January's Spring Fever

This can not be good!
I found these verdant tips coming up under the deck. My gardening memory is a bit hazy as to what I planted in that spot last year. I hope they go back to sleep until May. Their exuberance is commendable but possibly fatal. After photographing these upstarts I buried them under a pile of leaves until Spring.
Our mild winter has taken most of us on a lark, having gotten us comfortable in mid-temperature weather. Yesterday it actually turned to winter wind and cold with a touch of snow in the air. Out of habit I reached for my light windbreaker coat. Possibly I was thinking its black color had something to do with warmth. I had been wearing it with wool scarves as a nod to the season. Thank goodness for electrically heated car seats or your Mother would have froze.


Peaks of green from the indoor garden.
These photos are only closeups because all the plants are straining toward the meager winter light and all are now oddly shaped. This tuft of lavender has managed to stay upright, holding its own against a sea of bias.
And I have butterflies.
This scarf is a work in progress. I decided after all these years of handsewing I would try the elusive hand-rolled hem. I now know why they invented the rolled hem foot for the sewing machine. This hem IS labor intensive. But the end result is much more elegant than the machine produced variety. When the thread is gently pulled through the stitches the hem tucks in neatly to produce a tiny little roll along the edge. Very Fine! Despite the time input I would certainly choose to do this again. It is a very pretty finish on a delicate woven fabric.
I have also been thrift shopping for fabric and discovered a printed panel for placemat sets. I used two of them as the sides of a large tote bag. The fabric was thin so I interfaced it to add stability. The structural fabric is an upholstery fabric I could not resist buying on another outing. I made the lining taller than the bag top so it would fold over to the outside to create a framing effect for the panels.

Spring fever indeed!

love, Mom