A Pattern Takes Me Down a Peg or Two

Second Post of the Day

I love sewing, and I love making pleats. But every once in a while, a pattern can take you down a peg. 

This pleated shortgown took me almost a year to make - I started it before last year's Feast.

At first, things went well, but then I got stuck on the back pleats. I pinned, I asked for help from Brooke Sauter (a master sewist) and we repinned it together, I realized it was still wrong and I pinned again...

But it still wasn't right - the neckline (at the bottom) was WAY too short and the shoulders would be scrunched in towards the body if I stitched it that way. It was not wearable like that.

I'd made the pattern once before and not had any trouble with the back pleats. I pulled that shortgown out and laid it on the sewing table next to the problematic one. I flipped it over and examined the pleats, and then I saw the problem.

I was making the pleats to face the center of the garment when they really needed to be oriented to face the side seams.

I took all the pins out and repinned those pleats so they faced outward, then stitched them up. Success!

All that was left was to finish the raw edges of the sleeves, the hem, the center front, and the neck.

The neck was a curved narrow hem and those are not easy to do. Ironing is essential, but laying it flat to do that doesn't work well - the rounded edge can lose its shape and then the hem is off as you stitch it. It needed to be ironed on a rounded surface, not a flat one.

Luckily, I have a tailor's ham, a stuffed muslin tool that is rounded and allows the sewist to iron the curved hem without losing the curved shape.

I ironed that curved hem and then carefully stitched it down, ironing it again on the tailor's ham when I finished stitching.

Finished! Finally, after almost a year of hanging on the clothing rack waiting to be worked on.

I'm pleased with how it turned out and the fabric I used was a fantastic find. (I made a bedgown out of it and it sold almost immediately. I expect this one may do the same.)

Having said that, I'm not sure I want to tackle that pattern again. I think I will wait and see if it does sell quickly and then make my decision.

Stay 'tooned!

A Tribute to a Tree - Part 2

First Post of the Day

My children love Morainewood, my childhood home on the Wabash. They have so many memories wrapped up there, visiting Apple Jack and Granny Slash, the big swing tucked back in the woods that Apple Jack hung from an ancient tree, sledding down the moraine, poking around on the shores of the Wabash, and more.

So, it's not really a surprise that Lisa drops by the property every now and then. She likes to walk around and spend some quiet time with her memories.

The witness tree, that venerable old oak, came crashing down during some high winds earlier this summer and Lisa took some photos for me when she last visited.

It smashed into the trees ringing the clearing 

and did a lot of damage to them.

The damage from the fungus was evident at its roots - see that hole where the fungus has been eating inside the tree?

The root system that came out of the ground was taller than Lisa (she's 5'8".) Massive roots for a massive and very old tree.

A second tree nearby also sustained damage from those winds.

Part of its top split off and toppled down next to the old oak.

When we lived in the house, it was a constant worry that "some day" the oak would come down and maybe even hit the house. It did once lose a large branch that came through the roof over the living room, but that was the only incident in the 50 years that Morainewood was our family home.

There is no longer a home for the tree to land on

and the giant oak is now resting on the ground. 

Since the land is being returned to nature, I hope the tree is left where it is lying so it can complete its life cycle in the way in which nature intends it to do.

Stay 'tooned. 

A Tribute to a Tree - Part One

When we moved into our home on the Wabash in 1970, my Grandpa Honeywell, a Horticulturist at Purdue, told us that the oak tree at the base of the home was around 250 - 300 years old. 

It was a true witness tree - old enough to have seen William Henry Harrison coming up the Wabash for the Battle of Tippecanoe and who knows how many other historic events.

The tree "witnessing" Thanksgiving, 1970 as I showed my Honeywell grandparents my horse Amy.

When the house was built in the 1960s, the tree was saved and it stood sentinel at the top of the driveway where the basement garage opened out.

By 2012 its massive trunk was covered with vines. Worse, it had a parasitic fungus that showed up that August. I can't remember the name of it, but I did some research and learned that it was eating the tree from the inside out, a sign that the tree was in its end stage of life.

