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Tuesday, January 11, 2022

A little sewing and a great big bird

Dearest friends,

Well, I didn't mean to post, then take off and be gone so long, and I had big plans for doing better, didn't I?

One reason for my slackness is this shoulder pain! Oh it's awful! Keeps me awake at night, making me feel like a zombie the next day. Hopefully, this too shall pass.


Been doing a little sewing. Back before Christmas when Shelby and I did that last minute Christmas Craft Show, a lady stopped by our booth to look at my bonnets...


She studied them a bit, tried on a couple, and finally did buy one. We might could do business together, she said, I am into Holistics. Have you ever thought about updating your fabrics a little and then advertising the bonnets as "Gardening Sun Bonnets?" Pretty bright colored fabrics with maybe sun flowers would be perfect, she said. 

Shelby spoke up and said, well, I think she should make gardening aprons to match the sun bonnets. Well I came home with a head full of ideas!


Haven't been fabric shopping yet, but did find this colorful piece tucked away in the sewing room closet. It's so spring! See the butterflies? It has lots of butterflies. I've cut out a bonnet and an apron. :) 

Have made a few of these little aprons with 4 big pockets across the front...



Couldn't these be gardening aprons?? Anyhow, have not heard from the lady. I am not much of a business person anyway. Sure did appreciate the compliment and the new ideas. 

Want to show you a picture or two from Poppy's game camera, taken near the pond during deer season...





Isn't it simply beautiful! This is a Great Blue Heron, right? 

Guess I'd better get busy. Sure appreciate your stopping by. Hope to be back soon.

Love,
Henny







39 comments:

  1. Oh no, now your shoulder. As soon as you have started good recovery from your break! Hope it feels better soon.
    Love the fabrics you have on hand. You have such an eye for the colorful, no matter the theme of the print. Good luck
    on the new bonnets, though the ones in your blog photo look flowery to me. Bitter cold here right now, but we missed
    all the terrible snow falls that hit the middle states. Keep getting rain, which is weird weather up here. Green grass instead of white snow. This climate stuff is just getting worse every year. Hope sewing does not cause too much discomfort. Lynn and Precious

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  2. I was blessed with a new pain today too. I hate that. Enough is enough! I hope you get relief from your shoulder pain.
    Yes, that is a Great Blue Heron. We love those big squawky guys who frequent our bay and lagoon on Whidbey Island.

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  3. It is a Great Blue Heron we have them everywhere around here. The town south of us even has a festival every spring to celebrate them :) Love your aprons and bonnets. I never go out without a hat on in the summer . . . I think it's a lovely idea to match up your aprons and bonnets. Gardeners will be delighted. Let me know when you start selling on line . . . I love them.

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  4. Hi Henny! I don't do much gardening these days, but the idea of matching up bonnets and aprons sounds like a good idea... I like the aprons with the big pockets... you could gather up all your veggies in them and not need to carry a basket.

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  5. Love your gardening aprons and of course the bonnets too.
    Beautiful pictures of the heron!!!

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  6. You're going to be extra busy sewing gardening bonnets and aprons. Good thing you enjoy it. It sure wouldn't be for me though.
    Sorry about your shoulder. I don't remember you mentioning it before. Did you hurt yourself or did it just one day start hurting? In any case I hope it heals soon.

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  7. I think that is a heron. One lives in our pond. Sometimes two... I hope we get babies this year!

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  8. Get well soon, Henny. Your sewing is always so beautiful! Be safe and God bless.

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  9. My hubby has shoulder issues too. It makes sleep difficult
    Your bonnets and aprons are just charming.
    I love blue herons!

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  10. I am so jealous of your Great Blue Heron pictures. I have chased them here for many a day and many a mile to always come up short. Now, I am definitely thinking “game camera!” I love your aprons and bonnets!

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  11. Love those shots of the Blue Heron....what a beauty! Oh I love all your bonnets and aprons...you sure do a beautiful job sewing! The material you found with the flowers and butterflies is just gorgeous! What happened to your shoulder, Henny? So sorry to hear about your pain. How is your wrist doing? Totally fine? I hope. Take good care!

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    1. Hey Diane! Thank you. I don't understand what happened to my shoulders but the doctor who cared for my broken wrist, when I told him about the pain, x-rayed both shoulders and found nothing wrong. He offered no explanation, just asked if I would like a steroid shot in each shoulder. I did get the shots and it helped immediately but the pain in my left shoulder has come back. It is worse during the night and gets better as the day goes on. Makes me dread bedtime. I toss and turn and hurt. My wrist! Diane, it has healed and I can use it fine but looks way out of line and stays swollen in two places. Should have had surgery. Hope all is well with you. You take care too. Love, Henny

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  12. I love your bonnets and aprons. I know who would love your aprons with the pockets -- besides cooks and gardeners -- retail merchandisers and servers! I had plain aprons like that when I did merchandising and I would have loved a fancy one! Do you sell on Etsy? Forgive my short memory. I hope your shoulder gets better. Does a heating pad help? It is the rotator cuff? That is a HUGE bird! And so pretty! Is it naturally in your area this time of year?

