side yard, before and after

We finally managed to get the weed-block fabric and rocks down to cover the remaining side yard (which, you'll remember had been taken over by prickly, waist-high weeds, and yucky-thorny blackberry brambles) and I couldn't be happier. It could perhaps use a bit more green, probably in the form of succulent pots and other drought-tolerants, but I look forward to strolling down this path to tend to the vegetable garden, when that gets planted--we left a bare patch next to the lemon tree for zucchini and tomatoes, and whatever else I might want to grow. We didn't install a drip-watering system or anything like that, but there is a spigot on this side of the house which I'm happy to be able to access again (now that I'll have a reason to use it).

This project has claimed many weekends over the past 2+ years and required:
(1) Clearing the weeds and invading trees/brambles.
(2) Clearing them again each year/season when we left the project unfinished (because we were too busy getting the other parts of the yard under control).
(3) Hauling away a makeshift "potting table" that was falling down and finding new storage for all the empty terra cotta pots inside the garage.
(4) Building a retaining wall (making use of the cinder blocks that had been lying around the yard) to hold the dirt back from the fence because the neighbor's yard is 2 feet lower than ours.
(5) Extending the drainpipe to funnel the vast amount of rainwater to the front yard, where it can be more easily absorbed into the ground (instead of simply flooding over to the neighbor's yard)--we'd also considered a rain barrel, but there really isn't much room for one here.
(6) Back-filling with dirt near the retaining wall, getting rid of the trench that was no longer necessary.
(7) Covering the non-garden parts of the yard with weed-blocking fabric (to keep all the weed seeds in the soil from repopulating the area again) and covering that with rocks.
(8) Using bricks (also found lying about various parts of the yard) to make a border separating the dirt/vegetable garden from the rocks.
(9) Rearranging the stepping stones leading up to the gate in the front yard and using some of them to continue the pathway all the way to the backyard.

Not that you really wanted to know all those details, but yeah, I was pretty tired at the end of it, and slept better that night than I had all week.

fix it fast! reconstructed tee

A very thoughtful and wonderful friend gifted me with a lovely t-shirt, and while I can appreciate Yertle the Turtle as much as the next gal, the boxy shape left something to be desired:

"before" photo from 80sTees.

To be fair, I probably looked a little cuter in the original tee than the model does in the above pic (Sorry, guy--I just think you can do better!), but not by much. Having words and/or cartoons emblazoned across my chest also bothers me (I feel I should aim for at least a minimal amount of professionalism), so I quickly drew up plans to move the design to the back, reshape the sides and sleeves, and add a contrasting yoke using scraps left over from this project--perhaps with some fabric gathers, a la Sugar City Journal's village frock? After many mistakes revisions and several refittings, I worked out this simple cut with a fit that was decently flattering. If I'd used a more elastic binding (such as FOE, or maybe elastic encased in a jersey binding) around the collar and armholes, those parts would lie flatter, but the leftover scraps of jersey fabric that I used instead actually worked out OK, only sticking out a wee bit around the arms.

back on track?

My sewing machine has been acting up lately (repeated tangles even after I've put in a fresh, unbent needle and cleaned out all the dusty bits inside), but before I packed it off for the repairist I thought I'd give it one last go--maybe a little "time alone" was all it needed. And what do you know? It seems to be working again.

So with any luck (keep your fingers crossed for me!) I'll be stitching and posting again soon. The projects have been piling up and I'm been super anxious to knock 'em out.

a small update

I've cleaned up the lemon tree for easier picking (see a "before" pic at the end of this post and a "WAY before" pic in this post) and H. has been spending his weekends building a retaining wall (our yard is a good foot and a half higher than our neighbor's); soon we'll have an extended drain pipe as well to keep the roof runoff from flooding over to the neighbor's yard and/or washing away all of H's hard work. I must remember to bake that man a cake to thank him for his troubles.

Upstairs in the master bedroom I've made a bit more progress. Here's the before (from December 2008, I really hadn't made too much of a dent until recently) :

And here's the after:


Ok, so it's still a mess, and tough to compare the two pictures, but there is definite progress. I dropped off another full trunkload at Goodwill last week (which included most of the large picture frames, 3 heavy antique stand mixers that I was unable to fix, some fabric scraps that I decided I'll never use, and several boxes of other miscellaneous stuff). I had not intended to put a boxspring/mattress back in yet (there goes that floor space I just cleared!), but I did intend to make this a functional bedroom again eventually, and perhaps more importantly, my sister needed to get some things out of her house. I figured she could use a bit of encouragement to keep cleaning (it's a Process, I keep telling her) and I hoped that having one bigger item whisked away would help.

brave new year

I went thrifting one day looking for a stripey jersey from which to make a stripey scarf and came across this lovely boatneck. I did cut off the bottom to make the scarf, but I thought I might save the top and combine it with a skirt to make something like shabby apple's "Oh La La" or a reverse "Gondola" dress.

I had been searching for a solid green or navy fabric to make the skirt (perhaps a thrifted tablecloth would work nicely) but eventually settled on re-using the fabric from this costume, which had been worn only once and was languishing in the back of the closet. It has a very fine plush pile to it, something like a needlecord without the cord, but isn't overly velvety, just the thing to brighten up a crisp winter (or spring or autumn) morning.

Despite some sewing machine troubles, I finally finished the half-circle skirt in time for New Year's, but didn't find the time to take any pictures, and then had to wait for a sunny day, and now I can't find my regular camera so we'll have to settle for these grainy pics.

So far...

...I've made persimmon cookies, persimmon cake, persimmon pancakes (twice! - these are fantastic; just replace some of the milk with the pulp), and persimmon jello. With the last of my harvest now cut up and drying in the oven, I no longer need suggestions, but I am curious what other people do with all of theirs, because it's so rarely 2 or 3 fruits but usually a huge treeful.

We've made a bit of progress in the side yard with getting the area a bit more tamed--unwanted plant bulbs and stumps removed (crossing fingers they don't come back) . We found a large mouse-rat nesting in one of the abandoned drainpipes (also really hoping that he doesn't come back). That's enough excitement for one weekend, really.

On the sewing front, I haven't done a thing since I broke the needle on my machine during the last blouse. I think it was already warping and ready for replacement (I never change the needles as often as I should), but it was still a blow from which I've been slow to recover.

* * * * *

Hope you are all enjoying these glorious (and not too chilly?) November days.

oops! a correction and some options

TOP: Taro Gomi leaves his doodles unfinished, so there is plenty of room to add '2012' or whatever else you might fancy.
BOTTOM: an unembellished doodle: "what kind of pet does he have?"

Phew! I hope that my corrected printable calendar came in time to help you with whatever you were using them for. I apologize once again for the inconvenience--I'm only human after all.

I found these medium-sized postcards--part of a drawing contest from last year that promoted the wonderfully creative doodle books of Taro Gomi--and discovered that the graphics made for perfect covers. If you, like me, find yourself with lovely pieces of cardstock not large enough to make a complete cover front and back, here is what you can do: Simply overlap two cards together at the spine of the booklet, fastening with a stapler as usual, then add a bit of tacky glue and tape to smooth down the outside flap. If you don't have any colorful washi tape around, regular masking tape works nicely, and can be decorated (or not) to suit your tastes. Alternatively, you could probably just stitch the flap down with your sewing machine (or by hand, with thread or dental floss), rather than using glue/tape.

view of the inside overlap -- I trimmed it down just a bit but decided it didn't need any further tampering.