Gardens and Flowers Popping Up Everywhere – Even on Bras

Oh, does anyone else feel like I do? I have all these projects I want to do, or have committed to make, and it beautiful outside! I don’t want to sit inside sewing. But I do have a few things I have to sew this week, so I’ll have to spend some time inside. I have a second apron to make, and finish the cloned Prima Donna Luna bra.

We moved to our current home 6 years ago. I loved it from the minute I saw it. It’s a charming split-level, and has a big tree out front and two gardens in the front and one along the side of the house, and one in the back. I love to garden. Starting plants from cuttings or seeds is one of my favorite things to do. That just gives me so much more pleasure than buying a plant. But don’t get me wrong – I have no problem buying them too. Another delight is to get a plant from a friend. Every time I see a plant a friend gave me, I think of that friend. That is such a delight.

Our wonderful home with all its gardens was really a delight to me. We moved in right at the beginning of summer, so everything was new and fresh to me. And all the plants were something new to discover. One thing that was not a delight was the previous owner had dug up some of her favorites and left bare spots in the garden. That wasn’t very attractive. So I found new plants to fill those spots.

Another area that was a bit of trouble was the one garden in the front of the house was in the sun most of the day and was under part of the roofing, so it didn’t get any rain. That poor little garden was dried right out. And it didn’t seem to matter how much I watered it, nothing wanted to grow there.

It was that winter I heard about a Naturalization group. They provide information and activities that promote planting and cultivating native flowers. It was then I heard about Zeroscaping.  It sounded like the perfect solution to my difficult little garden.

I dragged my dear hubby along with me to a meeting. And did we pick a great meeting to test out! The members of the group were selling and trading seeds. We didn’t have any to trade, but I bought a bunch. Some needed to be watered and then frozen as if they’d been outside since summer. Some we just waited until spring and then planted indoors to start.

It is a delight for me to walk by that little garden now and see all the flowers blooming there. They’re not as showing as many flowers, but considering where that little garden started… it looks great!

One of my favorite flowers is Small-leaved Everlasting, or Little-leaf Pussy-toes. Even the name is adorable. I have a pink variety, and it really is a charming plant.

Littleleaf Pussytoes, Antennaria parviflora

I put in Wild Blue Flax as well. That one didn’t seem to take at first, but is doing well now.

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Another one of my favorites is Three-flowered Avens. This one is such a neat looking flower.

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However, we do have the odd rainy day, and when we had one last week, I quickly went to work on one of my many projects – like the Kwik Sew 3300. I’m about half way through my first bra from that pattern and it’s coming together really well. Here is one cup sewn into the band pinned onto Catherine just to show my progress so far.

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I did match the lace on the upper cups, but decided not to match the pattern on the lower cups. This being a black and white bra, I only intend to ever wear it under solid dark colors. However, once I sewed that first cup in, I thought the center of that flower really isn’t in the best place. That gave my dear hubby a chuckle. For now, it can stay the way it is. If it fits as well as I’m hoping, I’ll think about pattern placement before I make it again next time.

Happy creating and gardening!