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  13. We used to have lots of Great Blue Heron in Washington, which I suppose makes sense because Connie just said in her comment that there are a lot just south of her. We lived very close to each other.
    I'm so very sorry about your shoulder pain. It's no fun is it? I've had to sleep sitting up in bed for the past week because of a mysterious pain near my collarbone when I try to lay down. Only 2-3 hours of sleep enough is not nearly enough when it goes on night after night. My pain does seem to be getting better though. It is happening very slowly though.
    Your bonnets and aprons are so pretty Henny. That lady had a great idea and it's too bad she hasn't called you. Have you thought of selling them online. I would love to have one like the one in your first photo since I wear dresses all of the time.
    Take care my friend and rest that shoulder as much as possible.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  14. Hope your shoulder pain is transitory. Anything that affects a person's sleep is bad news. Did you do something to hurt it or did it just appear. The latter is worse since you don't know what not to do in the future to avoid a repeat.

    The heron is totally gorgeous. Is this an unusual sighting around there or do you see them often?

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    1. Thank you Victoria. I don't think I hurt my shoulders, unless is came from the hard fall. Yes, losing sleep is bad. I look about as bad as I feel these days. :)

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  15. I'm ALL behind this morning in the UK...
    8.30 and l've just had breakfast..still,
    coffee morning at 11, catch up with what
    the other ladies have been up to over
    Christmas! So plenty to talk about l expect! :).

    Your bonnets/aprons always look bright, cheerful
    and colourful Henny..Just as they should be, l
    don't do plain anyway..! :).

    My daughter has just started having problems with
    her shoulder and hand..she has started going to
    a physio for treatment..after all the Christmas
    presents she's made me, l should'nt wonder..! :(.

    HaHa! And the dear old Heron...When l was a boy,
    farmers used to pay us 10/~ (50p) for every one
    we shot..they were classed as vermin back then...
    To~day there a protected species..Lovely bird,
    none~the~less, especially in flight..! :)
    AND! AND! AND!
    Heron symbolism is important because the heron
    meaning refers to tranquility and stillness for
    us humans...
    The symbolism also signifies determination because
    we are bound to wade through marshes and ponds through
    life's journey, but we must never give up....! :O)
    🌱 🌽 🌿 🍅 🍆 🍇 🍈 🌱 🌽 🌿 🍅 🍆 🍇 🍈 🌱🌽

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    1. Thank you Willie. Glad you made it. Oh, I sure feel for your daughter. This shoulder pain is awful. I wonder if her's did come from all the work of sewing and macrame?? You know, we love the heron but they still are vermin, sorta. We were told by the man who built our pond that Heron would eventually eat all the fish in our pond. This one is sure trying to do just that. Poppy claps his hands and scares him away. We need the baby catfish to grow. I like the symbolism of the Heron. Did not know that. Thank you for stopping by.

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    2. My daughter has been making things since she was
      five years old..even little ear~rings, and, as
      l raised her on my own for 14yrs..l taught her
      to sow, knit, crochet and embroider..as she grew
      older she picked up things for herself, so using
      the left arm/hand as you do, it's turned out, not
      so good..! :(.

      Two things to deter a Heron..is either a net over a pond,
      or perhaps a full sized plastic Heron, placed at the side
      of a pond, as Herons won't land near another Heron, and
      will just fly on..! That's the theory anyway!
      It's a shame you can't eat them...! Make a change from
      rabbit or pheasant..! :O).

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  16. Yes, HP, that is a blue heron! Aren't they magnificent? We have quite a few of them here; they hang out in our big ditches. I love to spot them.
    Your apron and bonnet fabrics are gorgeous! I personally prefer your floral, old fashioned fabrics. They are so lush and beautiful. But the bright ones are also very pretty and springy. The half-aprons are great for going outdoors when you NEED pockets for seed packets or snippers or egg-gathering, but it's not convenient to wear a coat. I always wear a pocketed apron in the warmer months outdoors. But I have to have bib aprons because I'm so messy :)

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  17. Oh Henny! We have great blue herons here in the mountains, yes we do! I don't know why they hang around in the winter with the teens and twenties, but they do! What a beauty! I love your aprons and would love to buy a couple for gardening and just around the house, since I will soon be retiring and working more in the garden. I love the fabrics! Shelby had a good idea of aprons to go with bonnets but I am not a bonnet wearing person with such long hair. Great post and the pictures are lovely. XO Terry

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    Replies
    1. Hey Terry, and thank you! So you will soon be retiring! Congratulations! I have loved every minute or being retired, except how the years have flown by. I am not a bonnet person either but I love them on other people. Bet your long hair is beautiful. I'm thinking about doing another page on my blog to list the aprons and bonnets I have for sale. Anyhow, thank you. Love, Melba

