Little Bit of Lace

I know all of you, dear readers, have been wondering what to do with your leftover lacy bits. You know, those doilies with a bit of a stain that lemon juice, sunshine, salt, 20 Mule Team Borax or elbow grease just won’t remove, or a small tear that defies even the finest stitching with the…

Bits and Piecework

It’s amazing what happens when you find someone else’s unfinished project or stash of fabric or other craft supplies. I’ve been going through my mom’s – she may have a nasty shock when she reads this, but we can deal with that then – and found a few gems. Thrift stores supplied the other parts,…

Letters from Home

Rare are the handwritten missives that used to cross oceans and continents, bringing news and love from, or to, home. I dreamed recently that it was already time to return to Dublin and though it was months from now, I was hand-delivering a letter I’ve already been working on for about six weeks. I took…

Something Old, Something New

I promise I won’t be doing minute-by-minute updates on my back garden, but I did want to share this small start toward the garden re-imagining: two plant pots, both already changing the look of the place, and both special deals. The tall one came from a visit to a friendly garden centre, Newlands, where it…

Suas an Staighre (upstairs)

  Okay, I admit it. I have a thing about maps. I love the colours, the shapes, straight grid lines and curvy coastlines. The abstraction of them. The solidity of them: showing places to go, places to be, paths to explore. My sense of direction isn’t great, but I sure can read maps well. Somehow…

Finishing Touches

I must have as many unfinished projects as I do finished ones. Okay, maybe not quite. But almost. Very, very almost. I finally added buttons to a crocheted Christmas trees-and-hearts garland that has been otherwise done for several years now. After the trees and hearts were crocheted and garlanded, I had the idea that adding…

Chaneys

This piece was originally broadcast on RTE’s Radio 1 programme Sunday Miscellany, 21 February 2016. You can listen here. Chaneys starts at 3.32. I have been digging in my garden in a Dublin city estate for almost 20 years. The estate is a lovely little shamrock shape of cul de sacs: the Drive, the Crescent,…

Taking Valentine cookies

A journey through life mapped by a recipe for Valentine’s cookies.