little birthdays and uncaptured lives

The night before L birthday, as I was realizing that the rainy weather was going to mess up my plans for our outdoor activities - my cupcakes bombed.  The younger one started to get a fever and a friend wasn't sure he'd make it to the party. 

I was frustrated and getting grumpy.

But thankfully, I had a moment of clarity.  Celebrations are happy, and little people are happy.  And Lou won't care if I use a cake mix.

So, I ran to town to get a cake mix from the store and a dog shaped cake pan from the public library (how cool is that?).   While the cake was baking, I cut up a flannel pillowcase and some felt and made a quick felt-board type Pin the Tail on the Dog.  Seriously - this is a quick in a pinch.  Cut, topstitch and tape to the wall - the felt tails will stick on their own if you pat a little.   John and I put up some decorations (a felt bunting, and several yards of ball fringe trim, a white table cloth and fresh flowers) and I laid out her crown and a pink dress.  I love for her to wake up to a decorated table - it just seems to make the whole day exciting.

And then, as I finished icing the cake and applied some chocolate chip spots, I vowed to finish up tonight.  To celebrate tomorrow.  To give her the one thing she wants (and I struggle to give) the most: my attention.

The next morning, as I was trying to get a nice picture of my pretty table setting, I thought, "Wouldn't it be nice to just enjoy this, and not try to document it?"   I thought how lucky people without blogs are. So I started over.  I decided to celebrate, and give L (and sick J) my attention. 

And we had such a beautiful day. 

There are days, when I want to completely disconnect from all of my online platforms, to just walk away from all of it.  I'm not quite ready yet, but I think one day I will.  For now, I think I'll take the summer off.  With John taking time off, the weather being (sometimes) beautiful, and me sewing top-secret book projects - now just seems like a good time.

I hope your summer is full of celebration, and I'll see you in the fall. 

Come As You Are

Being at home all day, in a tiny (cozy), messy (full), old (beautiful) house makes you keenly aware of the disconnect between a practical home and homes in those design-y photos.  You know the ones: the house always has a clear design scheme, a perfect color set, and one pair of crisp clean Chuck Taylor's haphazardly laying on the rule of thirds.  I love these.  They're beautiful.  They make me feel bad about myself.

I've noticed a blog trend lately to post about what your house really looks like.  Leave it to women to pull together and say, "hey, don't miss what's beautiful about my messy house."  And we moms may not be winning awards, making history, or, at times, coming up with anything interesting to say in adult conversation - but we are saturated in little pure and joyful lives every day.  Let's hope it rubs off.

She can tend to 6 babies, a fire engine, and a wolf in the village all at once.

No fancy dinner parties, but we're 75% of the way through the alphabet.

Resting after thoughtfully arranging the crayons into families.

A large playroom is only fun when someone is there to play with you.

Flour on the counter top means bread in the oven.

Usually organized studio, sometimes tidy, rarely pretty, always busy.

Working

because I hate a post without pictures

I am working, and working and working.  My back is killing me from the hours I spend hunched over sewing or drafting at the computer - I've got to stop doing that!  I wish I could write more about the new designs I'm working on, but I know it will be fun to share them all later.  I should say that I love working on the book: I'm learning like crazy, and I have so much work left to do, but it is thrilling.

I do want to tell you that I've made some exciting improvements to the flip dolls!  A few simple adjustments to the construction make them much easier to put together, and a bit neater too.  You can see these changes on the flip doll patterns that are in the shop now, and if you've previously purchased the Owl and Pussycat pattern or George and the Dragon, you can get the updated version (check your Etsy convo's or send me an email).  I've also worked out a new type of flip doll, that is even simpler while still super fun - but you'll have to wait for the book to see that.  ;)
 
I spent some birthday money on Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts which is both lovely and excellent and prompting more ideas that I have time to work on now.   If you like having reference-type books in your studio, this is top-notch, of-course.  I'd also recommend the Reader's Digest Guide to Sewing (the link is to the 80's version I have, but I think there are newer ones, too).

30

celebrating with the girls with Pac-Man and Frogger

For my 30th birthday, John took me on a weekend trip to Memphis, which was kind of a big deal. It was our first get away since we became parents, so it was a big step for both of us.  We go to Memphis every now and then, so we didn't feel pressured to sight see - we were just able to enjoy the city without kids in tow.

Illustrated guide to the weekend for the girls

I loved getting to slow down and look at paintings, eat a lot of great food, have a little fun on Beale Street, sleep as late as I wanted, and pray without interruption. 

I also loved coming home to my girls on Mother's Day (who, by the way, also had a thrilling weekend with grandparents).  Now, I am relishing each little moment of the girls dancing or talking in high pitched little pretend voices. I'm making ginger sage hot tea and playing in the garden with the girls.  

I am thrilled about where I am right now: 30, working really hard on a book, being changed every day by motherhood.  Growing.    

Happy Crowns

I'm off to put the last of the crowns in the mail this morning, and I just wanted to say thanks to all of you for participating in my little project.  We gave away 130 crowns and met some amazing kids.  Have a look at the crowns, and be sure to scroll down and down and down.  It's like a happy little rainbow - it always makes me smile.  The crowns are in the order that they were given, so you can see how my color and style choices changed, as well as my photog skills. (And maybe you can spot the donated chunk in the middle, thanks Mom!)

Assorted reflections: 

• When you do something nice for others, you just can't help but be blessed by it yourself.  I feel a bit selfish because I think I got more out of this than anyone.  I really can't say thank you enough. 

• Everyone needs compassion.  True, not everyone's needs are equal, but sometimes little things feel just as dire, especially for children.

