Thanksgiving

I am looking out my window at the odd gray sky: it was warm yesterday, and today the temperature is dropping as an ice storm approaches, all while the new grass we planted is finally growing on my lawn. 

It is an awkward transition, as they so often are. 

My Thanksgiving Cactus is again blooming as Thanksgiving carries us into the Nativity season. I look forward to these delicate blooms each year: to the wonder of shocking color amidst all the gray, as if to say the cloudy skies, frosty mornings and early evenings can not stop the earth from bursting forth with thanksgiving.

I haven't taken care of my houseplants as well this year, since moving into our new home. I'm still finding the right window, and remembering to mend my disrupted routine. And yet they persist, they bloom. Thank God!

Wishing you all a beautiful season of joy and thanksgiving!

I'm thinking how so much so often
comes of showing up, comes of being
willing to arrive, regardless,
as our several mute anxieties subside, and now
I startle, blinking—so much so

that I am for the short term almost wide awake—
and see a bit more clearly how
this willingness or that
can make of the confusion yet
another likely scene, make of the troubled,

packed interior a zone of calm, which calm
avails momentarily a glimpse
to mark among so many frank,
unlikely revelations that I continue
to observe that I am blinking still.

 - From Scott Cairns' Thanksgiving Poem

Let's Talk Process: blog hop

Otherwise titled: How I Made a Ukulele (and then I made it again, and again, and again...)

Today's post is part of a blog hop with 8 great sewing designers, lead by Wendi at Shiny Happy World about the design process. I picked the Ukulele from my book because I made a lot of funny and frustrating mistakes along the way. Come check out my Plucky Ukulele (and a few less plucky prototypes), or for TLDR, skip to the end for the moral of the story.

I had envisioned a bold matisse-style red ukulele with real strings. I'm an optimistic jump-right-in kinda girl, and so I am notoriously bad about sewing a new project with a fabric I just can't wait to use. This usually means my lovely fabric ends up in the scrap heap. I thought I knew the best way to attach the strings, so I quickly looked over ukulele shapes, sketched out a pattern and started cutting this sturdy red corduroy.

I quickly identified two sorta-big problems. I'll address each issue separately, although in reality I was wrangling these two problems simultaneously.

1. Shape.
I don't know what I was thinking with that square bottom! This uke ended up more cubist than fauvist, to my dismay. I had expected this to be a really simple pattern, so I had just sewn the two shapes directly together. But it wrinkled in funny places and the neck was super skinny. I realized I needed to go ahead and add a boxing strip between the two pieces. A boxing strip is just a long straight rectangle sewn between to flat layers to add depth - like the side of a mattress. This was a great fix for the wrinkling and the skinny-ness.

It took about 6 tries to get the shape of the ukulele right, and I'll admit to using up all of my red corduroy by number 3. It turns out there are a lot of different styles of ukuleles and I was drawn to all the funny shapes. But in the plush form, they just seemed confusing. When I went with a more traditional shape, it read more clearly as a ukulele.

2. The Strings
When I first dreamed up this idea, it seemed so simple! I would just top stitch the ends of my elastic cord to the face of the uke, then cover them with a felt applique, then assemble the ukulele. Easy peasy, right? Ah... no. First of all, the elastic rolled under the foot of my sewing machine, so that it was never quite in the place I wanted it to be. It was really important for the four strings to be parallel - if the elastic moved even and 1/8" it looked awful. So, sewing the elastic in place was a huge pain - but I kept trying until I got it pretty close.

More problematic was the tension. I thought I should pull the elastic just slightly so that they would be taut when the finished ukulele was assembled. I've never seen elastic used on the outside of a project, but I stretch the elastic for almost every other use, so it seemed appropriate. On the first attempt, the elastic was too loose so the strings dangled (see the top photo); on the second attempt they were too tight so that the face of the ukulele bowed inwards (like a harp).

I hoped that when I assembled the ukulele and stuffed it, the firmness of the stuffing would strengthen the body and the elastic would stretch. So I assembled the ukulele (which wasn't easy with the elastic pulling on my pieces), and I started to stuff. I could see that it was still bending, so I stuffed some more. I thought if I could just stuff it firmly enough it would be stronger than the elastic. So I stuffed and stuffed - until I burst a seam. And the elastic was still bending the neck. I wish I had a picture of this to show, but I'm pretty sure I threw it out the window.

I realized with a little trial and error, I might be able to figure out just the right tension, just like I eventually got the strings sewn evenly. But when I did, how would I ever be able to communicate that perfect tension in the written pattern so that others could duplicate my results? This is a really fundamental question for designers.When you're writing a pattern, everything needs to be reproducible. And by ukulele # 4, I knew there were just too many problems here.

