Garden Thyme Apron

A few weeks ago garden enthusiast, Garden Thyme with Diana, requested a garden apron using this orange garden shoe fabric, accented with a green and white gingham fabric. She wanted all the amenities of the traditional utility waist apron made by Punkie Pie's Boutique (big pockets, including a zipper pocket, and key fob) but also wanted a bib to keep her covered. I had just the apron style for her. I've made several full utility/ craft aprons for other customers and myself. I personally love the full apron for myself. I think it came out really cute and Diana just looks adorable in it while working at her potting bench!

While working on her apron, Diana pointed me to her blog. You have to check it out!! I love Diana's blog for it's beautiful gardens, recipes, and book reviews. Her gardens look amazing. You can see them in her Cabbage Patch photos album on Google+.  She also shares delicious looking  recipes, such as, Swiss Parsley Sandwich Puffs, Jello Cookies, and Stuffed Mushrooms (I have a stuffed mushroom fetish so these are top of my list to try).

   

If you interested in custom apron, such as this, please feel free to contact me

on Etsy and I will custom make one for you.

 

 

Punkie Pie's Boutique Full Utility / Craft aprons are quite versatile. 

They fit most sizes (small - extra large), and they can be worn 
while gardening, cooking, crafting, vending at a craft show or farmer's market, 
hosting a party, planning an event, or even working in a salon styling hair & makeup.

Full Size Utility / Craft Apron
available upon request at Punkie Pie's Boutique

Bloom Pouch

I am always looking for a way to sew something for my garden..yep, really... I like to sew things for my garden, such as, cushions for chairs, throw pillows, etc. This year I decided to make some "Bloom Pouches". I was inspired to do so after reading a variety articles on growing flowers, fruits and vegetables in portable bags. Such as this article /review on portable garden bags by Gardener to Farmer.
I decided to start small with some pouches for herbs and small flowering plants. I have made a few larger ones but have not photographed them yet (I will soon). They add a nice little touch to any garden. You can directly plant your plants in the pouch or place a plastic or clay planter in the pouch itself. These pouches are holding peat pots with herbs...this works too. The pouches are made out of decorative outdoor canvas and lined with a layer of nylon to prevent leakage...

I directly planted these impatiens right in the the pouch...dirt and all. This pouch is made from outdoor canvas but it is not lined purposely so that the water can drain from the pouch and allows oxygen to flow. I also adde a chalk cloth tag to label the plant...


I've been thinking about adding these to Punkie Pie's Boutique Etsy shop. Leave a comment and let me know if this is this something you buy or use in your garden. Thanks!

Sewing & Sowing

Sowing...

We had the most incredible spring weather last week! I felt like I was on vacation with a week of sunny, 60 degrees, nice breeze, and low humidity. Just Perfect! This time of year I become torn between sewing and sowing! I love to garden! I've been a garden addict for years. To keep the costs down I sow all of my annuals every year. My favorite annuals are impatiens, begonias, coleus, and petunias. Last year I had over 800 annual seedlings to plant. I have sown my own perennials in the past but now my gardens are packed full them so now I only purchase perennials from the garden center if it's something I must have or something that is unusual or rare to find (there always seems to be something). I grow the annuals to add color and texture to areas throughout my perennial gardens. Here are some photos of my flowers last year:

1. IMG_6606, 2. IMG_6598, 3. IMG_6597, 4. IMG_6628, 5. IMG_6585, 6. IMG_6586, 7. IMG_6582, 8. IMG_6587, 9. IMG_6590, 10. IMG_2242, 11. IMG_2243, 12. IMG_4143, 13. IMG_4145, 14. IMG_4141, 15. IMG_4122, 16. IMG_4118, 17. IMG_3579, 18. IMG_4123, 19. IMG_4113, 20. IMG_3589, 21. IMG_3583, 22. IMG_3581, 23. IMG_3538, 24. IMG_3534, 25. IMG_3504, 26. IMG_3515, 27. IMG_3508, 28. IMG_2223, 29. IMG_3412, 30. IMG_3547, 31. IMG_3410, 32. IMG_3356, 33. IMG_3586, 34. IMG_2152, 35. IMG_2172, 36. IMG_2178

Sewing...

A few weeks ago I indulged in a trip to B&N (all by myself) to purchase several sewing books! My intent was to buy one book but we know how that goes for some of us. :) I think my stash of books is getting to be as large as my fabric stash. Instead of dreaming of what I want to make someday out of this inspirational books I decided to actually try out some patterns. I've been working my way through Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing book. Her directions are wonderful and her patterns are all very easy which make it nice to whip up something cool in a short period of time.

I made this Go Green Tote for a friend's birthday using the her Simple Tote pattern

And this Cafe Apron. I used a blue batik fabric and added a towel loop and two pockets:

Check out Lotta Jandotter's Simple Sewing Flickr Group
to see what others have made from her Simple Sewing book.

Spring Cleaning ...

Now I have taken a break the last week or two from sewing to organize my sewing studio (which is in my basement) so that I can make room for my seedlings. After I'm finished cleaning up and organizing I will start sowing my seeds. Then my goal is to get our basement repainted, new desk, new cutting table, and add some new decor to get this small space into a better working area for both me and my husband. So this small space needs to be turned into a sewing studio, office, temporary garden center that is comfortable and not over crowded. How will we do that??? I don't know yet. I will take all spring and into the summer to get this done. I will be posting more about this. But first I need to get those babies sowed!!