If you're not a gardener, Zones refer to the coldest extreme of a climate and the corresponding hardiness required by plants to survive that cold.  In reference to North America, Zone 1 starts at the North Pole.  Here in Zone 3, plants have to tolerate -40C (same as -40F). 

I tried for many years to be a Zone 3 gardener. 

I was defeated.

This sweet little harbinger of Spring is one of only a few surviving remnants of my early attempts to conquer this climate in pursuit of a lush and bountiful English Cottage garden.  Among countless other ill-fated species - everything from foxglove to lavender - I planted 100 of these muscari bulbs.  (See?  I even remember the Latin term for "grape hyacinth".)  If you drove by my house today you'd be hard pressed to believe a gardener had ever lived here, except for this one week in May when these tiny clusters of periwinkle blue pop up to say, "Congratulations, you survived another Canadian winter!"

My muscari forgive me every year for my horticultural failings.  I feel like they're reassuring me that not everyone is born to garden, but they appreciate how hard I tried and continue to reward me for my efforts, however misguided they may have been.

If you garden - in any zone - you have my deepest admiration and respect.

If you have an English Cottage garden, please consider inviting me over for a cup of tea some time. ;)

I started out with pink & green in mind.  But my quilting muse had other plans for me and I ended up with this dreamy assortment of powdery pinks, muted creams & silver grays. 

I have big plans for these fabrics. 

Or rather little plans.

Half inch hexagon plans, to be exact.  :)

This doesn't always happen to me - where the finished product looks even better than it did in my imagination.  But I'm really happy with this one.

I've been wanting to try my hand at a pinch purse ever since I picked up a few of these metal frames at Quilt Market last year. 

This embroidered scrolly motif was just enough to satisfy my craving to do some pretty little hand stitching. 

A polka dot lining - my homage to Kate Spade.

The lace trim hides the seam nicely.  And the bow?  Almost too much. 

Almost ... but not quite. ;)

"Ok, sister.  Please do not expect this little purse to find its way into your mailbox.  Okay?  I'd hate for you to be disappointed."

(Being a blogger with a sister who likes surprises is not without it's challenges.)

But do you ever have those moments when you can see something finished in your head and it looks fantastic ... and then worry that it won't meet your expectations when it's done?  That's where I'm at right now. 

I really hope it turns out ok ... not like it's a gift or anything.

*     *     *     *     *

Not my usual offering here, I know ... all this red.  And it's not even Christmas or Valentines. 

Or strawberries. ;)

But I happen to know someone who adores red toile.

"Sister, if you're still reading this, no you are NOT the someone I just mentioned and no this is NOT for you.  This is NOT your late birthday present that I promised you a few months ago ... even though this red toile fabric looks EXACTLY like the one I asked if you liked when you were here visiting ... just sayin'."

You will recognize many of the designers in this book, like Anne Sutton, Yoko Saito, my home girl Amy Sinibaldi, Natalie Lymer ... and somehow I ended up in the Table of Contents too.

I'll have more to share with you in the coming weeks, but for now I'll just exhale. 

And smile. 

(It's available for pre-order in all the usual places ... you can have a look inside here on Amazon.)

Speaking of Spring, that is exactly what my latest sewing project reminds me of ... fresh & new & pretty and oh so welcomed!  I think my old/new pillowcases made with reclaimed vintage lace and some brand new fabric turned out pretty well. 

It's rare I use such beautiful fabric within days of purchasing it.  I usually buy fabric because I love it, not because I know what I'm going to do with it.  But this was different.  I knew the moment I laid eyes on this dreamy ticking stripe that it would become pillowcases.  And it feels really good to have finally found a way to give this vintage lace a new purpose ... after sitting in my cupboard for nearly a decade.

My idea to hide the damage on the lace worked like a charm.

I lost a bit of detail on the lace, but none of the prettiness.