The Solution
Ultimately, I decided I was going to have to find a different way of making strings. It was really hard to let go of that original vision, but it was the right thing to do. I decided to simplify and just get the body sewn (remember I was still trying to find the right shape), and then figure out how to add the strings. By taking this new, and simpler, approach the solution was suddenly very clear.

I topstitched the appliques and some buttons onto the body before assembling. Then after the ukulele was neatly stuffed and finished, I was able to tie the elastic on very simply. No slippery elastic under my sewing foot, and no tricky tension - I just looped the elastic around the buttons, tightened just a little and tied it off. This time it really was easy peasy.

The Moral of the Story
So if you're designing something new, especially if you're using materials in an unusual way, be encouraged! Know that you're doing some brave and exciting, you're pushing the boundaries of elastic (or whatever) and thinking outside of the box. Good for you! I've got two bits of hard earned design-wisdom for you:

1. Plan to make mistakes. Since your path isn't laid out for you, expect the process of making something new to be filled with twists and turns - and face those turns with a willingness to change your plans. I had to change shapes, change fabrics, and totally rethink my use of elastic. Especially, if you're a jump-right-in kinda girl like me, embrace the failures, enjoy the process, and maybe remember to use muslin for your first attempt (and second and third).

2. A good design should be interesting without being overly complicated. In my experience, the solution to a challenging design problem is almost always the cleanest, simplest solution - the kind of thing that makes people say, "ah, why didn't I think of that." In this project, I had that aha moment twice: first, when I tried using the classic ukulele shape (rather than one of the funky ones); and then again when I tied the strings on instead of sewing them in. Both were simple, but clearly superior solutions. A designer may enjoy making lots of mistakes (see # 1), but the people buying your pattern won't.

Thanks for tagging along with me through the perils of plush design. Be sure to follow along and check out the rest of the blog hop for more practical and inspiring tips from the other designers!

Sneak Peek [with Embarrassing Photos]

I don't usually have much trouble designing with the kids around, but the actual sewing, with pins and projects spread out on the floor and the dining table, the hot iron steaming - that can be a bit tricky.  So during the months I was working on Flip Dolls and Other Toys, my dear husband gave me many weekends home alone to put in some serious hours sewing. He and the kids would go visit the grandparents for a weekend, and I would have 48 uninterrupted hours to make a huge mess, assembly line stacks of projects, and do my hand stitching with a line up of cheesy movies. It was fabulous.

I would keep in contact with John and the kids with a quick skype over breakfast, and loads of photobooth shots of me, cheesing for the camera with the projects I was working on. I was giggling over some of these photos this evening, and thought you might enjoy a peek into my working process. Be warned: there's quite a bit of goofiness, some failed prototypes (read the captions for the details!), a bit of bed-head (with a surprising number of hairstyles over the last two years), and lots of coffee!

Unfortunately, this female super didn't make it in the book, because I made her shirt from the same fabric as her SKIN COLOR. Sheesh. Let's keep it clean, folks.

Coffee, and cheerful first morning. 

Coffee, a drafting ruler, and a frantic second morning.

The productive mess in action - can you spot the three different projects laid out here?

Not pleased with this square bottomed ukelele with floppy strings.

Sharing secret plans with one of my crocodiles!

Many months, and many ukuleles later... shape and string success!

Sitting pretty with my first finished birdie.

Prototype and finished Bearded Ladies - no more nubby arms, simpler hair, and a scale that matches the other flip dolls.  And I'm still totally sane. No really.

Prototype and finished Conjoined Twins. The bigger one is better, right? Wait, is something missing?

Blue Birds and Robins keeping me company. 
Nothing goofy here, just my favorite little toy. :)

Many months and a move later: 
doing book revisions with my cheering squad present this time.

The book arrives in the mail, and we can't keep our hands off it!

That's me! 
Wait, I'm flipped, too...

Thanks for reminiscing with me. Quite a lot of fun over the last two years! My only regret is that I didn't take pictures of all my mistakes - although the topless super hero is definitely a favorite. I think toy design may be one of the most fun jobs ever - at least one of the most playful, eh?

How about you? Do you mix work and play?

