Channeling spring with a (snow-day) trip to Belfast Maine, a spring wardrobe board, superhero muffins, and my latest sewing projects for sweet Poppy’s 2nd birthday
April
It’s April.
Those of you who have been with me for a while know what to expect.
Four weeks of grumbling and griping here on the blog.
My apologies in advance.
For those of you who don’t know, April is my least favorite month here in my neck of the woods coast.
While everyone else seems to be enjoying warm temps and bright blooms, here it is chilly, gray, and stark.
I do my best to distract myself with springy thoughts and activities. We are, after all, at least headed towards spring.
So today here on the blog, I have a visit to Belfast, one of my favorite Midcoast towns.
Delicious and nutritious Superhero muffins.
My spring wardrobe idea board.
And sewing projects for my granddaughter Poppy’s 2nd birthday.
Okay, I will say it, welcome, April! Let’s do it!
Belfast, Maine
Belfast is one of my favorite Midcoast towns. It is about a 50 minute drive right up Rte. 1, with beautiful views of Penobscot Bay along the way.
It is home to my favorite fabric store. I had some sewing projects to complete (more on that later!), so I headed up there last Saturday morning.
In the snow.
Yes, while it was 80° in Maryland, where I lived for years, it was a balmy 27° here. With snow.
See what I mean? (I know, it technically wasn’t April yet, but close enough…)
But an outing to the indoor farmers market and some favorite stores took my mind off the wintry weather, and had me thinking of spring.
SPARK BAGELS
First stop on the way to Belfast was at Spark Bagel‘s new retail space on Rte. 1 in Northport.
I discovered these amazing hand-rolled honey-boiled sourdough bagels last summer at the Lost Kitchen’s farmers market. Then I was delighted to find out I could pick them up at the tiny market just up the road from me. When they closed for the winter, I was forced to drive a bit further to get them at a local co-op.
This cute retail space is an even longer trip, but right on my way to Belfast.
Open Friday-Sunday, 8-1, they sell a variety of bagels, bagel sandwiches, pastries, and coffee.
The Fennel + Salt bagel is my favorite. Second is their Everything, which is absolutely smothered, top and bottom, in a variety of seeds (including fennel). On Saturday I tried their bialy for the first time and it was excellent.
Spark bagels are made from Maine grown and malted grains and slow-raised, creating a bagel that is dense, chewy, and flavorful. Just as it should be!
UNITED FARMERS MARKET OF MAINE
Next stop was at the United Farmers Market of Maine in Belfast.
This market operates year-round indoors on Saturday from 9-2, with a focus on sustainability, environmental stewardship, and support for local farms, food producers, and artisans.
There is nothing to make you feel more like spring is on its way than paying a visit to a farmers market!
And while the outdoor growing season has not yet started here in Maine, the market was bustling with vendors selling cheeses, eggs, flowers, baked goods, prepared foods, greenhouse veggies, prepared foods, and artisan- made crafts.
I picked up some eggs from Arrat Farms . How could I resist the fun-colored boxes? I chose blue, of course! They also had an amazing array of prepared foods, so I added some Roasted Cauliflower with Arrat Rosemary & Calabrian Chili and White Bean Dip with Dukkah to my bag.
I combined these with mixed lettuce, chickpeas, cucumber, tomato, and crushed pita chips for a delicious salad for dinner this week.
I grabbed some tall pussy-willow branches — a sure sign of spring — from a flower vendor before heading to my next stop.
VILLAGE WEAR CLOTHING SHOP
Belfast has a few clothing resale and consignment stores.
My favorite is Village Wear, a bright and airy boutique on the main street featuring a thoughtfully curated selection of high end natural fiber clothes.
I had fun trying on spring clothes. And, as usual I did not leave empty-handed. This time it was a ditsy floral-print quilted jacket that came home with me. Perfect for this time of year!
FIDDLEHEAD ARTISAN SUPPLY
The primary destination for my trip to Belfast!
I have talked about this amazing fabric and crafting store multiple times here on the blog. I always feel so energized and inspired when I step through the door. So many fun prints!
If you aren’t local, don’t worry! You can shop all their products on their website!
This time I was looking for fabric to sew Poppy’s 2nd birthday crown. She is wearing adorable Boden overalls in a pink/blue/green/yellow/red floral print. The fabric I bought was one of the first bolts I pulled off the shelves. But then I wandered the store for a good while longer making sure it was THE ONE.
My wandering wasn’t in vain, though, because I found another great fabric and a pattern to sew something else for Poppy. (More on that below!)
I always leave Fiddlehead with fabric that I hadn’t planned on getting. It is the kind of store that inspires me to create more. And that is a very good thing.
OTHER STORES IN BELFAST
There are other great stores in Belfast. Most are open year round, unlike in many coastal towns where they close for the winter. Here are some other favorites:
- Brambles: Houseplants, gifts, seasonal and home decor
- Coyote Moon: Women’s clothing
- Grasshopper Shop: Small “department” store, with women and children’s clothing, shoes, accessories, housewares, toys, and books.
- The Good Table: Specialty kitchen supplies
- Out on a Whimsey Toys: Toy shop
- Belfast Community Co-op: Groceries, local produce, gourmet foods, lots of vegetarian and vegan options,
- Heavenly Goat: knitting supply store
There are also several restaurants, galleries, a used book store, and a cheese shop! Definitely a place to explore if you are visiting or passing through the Midcoast area!
