When Roxana of Illuminated Perfume invited me to take part in the May Flowers blogging event (a blog a day by various writers & artists to celebrate the month of May) and with my affinity for flowers…well, it seemed the perfect opportunity to put together a little craft tutorial featuring flowers. Also, around the same time I had just received a beautiful stash of pieces of very old, flower-y lace. Some of it is so incredibly lovely, so intricate that it almost takes my breath away…I imagined how it was worn in the past...on a lady’s dress, perhaps around the neckline, or maybe on a baby’s special gown. I wasn’t sure exactly how I wanted to use it, or even that I could bear to cut into some of the prettiest pieces, but I knew I wanted to give it a new life in some way! Just like flowers coming to life each Spring... 
Soon an idea was born to create a simple & pretty, lightweight scarf for Spring...something that I can always use even in the summertime here in Northern MN. And being a very novice, tentative sewer, it was also a good excuse to get a little more acquainted with my sewing machine. 
Some of the lace lent itself quite nicely for being cut into Poppy flower shapes. Although my Poppies don’t actually bloom here in May (more like September in my garden), but perhaps somewhere they do though! And I do have Poppy seedlings coming up in my garden now that I planted earlier this season...in the meantime I'll just have to wear my new scarf until my pretty, raspberry pink poppies bloom in late summer. 
GATHER:~lightweight cotton fabric (I used a mostly cotton fabric - 97% - with a hint of stretch to it)
~needle & thread
~scissors
~lace (check out thrift or antique stores for vintage lace)
~sewing machine (not necessary but very helpful!)
~embroidery hoop 
MAKE:
1) Measure & cut fabric for the scarf. I made my scarf 80” x 12". I wanted the stripes to be horizontal so I had to cut & sew 2 pieces together since the fabric was originally only 50" in length.
2) Cut out flower shapes in various sizes. I sketched a few patterns first on paper and then layed them out on the lace to see which lacy parts suited the flower shape best.
3) Attach lace flowers. Using a needle & thread, I made tiny stitches around the lace poppies. Using an embroidery hoop helps a lot too!
MAKE:1) Measure & cut fabric for the scarf. I made my scarf 80” x 12". I wanted the stripes to be horizontal so I had to cut & sew 2 pieces together since the fabric was originally only 50" in length.
2) Cut out flower shapes in various sizes. I sketched a few patterns first on paper and then layed them out on the lace to see which lacy parts suited the flower shape best.
3) Attach lace flowers. Using a needle & thread, I made tiny stitches around the lace poppies. Using an embroidery hoop helps a lot too!
4) Sew on the stems. Using a sewing machine, I used green thread to sew wavy lines onto the scarf for the flower stems.
5) Fray the edges. Using a large pin (& a good deal of patience), pull out threads along the edges and ends of the scarf to desired length.
Thanks, Roxana, for inviting me to share in the May Flowers event!
5) Fray the edges. Using a large pin (& a good deal of patience), pull out threads along the edges and ends of the scarf to desired length.
Thanks, Roxana, for inviting me to share in the May Flowers event!
We had a great weekend here with lovely spring weather and today was even better. Today we awoke with the windows open, the sounds of seagulls flying overhead, and many other bird songs intermixed. Although it was only 5 am or so, I couldn't help but smile in my sleepy state.
And this sweet House Wren with a stick to add to it's nest. I first spied this wren couple making 
The Marsh Marigolds are at their peak every which way we look.
Pretty wild, random 
Our prized Double-Flowering Plum bush...that we've covered up and babied through some chilly (and even snowy) nights over the past couple weeks here. I guess its been worth it!
this morning... 