Printable Valentines and Valentine-y Baking

I love baking with the kids. Its fun for them, but its also a whole lot of fun for me - I enjoy explaining to them what each ingredient does, and math is more fun when it has a practical application. Plus, the girls get goofy and brave about wanting to try every ingredient. I warn them, "Baking soda doesn't taste good!" But they try it anyway, which is quite remarkable to me, and we have fun conversations about how each ingredient plays a different role. I reward them with a large chunk of brown sugar - and, of course, a finished cookie, too.

And I think the fact that I genuinely enjoy that time together means something to them. They can tell when I'm having fun, and it makes a difference. It's something to be remember as a parent. Anytime we're having a rough day, "Let's make cupcakes!" quickly turns things around for all of us.

So I decided to make some fun baking themed Valentines, in honor of our baking time and our love of chocolate... and okay, my love of puns, too. They're pretty bad, but oh so good, too. Here they are:

Cookie cutter: I ❤ you.
Cupcake: Be my cupcake.
Donut: I like you a hole lot.
Cookie: You're one smart cookie.
Brownie: You scored some brownie points.
Lollipops: I'm a sucker for you.

All six valentines fit on one page. The pdf includes both a color and a black/white version in case you'd like to color them yourself. Printing on card stock will make them more like store bought valentines. Just, cut them out, and write a note on the back. Of course, they'd go nicely tucked into a basket of cookies, but that's up to you. :) Download the Valentine's here.
Update: Cards have been updated and can now be found in my shop. 

I'll be coloring some with the girls and try to get some in the mail in the next week. Looks like I'll be explaining puns to them, too - that should be fun!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. I think you're all smart cookies.

Check out my other valentines: print and draw valentines

Happy New Year!

The holidays are so often a rush and a whisper - a whirlwind of busy-ness and a call to peacefulness.  Ours has been a bit paradoxical, both lovely and lonely. And I am eager to hold on to the lingering lovely moments that we have before our routine returns, to hold on to them and plant them into our routine.

I made an absolutely beautiful loaf of bread, but didn't bother to photograph it until it was almost gone. Yet, its beauty persists each morning as we eat another toasted slice. 

And despite our abnormal schedule and irregular appointments, we are still pouring two cups of coffee each morning and washing the dishes [most days]. This is beautiful, too. This is life and it persists despite our disrupted routines.

I have no idea what is in store this year, what projects we will undertake, what joys and tragedies we will face, but I am going in with my eyes wide open. I am determined to make this a year of love and not argument. I am looking and looking. Wishing you much love and beauty this year!

"Unless we look at a person and see the beauty there is in this person, we can contribute nothing to him. One does not help a person by discerning what is wrong, what is ugly, what is distorted. Christ looked at everyone he met, at the prostitute, at the thief, and saw the beauty hidden there. Perhaps it was distorted, perhaps damaged, but it was beauty none the less, and what he did was to call out this beauty... 

And this is what we must learn to do with regard to each person as an individual, but also - and this is not always as easy - with regard to groups of people or a nation. We must learn to look, and look until we have seen the underlying beauty of this group of people. 

Only then can we even begin to do something to call out all the beauty that is there. 

Listen to other people, and whenever you discern something which sounds true, which is a revelation of harmony and beauty, emphasize it and help it to flower. Strengthen it and encourage it to live." - Met. Anthony Bloom

Space Stations, and Meteorites and Holy Nights

We've enjoyed being outside with the girls and especially watching the sky with them. Its very dark at our new house since we are far from any street lights, which makes the star gazing absolutely amazing. Seriously.

This week has been especially fun, with all the organizing credit going to John (okay, and the folks at NASA, too). John signed up for Spot the Station, a free program by NASA that will send you text or email alerts telling you when the International Space Station is visible in your area. John has been spotting the ISS for a few months now, but this week the timing was at the perfect time in the evening when we could all bundle up and sit outside together. It was very cool to see and to think about the astronauts on board (the NASA website is also very cool). Space stuff is always a little mind boggling to me in all of its paradoxes: far away but visible, empty but infinite.

Left to Right: Windows, Space Station, Jupiter

I know you're amazed at my crazy photography skills. Yes, that dot of light is impressive. But seriously, it's fun to watch and it passes over fairly quickly, so check it out if you can.

Last night, we bundled up for another adventure - watching a meteor shower! The peak time was at 3:00 AM, but there was no moon or clouds, so they were visible for most of the night. We took the girls out from 7-8PM and made a cozy bed in the back of the truck and watched patiently. We probably saw two dozen shooting stars, and the girls were thrilled with each sighting. You can keep up with what you can see in the sky each night at EarthSky, although John says sometimes you have to google around for meteor showers and comet sights. He got up again at 3 to watch at the peak time, and said he saw 75 shooting stars that were brilliant! I'd say that was worth losing sleep.

