Daisy Janie

Announcement

Hi Friends and Visitors!

This blog is now located on Daisy Janie's main website:  http://daisyjanie.com/blog 
Same exact content, same great tutorials and projects!

If you would like to link or share projects from my blog, I would greatly appreciate it if you would please use the new site location to do so. Thanks!!!

Happy Sewing & Crafting!!!
Jan

how to | Mirror Patch Pillow

Please view this tutorial at its new location on Daisy Janie's updated website and blog! Click here. Thanks!! :)  Jan

Pillow Project #2: Mirror Patch Pillow

 

how to | 3 easy-peasy pillow projects, No.1

Please view this tutorial at its new location on Daisy Janie's updated website and blog! Click here. Thanks!! :)  Jan

 Pillow Project #1: Midsummer Log Cabin

 

pdf project sheet | Daisy Chain Quilt

Please view this pattern at its new location on Daisy Janie's updated website and blog! Click here. Thanks!! :)  Jan

how to | create a basic design repeat on paper.

Please view this tutorial at its new location on Daisy Janie's updated website and blog! Click here. Thanks!! :)  Jan

Tutorial: Quad Leaf Pillow (strip piecing and applique)

Please view this tutorial at its new location on Daisy Janie's updated website and blog! Click here. Thanks!! :)  Jan

bake | homemade (GF) candy cakes

Please view this tutorial at its new location on Daisy Janie's updated website and blog! Click here. Thanks!! :)  Jan

last stop in the New Leaf Bee Block Blog Hop!

Please view this tutorial at its new location on Daisy Janie's updated website and blog! Click here. Thanks!! :)  Jan

!

recipe | broccoli stalk salad.

Please view this tutorial at its new location on Daisy Janie's updated website and blog! Click here. Thanks!! :)  Jan

cool patchwork piecing using fusible interfacing.

Please view this tutorial at its new location on Daisy Janie's updated website and blog! Click here. Thanks!! :)  Jan

how to make a tank top made from a fitted sheet.

Please view this tutorial at its new location on Daisy Janie's updated website and blog! Click here. Thanks!! :)  Jan

Growing Organically | the lowdown on dirt, part 1.

As a young, happy newlywed 18 years ago, I was thrilled to have a house and a yard to tend for the first time! In particular, I loved planting pots of flowers each season, to set upon the steps leading up to our Chicago-suburb bungalow - it always added a welcoming touch. Pansies in the Spring; impatiens or petunias in the Summer; and mums in the Fall. I also enjoyed saving money, and I was extremely resistent to the idea of buying dirt each season for the flower pots - I mean, c'mon, it was dirt! Who buys dirt when the pots are already filled with dirt? (Did I mention I was young? And naive?)

That kind of logic got me through the first year. The 2nd year, without any additional, fresh soil added to the pots, the flowers languished after about a week and flopped over and dried up! No amount of water or sun/shade changes revived them. I never attributed their failure to thrive to the old, dead dirt I was using! (My sister tipped me off the following year!)

Plants need good soil to grow - soil that's fertile, balanced with vital minerals and active with micro-organisms. After a few seasons, the dirt in my flower pots was depleted of its nutrients and could not support life. We need life in order to support life! Seems pretty obvious how critical this little factoid is in retrospect.

In home gardens and flower beds, it's relatively easy to cultivate rich soil using organic gardening methods, like composting and crop rotation. There are myriad other ways to enrich and create good garden soil - see links below.

But imagine... just imagine for a second... the thousands upon thousands upons thousands of land dedicated to conventional agriculture across the globe. And imagine how degraded and depleted the soil must be after decades of planting the same crops (mono-cropping) in the same fields, year after year after year. What do you think farmers, who typically eschew organic methods, do to force things to grow in their dirt? That's what we'll talk about next week...

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More reading:
Soil / Organic Gardening
The Dirt on Soil / About Garden Soil
Building Garden Soil / Vegetable Garden Guru
Make Your Own Potting Soil / Mother Earth News
Garden Soil Tips / TLC
Soil Health Indicators / Rodale Institute
How to Create Good Gardening Soil / Expert Village

fabric sighting | fussy cut bench cushions.

Ingeniously fussy cut bench cushion with Daisy Janie's Geo Grand fabrics by Leigh Norris, Mrs. Traumatron on flickr. Spotted in the Daisy Janie flickr group.

Small scrap packs of all 6 fabrics in the Geo Grand collection are available in the Daisy Janie retail shop. Otherwise, I think these fabrics are pretty much sold out everywhere.

- - - - - - - - -  BROKEN RECORD ALERT  - - - - - - - - -

I won't ever (and I don't want to) react indifferently when I see what marvelousness others create with my fabrics! My stomach does somersaults when I peek in the Daisy Janie flickr group, when I receive an email with images & a sweet story or when I see a link in my statcounter to a blog post someone has shared. Talk about the icing on a yummy cake made up of reasons why I do what I do! Thank you for letting me share it with you.

* big happy sigh *

Growing Organically | turn intention into action.

Above:
Clothing labels from organic clothing I have purchased in recent years - turning my intention into action. Putting my money where my mouth and my heart are.
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Assuming you want to make more eco-friendly choices in your clothing, food and general household purchases, do you find that, despite your good intentions, your buying habits haven't really changed? Does your little voice tell you that it's okay this one time because you'll make an effort next time - but there never is a next time?

Why is that? Have you isolated the reason(s) why you keep buying the same old stuff that's not really good for you, the planet or the other human beings who made it? Even though you feel kinda guilty about it?

You have those good intentions for a reason. They're born out of your compassionate instincts that tell you something is amiss and needs your help. The same compassionate instincts that tell you your child doesn't look well, that you should assist an elderly person in a store or that it's a good idea to donate your time, money or stuff to those in need.

Trust your instincts. Figure out what your personal hiccups are that keep you from buying better - and figure out how to override, overcome or outsmart them. I know it's not always easy.... but it's always, always worth it! Let your good intentions turn into action that makes a difference.

More reading:
Environmental Justice Foundation / main website
Pure Citizen / main website

psst... here's a very cool pintuck pillow tutorial.

pintuck pillow in Chain Link fabric from Shades of Grey / Daisy Janie
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Rachael from imagine gnats created this dee-lish pintuck pleated pillow and an easy-to-follow tutorial, which is posted at stumbles & stitches. Rachael took some key photos to complement her instructions! I think you'll find them most helpful if you endeavor to make this design!

Thanks for letting me share this w/ my readers, Rachael! Beautiful work on the project and your tute!!

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You might remember the twisted pintuck pillow I made using 2 different Shades of Grey fabrics, shown below. I didn't create a tutorial for making the entire pillow. Instead, I shared a graphic which illustrated how the effect is achieved. Feel free to reference my old post if another visual might help!

quote | nature's peace.

Communed with nature this weekend.
And some dear friends.

One brought peace and awe.
One brought laughter and belongingness.

Both were good for my soul.

Life is wonderful.
We are lucky.
I am grateful.

Happy Earth Day to you!