Every August I began checking the tree, and sure enough, the fungus would manifest itself, and then wither and decay only to reappear again the following August. This photo was taken in 2014 with the Coke can for perspective.

August after August, that proof of the oak tree's inner battle and harbinger of the tree's demise would pop up for a week or so, then decay and disappear.

The oak in 2017.

Earlier this spring, my old home was razed and the grounds are now in a restoration phase of returning to nature.

It was a relief and a surprise to see that the tree had not been removed or damaged by the demolition.

It hurt to see the home gone, but that tree still stood, continuing to witness the history around it. For me, it was the last remnant of my home and I found it comforting that the oak remained.

Inside the tree, though, its own life's clock was ticking and drawing to a close.

Stay 'tooned.

 

Birds, Ponies, Chemises, Friends & Toffee Bars

Second Post of the Day

(Like that title? Much better than the usual "Mish Mosh" or "Hodge Podge," right? LOL)

First, I can now confirm that there ARE two baby barn swallows in the nest cup over our front porch.

Here they are, sitting on the edge of the nest and just about ready to fledge. The parents were swooping in and out with food, and at one point I saw all four at once, confirming the presence of the second baby. I suspect they will be leaving the nest soon.

I will really miss watching them.

I've begun sunning the PAF I found during my BreyerFest virtual "CHIN" shopping (a local antique store.) 

There is just a hint of pink on its muzzle, so I've covered it with masking tape to protect the color from fading.

Currently the outside temperatures are moderate so I feel comfortable letting it sit outside and get some sun.

An alarm on my phone is set to go off every two hours to remind me to go outside and check on it, turn it, etc. I think this little foal will look nice when done!

Sewing for The Feast of the Hunters' Moon has begun and the first chemise has been completed.

The ends of the sleeves are pleated when the cuffs are added. (An option would be to gather them, but I prefer the look of pleats.)

I love how pleats look on the finished garment, but pleating two sleeves takes up almost every one of my favorite pins. (Not to worry, I have nine pincushions and more pins if I need them; I just prefer these.)

I love the look of sleeve buttons in the cuffs, too.

Today's sewing plan is to complete another chemise and then either cut out some pockets or to start working on the green cloak that is cut out and prepped.

"I know it's very short notice, but I'm going to be in town tomorrow. Could I stop by around 2:00 for a quick visit?"

When your bestie (who moved away two years ago) sends you that kind of text, you rearrange your schedule and reply, "YES!!

Lisa and I had the best time being together again, and I baked her some toffee bars to nibble on as she drove home.

Here's the recipe:

Toffee Bars 

1 c. butter, softened

1 c. brown sugar

1 egg yolk 

2 c. flour

2 c. chocolate chips (approx.)

chopped almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter, brown sugar, and egg yolk. (Do not use the egg white - it will change the consistency of the bars.) Beat in the flour.  Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray (or line with parchment paper - my choice.) Pat the dough evenly into the pan. Bake 20 minutes until firm and golden brown.

Turn off oven and pull the pan out of oven. Immediately top with the chocolate chips, sprinkling them evenly over the top of the bars.  Put the pan back into the oven (leave the door ajar) for 3 - 5 minutes until the chocolate chips are softened. (They will look shiny.) Pull the pan out again and spread the softened chocolate chips over the bars and if you wish, sprinkle with the chopped almonds. Cool, cut, and eat!

Enjoy, and stay 'tooned!

A Year at the Park

First Post of the Day

Last summer, I thought it would be fun to take a year of monthly photos of our park. I planned to take several photos on the third day of every month and then at the end of twelve months, put them together and see how the park had changed over a year's worth of time.

The park is a very short walk from our home - it's across the street and past two neighbor's homes. It has a lake that is full of turtles, fish, waterfowl, and muskrats, and is visited by bald eagles, osprey, cormorants, great blue herons, green herons (a favorite of mine; they remind me of Muppets), and more. Coyotes are known to hunt in the park as well as great horned owls and foxes.

