Peonies and Purses

It looks like we will be getting a peony this year.  It’s been hit-or-miss since the unfortunate mangling of the peony plant by an over-enthusiastic weed whacker a few years ago.  I love the scent of these flowers, and the deep, deep pomegranate color of the petals.  And although this is likely to sound completely corny, I’ll tell you that I find the peonies appealing for what they remind me of:

A peony in a plastic cup on my kitchen window sill illustrated my very first post on this blog.  Late May / early June was a really exciting time for me last year – I was finally teaching myself how to sew after years of wanting to learn.  I was expanding my blog-reading horizons to include more than just a handful of polymer clay blogs and finding an exciting world of crafty blogs, bursting with juicy images and entertaining narratives about everyday lives.  I found I really wanted to be a part of all that, and was discovering that I actually enjoyed chronicling my activities on an almost-daily basis.  It kicked-off an intensely creative period that I enjoyed for many months.  All year I’ve been looking back on that time and feeling a bit of a rosy glow, and I always think of the peony in the cup.  Corny, but true!

On another topic… I finally cut into the Anna Maria Horner Chocolate Lollipop fabric I’ve had for the last six (at least) months!  I decided to try another handbag, but this time using linen and patchwork.  I went all girly and pink on the patchwork, which is an unusual direction for me, but I do like it.  Especially the plaid.

Now, it doesn’t take eagle eyes to see that this bag has problems with skewed lines.  I am told that I am like my mother in many ways, but I am pretty sure I didn’t get the “measure carefully and keep it straight” gene.  Mom has always been a DIYer, and the one tool I remember her using more than any other is her level.  She’s always making sure the shelves she’s hanging line up and are sitting straight.  Me?  I measure my fabric pieces and sew them together, but if somewhere along the way, the fabric shifts and causes the patchwork to go askew, oh well!  A lot of my horizontal lines on this bag have tendencies to the diagonal, but my feeling on that is nobody is going to notice in normal use.  And it’s not like I’m selling it or anything.

There is one itty bitty thing that is bothering me about this, though.  The button.  The colors are pretty close, but I know that I made this button to go with a different fabric collection, and every time I look at it, I feel like it’s wrong.  I suspect before long I am just going to have to get out my clay and whip up some Chocolate Lollipop buttons so I can look at this bag without twitching 😀

It’s an absolutely gorgeous day here in New Jersey, with more on the horizon.  I’ve got the windows open and there is an energy in the breeze. The boys are outside playing, and I’m going to close the lid on my laptop now and take advantage of that energetic breeze.  It’s calling me to clean up the house, and I don’t feel like I can ignore an impulse so rare!  I hope you are all having an equally beautiful and productive weekend!