It seems fitting to marvel at the stars during the Christmas season.  It reminds me of one of my favorite Christmas Carols, O Holy Night. I prefer the version with the coffee commercial, but I couldn't find it, so here's one with a scene from the Nativity Story. Happy star gazing to all!

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

"It's been a long journey from the Fourth Century Bishop of Myra, St. Nicholas, who showed his devotion to God in extraordinary kindness and generosity to those in need, to America's jolly Santa Claus, whose largesse often supplies luxuries to the affluent. However, if you peel back the accretions, he is still Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, whose caring surprises continue to model true giving and faithfulness." - from the Origin of Santa at the St. Nicholas Center

I hope you all have a lovely St. Nicholas Day! Learning about St. Nicholas is a beautiful way to delve into this season with a spirit of giving, and take a step back from the tensions and commercials that can overwhelm us this time of year.

We started the morning with just a few small treats in our shoes - a candy cane for St. Nicholas' staff, gold coins to remind us of his generosity, and a few small stickers just for fun. We read this story of St. Nicholas over breakfast (which was half chocolate coins, I'm afraid), and this afternoon we'll make cookies.

My intentions of making this day one of meaningful charity have fallen through yet again, and I marvel at those like St. Nicholas, for whom charity was a daily activity. Alas, the girls and I will make Christmas cards and cookies to give away, so that we can at least think of others throughout the day.

from the Life of St. Nicholas, at the council of Nicaea

Last year, I shared a picture of the story of St. Nicholas and the dowries from the St. Nicholas center, but this year I'm enjoying reading the stories about St. Nicholas at the council of Nicaea and the role he played in defending the doctrine of the Trinity. One retelling is here: Bishop Nicholas loses his cool.

Theology nerds will enjoy this silly song to the tune of "Supercalafragalisticexpialadocius" about the doctrines formulated at the council:

 [chorus] Superchristological and Homoousiosis Even though the sound of them is something quite atrociousYou can always count on them to anathemize your GnosisSuperchristological and Homoousiosis

One Prosopon, two Ousia are in one Hypostasis.
At Chalcedon this formula gave our faith its basis.
You can argue that you don't know what this means,
But don't you go and try to say there’s a "Physis" in between!

Go the St. Nicholas center to see the full song and the definitions of all the greek words.  And be sure to browse the stories, activities, and recipes. The makers of the St. Nicholas Center have filled it with buckets of information, stories and links. Enjoy!

Presence and Dishes and Joy

"Let a joy keep you. Reach out your hands and take it when it runs by."  - Carl Sandburg

To build the house we wanted, a beautiful house of our own design, we had to make some sacrifices to make it affordable. So we sacrificed a few luxuries. Our house is small, with only one bathroom, small closets, and small bedrooms. I've been a fan of the tiny house movement for a long time, so small (not quite tiny) was easy for me to embrace.  Not all of the sacrifices have been easy, though.

Like the dishwasher.

We were given a beautiful cast iron sink from one of John's colleagues. It has big drainboards on either side, and I love it so so much.  Like, if our life were a tv show, the sink would be a main character. But the kitchen is small. So we gave up the dishwasher to make room for the sink. We could squeeze one in if we had to, but giving it up seemed like the right choice.

But here's the thing I'm learning about luxuries - luxuries like dishwashers, dryers, internet, television, and cell phones: We forget what luxuries they are, and we become dependent on them. We make them necessities. Then they start to require things from us: money, maintenance, and most of all, our attention. Something that started out making our lives more convenient, over time begins to put demands on us.

It's not easy to give up some of these things. It's downright counter-cultural at times. But, being independent of these things offers more value than luxury or convenience. It offers presence. Giving up distraction and obligation to appliances, you get to be present in the current moment and involved in the stuff of life, and the people you share it with.

I'm still learning this, of course, reminding myself of it when I'm grumpy about washing the dishes. Most of the time I enjoy it though. I've been printing poems and sheet music, and learning and singing while I wash the dishes. I also just listen to the kids playing around me as a I wash, and watch the birds in the dogwood outside my window. It has become a little joyful time each day that I really look forward to.

I know you know know this, too. I'm sure we seek presence in different ways, and allow different indulgences. What do you give up? How do you stay present?

And because words aren't my strong suit, here are some other insightful, and perhaps more poetic, thoughts on washing the dishes by hand:
On doing dishes
Washing dishes together
Pretty over the kitchen sink
Joy of Washing the Dishes by Hand

The Volcano Saved the Valley from the Sharp Teeth

L crawled into our bed one morning and said, "Daddy, today I want to do something exciting that we've never done before." And shouldn't we all?

