enough practice to start a real quilt (or, quilts - one for each of my daughter's beds!)

These first quilts will be made entirely from my "stash", and it's sort of a stretch calling my pile of fabric a "stash". I basically have fabric picked up from thrift stores and rummage sales - you know the bags of scraps for $1. Also, some vintage sheets and thrifted men's dress shirts. The quilt pictured below is made exclusively from men's shirts (the stripes) and vintage sheets (the florals). I have it pieced and basted into a "quilt sandwich" and I can't wait to finish it!

The book I'm using as my guide and teacher is: The Quilters Ultimate Visual Guide. I bought this book years ago when I first decided I wanted to start quilting. I noticed that it is listed in the Sew, Mama, Sew! Blog in their post Readers' Top 10 Favorite Quilting Books.

So far, I've loved every part of the process, even though I've made many mistakes. I'm glad I'm starting small with something that will be loved. It's so much more fun than making something "just for practice".

Crafted by a child's hands.