I can't tell what I suffer for my garden...

I have suffered long and hard for this year's crop of zucchini, and I don't think that it is over yet. It is WAY too late for my plants to start flowering and I may have to resort to covering them in a few weeks when the risk of frost is nigh.

Firstly, my seedlings kept getting munched by an organism unknown to me, I could never find the little bugger but it kept munching the seedlings off at ground level only at night. No silver trails - so couldn't blame the snails! I resorted to covering the plants (phase 2 seedlings that is) over with milk and juice cartons at night. So then we had this incredibly hot and windy day back in November which just decimated the poor buggers and they weren't that small then either. So it was back to the drawing board and replant another crop. Again, cover it over with the cartons, then came the HEAT. Luckily the man of the house had constructed a shade cloth a-frame which ensured that they could attempt to survive the heat. I only removed it last week to let them out into the real world to survive....and THEN on Monday we had a storm which blew the damn a-frame over and squished the plants that I had nurtured. You can see a bent branch on the above photo.

But it's a bit like a bad pregnancy (or so I hear), it's all forgotten when you see the baby...and here is my baby...

How many shoes do you have?

Well it has been a little time since my last post...and STILL NO SEWING is happening. I had forgotten about how demanding a non-day sleeping little baby could be when I dreamt about all of the sewing, cooking, gardening that I could get done this year. I have also been submitting examination material for my other alias - professional suzy so I have been productive, but just not with fun stuff!

I have found that I am developing a serious addiction to Polyvore - thanks kuka! But on a serious note it is something that I can do one handed while breastfeeding and it is helping me sort out what fabulous garments I will sew once I drop some more baby fat. So to be perfectly honest I am being quite Trinny and Susannah about it all and "planning" my wardrobe.

I have found a lot of bloggers out there that sew just so beautifully and I am aspiring to do just the same. I've ordered a heap of books from amazon (where are they.......) and will review them after they have arrived and been digested, and I'm doing lots of online reading. One interesting post that I found is about different presser feet - who ever knew. Some of them sound so great, like the blind hem foot, binding foot and ruffle one. This blogger even has attached online tutorials for each foot. How many shoes do you have?
So whilst I am engrossed in my "research" phase I still want to sew something, so I picked up this pattern on the weekend, and hopefully have enough of the cute double sided Japanese linen left to make one for the girl-child. Not sure on the size though, as winter approaches she could wear a shirt underneath - but I think it would be much cuter for a summer outfit. Whaddayallthink?

Finally - some needle and thread

Well the girl-child is suspiciously becoming much like the boy-child was as a baby. Sleeps at night, but cat-naps during the day. Now I know most mothers would lynch me for complaining about a child that can sleep 6-8 hours at night from the age of 6 weeks (3 weeks for her brother), BUT it does get tiresome feeding ALL day and a little one that won't let you do a damn thing. But she IS cute - see........Today I managed to steal some time and finish a WIP which was actually last touched the night before I had said girl-child. It is another bib made in the Michael Miller "Dick & Jane" fabric range and the pattern ceremoniously flogged from here.



I am still troubled by attaching binding to a curved edge. I did find a tutuorial on the Angry chicken blog which allowed me to vastly improve, but I don't think the latest version (the yellow fabric) will be gifted. I did gift one of these a few months ago before my sewing improved and I developed a distaste for the "stitch police" commenting on my work. Well in a few months when she has taken to spilling food it won't really matter.

The garden (and I) just want it to STOP!

It has been hot hot hot here, today hopefully is the last day of 40 odd degrees. It has been hot for over a week. Everything is suffering the garden, the children, mummy, daddy, doggie, kitty - not necessarily in that order of course. The garden has managed to give us some goodies this week - a few beans (resurrected back from some strange minute white moth), the tomatoes which are actually relishing the heat and the tiniest french breakfast radishes and if you look ever so close one weany shallot/spring onion.

So despite my best intention sewing has been OFF the agenda, too damn hot! Putting the "mad frau" comment from the mysterious Paul aside, I have continued to make some jam rather than let the fruit go to waste. This morning's efforts yielded some yummy strawberry jam.

Back to the sewing though, I am excited because I have just bought my first Burda World of Fashion, BWOF to those in the know. Despite enquiring about a subscription through the website, which STILL remains unanswered, I was undeterred and yesterday as we sought refuge from the heat in Borders I picked up my first copy. It's soooooooo lovely and although it is 4 months out of date, it's not so bad for me as I don't intend on sewing much for the immediate post-baby bod, and fantasise about svelte Suzy clothes continuously.

Perhaps I should have made my BWOF enquiry with my hausfrau alias, then the good people in the muter land may have replied.........just thinking.

She's mad I tell you...

Well that's what they will be saying about me for making jams and preserves in 35 degree heat. But the man of the house made the trek to the farmer's markets yesterday to get the goods, and the shiny new Bell Mason jars were in the corner saying "fill me, fill me", so I had to oblige.

I did have a little help for the Sunday session, as I had never made jam before a couple of work people came over, one to help and one to talk. But was happy to have the talker here as she arrived with a bottle of ABSOLUT in hand (and a Tonka for the boy!). The plum jam is just to die for, haven't eaten the strawberry yet. BUT......

The preserved peaches and nectarines not so good. The fruit has floated to the top of the bottle, leaving an unsightly gap at the bottom of the jar. They are still edible, but half of the fun was going to be looking at pretty rows of preserved fruit. It can't be that the syrup is too heavy as I made the lightest version. Can anyone help me? PLEASE! I have 3 more kgs of fruit to jar and I want it to look purty.