John quickly came up with the idea to build a volcano. Ideas like this come quickly to daddies who don't mind messes.

We built our volcano around a glass with baking soda in it. I also put in food dye; and yes, my children were wearing Sunday dresses (although not for long); and no, I wouldn't do the food dye again, but thanks for asking. Also it made the lava pink.

Then we piled up big rocks, little rocks, dirt, beans, more beans, split peas, more dirt. until we finally made a mound that reached the top of the glass. It was a small glass, and I was genuinely surprised how much stuff it took to build this little volcano. Keep in mind the dirt is about to be mud, so don't use any beans you hope to eat later.



 


Then the girls arranged their dinosaurs and played for awhile. This was funny, and I made a darling video of them: arranging the dinosaurs; explaining how the sharp teeth were coming into the valley; then Mommy made it rain in the volcano (vinegar), and it erupted! and the sharp teeth ran away from the great valley; hooray! Do it again!

Only the video didn't take. Boo. So you'll just have to imagine little girls delighted by pink lava, and sharp teeth running for their lives.

I put quite a lot of baking soda in our glass, so each time it fizzled out I would just throw in a bit more vinegar and it would go again. I think it erupted about 7 times. Afterward, the girls played in the muddy pink mess for a long time before moving to the bath. It was really sort of awesome and dazzling in a-hey, let's build a volcano-kind of way.

Two Patterns: Dog and Stegosaurus

You were warned about the Dog, but the Stegosaurus is here too!

My girls love dogs.  And dinosaurs.  Did you know there are 13 Land Before Time movies?

13!

And yes, we've seen them all. Although, I may have slept through a couple.

I fully expect J to open this Stegosaurus at Christmas and immediately say, "Now I need a Long Neck, a Cera, a Ducky, and a Flier!" And L will ask for several more dogs in a variety of shapes and colors. Yes, I'm prepared.

But for now, one pattern at a time.  Or, ahem, two.  

I don't expect these to replace Pink Dog, but I'm hoping they'll join the pack.  


A few notes about these patterns:
My goal was to make the cuddly, so you may notice a few differences.  They're made of fleece and furry blankets, and they're half filled with poly beads to make them more flexible - so they don't stand up perfectly for photos.  I made the dogs in two sizes, just enlarge the pattern a bit more because - of course - we need a mommy dog and a baby dog.  Also the dogs have a million variations - button/embroidery eyes, various ears, tail up or down, spots - ooh, and an easy, no sew collar.

 

Here's a qick giveaway: Today until the 16th - click the links below to grab these patterns and make some last minute Christmas gifts!  I've changed file hosts, so I'm hoping not to have bandwidth issues. (fingers crossed) (Updated: Dec. 17th - the giveaway has now ended. Thanks for all your enthusiasm!) After the 16th, you can still find the patterns in shop.

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

This is the first year we've celebrated St. Nicholas Day, so we're having fun learning and making new traditions. In a little bit, the girls will wake up and find their shoes filled with a few small treats, including St. Nicholas staff (candy cane) and gold coins (chocolate) to remind them of how he gave to the three girls in the story.

Yesterday, we made cookies, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite pre-Christmas traditions.  This was the first time I made shaped cookies with the kids, and they thought it was so cool (just like play dough!).

And later, we'll spend the day making gifts for family and friends (Martha has a great list of gifts kids can make). We decided to make gift making on St. Nicholas day part of our family tradition partly because we want our children to be people who see the needs of others, like St. Nicholas did. It is all too easy to be self-involved (believe me, I know), but compassion begins with looking at the people around you, instead of yourself.  And I want to be compassionate. Our gifts won't be world changing for anyone this year, but hopefully they will help my girls and I look outward. Perhaps it will grow into something more significant.

Ultimately, I want this day to become a day of compassion for our family. Which is hard sometimes during the holidays as you recount your life, your goals, your wish lists.  I want to teach my kids compassion, but I think I'm hungering for it, too.

How do you teach your kids about giving at Christmas?

St. Nicholas and the Dowries

  --------

And be sure to check out the St. Nicholas Center!  You could easily lose an afternoon there. Which I did. So here are a few of my favorite links to help you out:

• the story of St. Nicholas and the Dowries - explains the custom of the shoes
• How St. Nicholas became Santa Claus 
• ideas on How to Celebrate.
• several online picture books for kids
• traditional recipes from various countries
• and, of course, St. Nicholas craft projects