I love living so close to the park and Craig and I walk the dogs there almost every day. It's a highlight of the day for the dogs, too.

Here are the results of that photo project.

July 3, 2025

Looking south at the lake. Both fountains are on and sometimes, if the wind is right, we can feel the spray from the closest one as we sit in the pavilion.

The western edge of the park. There's a creek in that dip in front of the pine trees. We play frisbee a lot right here.

My goal was to take a picture of the lake each month and then one of the frisbee field. I didn't always get those pics, but I sure tried.

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August 3, 2025

Taken from the pavilion (it was August, and it was HOT), the lake, the fountains, and what we call "crop circles." Those are caused by.... I think it's an underground fungus that grows in a circular pattern and ends up adding nutrients to the soil, hence the circle of green.

Looking west at the creek, again from the pavilion.

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September 3, 2025

Generally, September is very hot and dry in Indiana. The grass is starting to show its dryness and isn't as vibrantly green as it usually is.

A southwest view of the creek's beginning and the foliage that lines its edges. That foliage is beginning to dry out, too.

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October 3, 2025

From the pavilion. The fountains are still on and we've had some rain. The tops of the trees in the background are showing some Fall color.

Still very warm outside but the leaves are clearly fading and losing their green.

The native plants along the creek are dying and turning brown.

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November 3, 2025

The fountains are still on, and the Fall foliage is in full swing. 

The native plants are all brown and dry. And just who is that cute doggy in the window picture?

The frisbee field grasses no longer need mowing and are drying out for the winter, too.

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December 3, 2025

Hello, Winter! And it's only December 3rd. This photo was taken from my car - there was so much ice that I didn't dare get out and try to walk into the park. Besides, my walker would need skis instead of wheels!

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January 3, 2026

Happy New Year! That first snow has melted off so I was able to roll down to the park and take my shots. The fountains were turned off as soon as the temperatures dropped below freezing. There is ice on the lake with an open channel in the middle.

Dead foliage along the banks and by the pavilion, dead crunchy grass,

and a light snow that stuck to the frozen mulch on the playground. Walks with the dogs are very short and cautious - neither Craig nor I want to fall on the ice.

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February 3, 2026

More snow and ice. And although the walking paths are cleared,

I can't get my walker over that snow piled up at the curb to enter the park. So, another photo from the car this month.

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March 3, 2026

Bleak, chilly, and foggy. The start of Spring, but it sure doesn't feel like it.

The grass is dead and dry, and if you look closely, geese are gathering on the open water on the lake. A harbinger of Spring for sure.

The frisbee field is dead and dry, too, no leaves on the trees, and the only green is in the bank of pine trees on the other side of the creek.

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April 3, 2026

What a change in the frisbee field! Happy, happy dogs to have soft green grass to play  and roll around in. And those trees are in bloom!

There is also a light green haze on the trees - leaves are beginning to bud! And the native vegetation is showing some signs of life, too. Spring has arrived in the park at last.

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May 3, 2026

Frisbee playing is a daily routine once again. The grass is back to its normal green, and the native plants, always a bit slower to recover from Winter, are growing and visable.

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June 3, 2026

With the threat of freezing temperatures over, the fountains have been turned back on and the lake looks beautiful.

If you are at the park at just the right time and in the right place, there is a daily rainbow that can be seen on sunny days.

Summer has begun and all is green and growing. Although it is getting hot.

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July 3, 2026

A year at the park has come full circle. Summer is in full swing and it is hot so we always spend time cooling off in the pavilion when playing frisbee with Pepper and Tammo.

Not that they mind - while they love to chase those frisbees, the heat and humidity can be very oppressive.

That was a fun project for me to do and I might repeat it again for another year. While I live here and see the park all the time, I was surprised at some of the changes I could see when I looked at it from a monthly perspective rather than a daily one.

So, I've got a reminder on my phone and will start again in just a few days. I may even post the photos monthly and then gather them for an annual post like this one, too.

Stay 'tooned!