Poppy Turned Two!
My granddaughter Poppy turned two last week! The family was on a trip to Switzerland on her birthday, so her party will be on the 12th. That is one of the reasons I headed to Maryland for a visit on Friday.
As is now tradition, I sewed a birthday crown for Poppy last weekend. This was my fourth. I am definitely getting faster at it. I love how this one came out, with the sweet mini print of flowers, strawberries, toadstools, and snails!
For a step-by-step tutorial, check out my post How to Sew a Personalized Child’s Fabric Birthday Crown.
And while I was at Fiddlehead, I picked up fabric and a pattern to make an apron for Poppy too. Zoë and Poppy have a habit of making muffins together, and the fabric has a wonderful baking-themed print — complete with muffin tins and muffins! I chose to make it reversible, with a fun radish fabric on the other side.
Here are links to the fabrics and pattern:
Baking Frenzy in Homey Blue – Sunday Afternoon (I think it has more of a green background than blue.)
Radish in Watermelon – In the Vegetable Garden – Loes van Oosten
Elsie Child’s Apron, Citronille
What have you created recently?!
Superhero Muffins
I couldn’t mention that Zoë and Poppy bake muffins together, without sharing the recipe.
Zoë has linked the recipe for Superhero Muffins in her biweekly substack posting, In Zoe’s Kitchen, so now everyone in the family makes them.
This muffin recipe was created by marathon runners Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky. Shalane has an Olympic medal and won the NYC Marathon in 2017. Kopecky is also a nutrition coach and recipe developer. Together, they have written three cookbooks: Run Fast. Eat Slow — Nourishing Recipes for Athletes, Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow, and Rise & Run.
So you know these muffins are packed with healthy ingredients to keep your body fueled. They use almond meal and oats instead of wheat flour, plus they contain carrots, zucchini, dried fruit (I use tart cherries), nuts, eggs, butter, and maple syrup or honey for sweetness. Zoë recommended also adding some chocolate chips, and I heartily agree.
Superhero muffins are great for breakfast, of course.
But I also enjoy them as an afternoon snack with a mug of herbal tea. I just might be doing that as I write this post!
I keep them in a ziploc bag in the freezer, and defrost in the microwave when I need an energy boost.
And here’s one that uses apple and honey.
Early Spring Wardrobe
Even though we might not have true spring temperatures here yet, I am definitely ready for a spring wardrobe refresh. Things to wear now and also planning for warmer days ahead.
This season I am embracing my classic roots — button up shirts in chambray and oxford cloth, thick cotton sweaters, structured cardigans, flowy midi skirts, light-but-warm quilted jackets, and straight-legged ankle-length jeans.
Stripes with a few pretty florals.
Good-bye blacks and grays, and hello navy and sky blue! And spring always has me feeling a pop of pink.
SOME OF THE DETAILS FROM MY BOARD
I am not usually a Talbot’s shopper, but I saw this shirt and skirt combo in their catalog and fell in love with the block-print style print. I can wear them together for the look of a dress, but they also make versatile separates. Sizing: I am 5’5″ and ordered the petit skirt. I didn’t want it to be too long.
I have been seeing structured cardigans all over the places. They give the look of a jacket, but the softness of a sweater. And they make a nice warm layer over a pretty spring blouse. Sizing: The Everlane cardigan I bought has very long sleeves. I have long arms, and they extend just beyond my wrist. When I went back and looked, I saw they hang that way on the model too. So beware — if you have short arms, they might be too long on you.
My new favorite jeans style is a mid-rise, fitted through the hips with a wide straight ankle-length leg. Old school, with no stretch. They look great with boots (we still have mud…) and sneaks, or dress them up a bit with a ballet flat or loafer. I was lucky to find the Frame “The Hang” style in a dark wash for a deep discount at a local consignment store. The lighter wash are Levi’s 501 ’90s Ankle Jeans. They come in a range of colors and are reasonably priced at just under $100. I plan on getting the white color too. Sizing: These jeans have a bit of a slouchy fit jeans. I got a 27 in both.
SPRING WARDROBE SHOPPING LINKS
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This Week Into Next
When this blog post publishes, I will be in Maryland, staying in Zoë and Sam’s new home!
I am so excited to spend time with all of them and help them get settled. (I am the official picture hanger…). Zoë and I have plans to hit up some antiques stores. She is looking for a few things for the house.
I will visit with some friends and head to some of my old stomping grounds. It is always a bit like going home when I visit the DC area. Maddie and Cisco are making the trip with me, so we will definitely go for some walks on the nearby C&O Canal tow path.
Speaking of which, I lost Maddie in the woods today. It was probably less than 5 minutes, but I had already gone into full-on panic mode. We were headed back to the car after finishing our walk. M&C headed off to explore something and I thought they would just catch up with me when they were done. Cisco did, but Maddie must have gotten confused and wandered off in the opposite direction. I finally found her back on the path we had been walking on. She was limping on her bad paw and panting heavily. They act so young, I forget that they are getting on in years. I need to be better about making sure they are with me before I move on. Lesson definitely learned.
Time to wrap things up! It is Wednesday as I write, and I still have lots to do to get ready to go.
Would you be interested in seeing Zoë and Sam’s new place on the blog next week?!
Have a good week, friends!