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  18. What wonderful treasures you have sewn there, Henny. Just beautiful. I am sorry you shoulder is giving you fits though-I am sure being at the sewing machine doesn't help!
    Love the heron pictures. They are magnificent birds, aren't they?
    Happy Wednesday- xo Diana

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  19. So sorry about the shoulder pain. I hope it passes real soon. You've just reminded me to get out my sunbonnet patterns. I used them last when my granddaughter was small. I put several of them in the playhouse for dressing up. I have a drawer full of feedbags, just what the old ones were made of. One of my great grandmothers always wore a bonnet when working in her garden. She died in 1956, the year before I graduated from high school. I have her kerosene lamp, used to light her way upstairs at bedtime. I'll bet you could sell lots of them as yours are so nicely made - and the pocketed aprons would be perfect to go with them. Go for it, and may your shoulder heal so as not to stop you! ♥

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    Replies
    1. Oh Ruth, I would love to have a drawer full of feed bags. My grandma died in 1953 or 54, I need to look it up again. She wore bonnets and all my mother's older sisters wore them. My aunt Ella Vastie kept her bonnet hanging on a nail beside the door in the kitchen. I'm sure they all were made from feed bags. The old original sunbonnet patterns are much better than the new patterns. I use a copy of an old pattern supposedly 200 years old. It has a drawstring lining inside that keeps the bonnet from falling down on your face.

      When my shoulder pain first started I could not lift my arms above my head. After getting the steroid injection the pain went away and I could lift my arms again. Now the pain is back in my left shoulder and I can not lift my left arm above my head. I have a hard time putting on a coat and combing my hair.

      Ruth, thank you for the comment, and the help. I try to reply to comments from those who do not have a blog. I was thinking you did have a blog, but didn't find one. Thank you for the prayer.

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  20. Me again, sorry. I just read back over your comments and see that your doctor found nothing wrong with your shoulders. Can you lift your arms above your head? If you can do that without pain, then the pain is coming from somewhere else. It happened to me, and it was found that I have two herniated discs in my neck! I was given an epidural cortisone injection and it fixed me up fine. That was a few years ago, and I've had no trouble, but I do have to be careful about my sleeping position and my pillow. I was always a belly sleeper, something you shouldn't do with a neck problem. I'll say a prayer now for you dear Henny, with hope you'll find a solution and relief. God be with you!

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  21. I am glad to hear your wrist has healed (well, at least, not to be painful anymore), but what a pity your shoulders are now hurting. I do hope a solution is soon found and you can feel better again.
    I have always loved your bonnets and often thought of them as being marvellous to wear in the garden or when just sitting around outside. I am sure they would work better than a normal hat at preventing my face getting sunburnt!
    Mxx

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  22. I love your gardening apron idea. Those pockets would be so handy. Hm, you could also sell them for carrying clothespins while you hang up clothes. That would be very handy! Beautiful heron. I bet he had his eye on some fish in your pond.

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  23. Adorable aprons! God bring healing to your shoulder soon in Jesus' name!

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  24. Beautiful aprons and those with the four big pockets could certainly be gardening aprons!

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  25. I'm sorry to hear about your shoulder pain. I have bursitis in my shoulder and it sometimes drives me crazy. Do you sleep on your side at night? That can make shoulder pain worse. I think matching bonnets and garden aprons would be popular items in a craft show! Those pictures of the Blue Heron are amazing! I bet he was enjoying your pond. You and Poppy take care and I sure hope your shoulder gets better!

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  26. Beautiful post. Happy new year ��

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  27. LOVE that fabric and your bonnets and aprons. So beautifully done too. I guess lots of people have told you your bird is a heron. Aren't they beautiful! We see them flying over in the spring and fall-those huge wings slowly flapping and their long legs hanging out behind them! So comical! I do hope your shoulder is better very soon. My husband has that problem so I know it can be very painful.

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  28. Love your bonnets and aprons. Beautiful. The Heron is lovely, too. Get well soon and have a blessed Winter.

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  29. What great pics Poppy's game camera took! The Great Blue Herons remind me old men...I do not know why. I love seeing what you make. I used to and still do love to make aprons, but I don't have anyone to make them for. I have one I wear when I want to be careful with my clothes.

    I may still have my mom's bonnet...she wore one most of the time when she was in the garden.

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  30. I love Great Blue Herons. They come to Wisconsin in the summer.
    Your fabric is full of smiles and sunshine, love that!

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  31. Cute fabric! That is one beauty of a Great Blue Heron!

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  32. Your bonnets and aprons are just so beautiful! You really do amazing work, and it would be great if you could find an outlet to sell your beautiful creations! How wonderful to have a blue heron to visit your pond, they are such magnificent creatures! Have a blessed and wonderful weekend :)

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