Happily, the fabric was about 4" wider than I needed.  So when I cut that excess off the entire length of my yardage, I had this lovely stripe left over. 

I was careful not to cut the lace anywhere - it's still intact under that trim, just in case I (or someone else in the distant future) need to salvage it again.

The first pillowcase went together easily.  The second, however, offered me a few challenges.

A) One piece of lace was too short.  I had another small bit that I thought would make up the difference ...

B)  but even together the joined pieces were still not quite long enough (short by less than an inch!)  So I used the fabric's stripe again to span the gap (and cover the raw edges) while appearing to be an intentional "decorative detail".   I quite like how it looks.

and C) I was about 2" shy from the border I cut off the entire length of yardage ... but I was able to piece it too.

This right here explains exactly why so many of us quilters buy "too much" fabric ... because we've been caught too many times with just a few inches short of enough.  Sometimes ... oftentimes ... we can make do, improvise, change direction, etc.  But sometimes it's a real heartbreaker.

*     *     *     *     *

I was in my local quilt shop last week and spotted this "oh my goodness I must take you home with me right now" fabric ...

(This is the taupe/gray version.  It also comes in pink & blue ... available online here.)  I'm a total sucker for all things ticking stripe.  I really am.  This one has ME written all over it.

Actually it has Tanya Welan written on it ... but you know what I mean. ;)

It was begging to be made into pillow cases.

I could not refuse.

Besides, I'd been thinking recently about these pieces of vintage hand crocheted lace sitting quietly in my cupboard. 

I bought them on eBay a long time ago. 

I'm certain the skilled crocheter who made them many years ago used them as pillowcase trim ... maybe for her hope chest?  I think they have already enjoyed time adorning pillows, but were thankfully rescued by someone who knew they were worth saving.  I can't imagine parting with such family heirlooms, but I'm honoured to be the current owner of these treasures and I hope to do right by them.

The lace has few spots of damage.  I'm guessing it happened when it was being removed from it's previous case ...

but I think I have a solution.

Hope you have a "hello gorgeous" moment this weekend! :)

It's just so ... so gosh darned cute!

I've seen these adorable, diminutive zippered pouches all over Pinterest and have been dying to make one, but searching for supplies (like this tiny zipper) was a little tricky. 

Then I found kits.  Available here!)

Sometimes there's just nothing like a great little craft kit ... or four ... to solve all your problems.

Couldn't pick a favorite color so I got one of each.   (I made my least favorite color first in case I messed it up.)

So now I can cross this pretty.much.useless.but.who.really.cares. about.that.sort.of.thing.anyway hand stitched macaron off my crafting bucket list.  :)

Besides, satisfying an emotional need is practical.  Some would even say theraputic ... essential to life as we know it.  Ergo, this macaron is arguably the most practical thing I've ever made.

(I could have been a lawyer.)

She looks much better on a chair than on my ... er ... you know. ;)

Cutting Wanda out of my turtleneck was the hardest part of this project for me ... I knew I couldn't change my mind once I made the first cut.

Once I got past that, the rest was pure creative joy.

I had no plans from one step to the next.  I didn't have the coffin-shaped hexies in mind when I started ...

(which I machine pieced, by the way ... a whole lotta inset seams there ... but way faster than English paper piecing).

I didn't think of appliqueing the patchwork onto the cross-stitched panel until I started piecing the hexies.

I did have an idea to do some embroidery, but didn't know it would be variegated floss to disguise my shoddy applique work!  LOL!

And I really didn't anticipate hand quilting.

But I'm so glad I did it.

And I even had some impromptu fun with the back.

A row of scraps to hide the zipper and a length of lace didn't take much extra effort, but they're nice finishing details.

Now she's going to be packed away until Halloween. 

And maybe even until the following Halloween because we're scheduled to move around Nov/Dec.

Now ... look what else I found in my closet.   

My sister made it for me 12 years ago.  I'm thinking just an ornament at this point ... but I'll keep you posted.