An Early Harvest

Can you believe some of the apple trees already look like this? September is usually prime apple season in my region (which is known as the Orchard County), but this year we've noticed a few trees are coloring and dropping their apples very early! I love the sight of an orchard in season, so I'm glad this looks to be a long harvest year. My father-in-law who is an apple farmer says the Bramleys (their main apple) are growing well this year and are already large enough to pick, although they typically stay on the branch until mid-September so they will be especially large this year! Sadly the Victoria plums he grows didn't fare as well this year, so those will be slimmer pickings. I really love this time of year; I just want to go out and gather wild berries and damsons and make homemade jams and baked goods. This combined with the Tasha Tudor book I've been enjoying (review on it tomorrow!) has me wanting to dress quite traditional as well in old-fashion dresses and linen aprons. My apron here is actually an apron dress, meant to be style alone, but I thought it could work layered over my Little Women dress and it did! My first instinct was go to buy an apron that was meant to be layered, but I'm glad I looked around my own wardrobe for something to style. Some of my favorite "pinafore" style dresses were never meant to be layered but look great layered over blouses. Always a good reminder to "shop" our own closets before we head to a store! Some day when my house isn't so tiny I'd like a sewing machine again so I can start to make my own clothes a bit. I used to sew when I was younger and still do the occasional stitch by hand whenever a button needs replaced or a hem shortened, but I don't have any desire to tackle a full sewing project without a machine. Crafty things are obviously on my mind; another thing this season brings out with it's darker days. I know it's not technically autumn yet, but with the orchards looking like this and the weather we've been experiencing lately it's easy to forget it's still August...