• A charitable project probably runs more smoothly when you have a clear recipient in mind.  I ended up hunting down kids to give crowns to.  :)

• I can find much more time to sew than I ever thought I could.  Sometimes a challenge is all you need.  

• "Joy comes, grief goes, we know not how." - James Russell Lowell 

Maybe I'll have some reflections on turning 30 later.  This seems like enough for one day.  I'd love to hear yours. 

Community

 A long time ago, this was a blog about our family, to share pictures with our long distance relatives.  A few years ago, it shifted into a sewing blog and sort of changed my world. I don't really have an anniversary since it was a gradual shift, but here's a reflection on 5-ish years of craft blogging.

I often feel insecure about being a self-taught seamstress.  Am I using the right words?  Am I missing something obvious.  But, I bet most of us weren't taught sewing (and other domestic crafts) formally.  My mother taught me to sew when I was young.  First some cross stitching, and she'd let me turn her projects right side out while she continued to sew.  When I was older she taught me to use her machine.  But, the first time I tried to use an actual pattern, I had a hard time with all of the rules she wanted me to follow.  The direction of the grain, the type of fabric, all the little steps and pins. You see, she was formally trained, and understood the value of craftsmanship.  I had to learn that the hard way.

I quickly gave up on following patterns, but luckily my mom sat down one day, and showed me the basic steps to make a shoulder bag.  A simple bag, with box corners and a long strap, no lining.  That introduction to basic construction was intriguing to me.  I tried different shapes.  I learned how to add a lining, a flap, a button.  I took the long way around, but eventually I was hooked on the challenge of how to make 3-dimensional forms from fabric.

Still, I had no classes, and read only a few books.  While I was studying art in college, I would call my mom for help on adjusting tension, and asking how to make something as simple as a quilt binding.  She'd explain it, and I'd forge ahead.  I made a lot of silly frumpy clothes, a goofy art quilt, and every sort of household linen.  I figured things out and gained confidence.

When I was pregnant with my first daughter I wanted to use cloth diapers, but they were so expensive.  So I decided to make my own.  I used a pattern.  At 25 years old I used a pattern for the first time.  It was amazing.  It was perfect (okay, close to perfect).  I learned so many little details that I would have left out if I'd being making it up.  What's more, I made something practical, economical, and beautiful.  I was so proud.  This was the point when I began to really understand that good sewing wasn't about being "crafty."  It was about being a "craftsman."  I had rediscovered what it meant to make my own "things of life," and my sewing would never be the same.

In case you can't tell, I love the oft-quoted Faith Gillespie:

"There is clearly another imperative at work now in our exercise of the old crafts. It has to do with reclamation, with reparation. The world seems not to need us any more to make “the things of life.” Machines make more and cheap. The system needs us to do the maintenance jobs and to run the machines that produce the so-called “goods”, to be machines in the consumer societies, which consume and consume and are empty. Our turning to craftwork is a refusal. We may not all see ourselves this way, but we are working from a position of dissent. And that is a political position.”

It took me awhile to realize, I'm not really self-taught.  I'm community taught.  My mother helped me along the way, and so did my grandmothers.  My friend Peggy gave me the Reader's Digest Guide to Sewing.  And my sister-in-law Kate pointed me to craft blogs.  To you guys.  I learned to make pants, sew zippers, block quilts from craft blogs.  I found good books, inspiration, motivation, tutorials and definitions from craft blogs.  Somewhere along the way, I found my voice and joined yours.

This is what we are reclaiming:  our community of domestic artisans and pride in our intimate connection with the stuff of life.

Thanks to all of you.

Land scouts

I'm so looking forward to summer so I can start my garden.  John is busy with the house this summer,  so I'm taking charge of the garden - and I feel more than a little nervous about it to tell the truth.  I usually flake out.  You'll have to remind me to go take care of it.

The local wisdom around here says not to plant your garden until after Easter.  Unfortunately, the tornado weather has kept me from getting my seedlings out.  Maybe this weekend?

I've also been looking forward to summer because I want to earn Land Scout badges! Urban Land Scouts was started by Katie Ries and teaches and encourages people to be good stewards to the land where they live, especially barren or wasted land.  I love this idea, even though I definitely live in a rural area.  So I was thrilled to receive my first two badges, after I posted about our seed bombing! (one for the seed bombs, and one for blogging about it)  There's loads of information to get started on the website.  Check it out, and become a land scout!

Now any ideas where to put my badges?  I'm thinking, another messenger bag?

Messenger Bag of Awesome

 I was in a bit of a funk last week. After a frustrating few days without my sewing machine,  I picked it up from the place only to find out something else was wrong with it.  Follow that news with a sleepless night due to babies who won't sleep through a storm, and a late morning chasing a mouse out of the house (which may have involved some shrieking).

The next day I was still grumpy, and I decided its time to make this grump go away.

So I decided a little extra curricular sewing was in order.  Something just for me.  In a blur of morning and scissors, I combined ideas from two lovely tutorials (basic messenger bag and puffy pouch) to make a bag that met my current needs/whims.  I love messenger style bags and haven't had one in so long.  Combine that with these peekaboo pleats and some of my favorite vintage prints, and voila.  Grumpy begone!

It really made me think about how much I really enjoy sewing and making something.  And that I don't sew for fun enough.  Ha, well, maybe next year.  2012 - the year of sewing what I want?

Craft Hope: Bracelets for Orphans

I recently discovered Craft Hope.  What a beautiful project!

I think Craft Hope is everything I hoped my crown project would be, and much much more.  It combines craft with compassion, and the people at Craft Hope are truly helping people in need.  Please take a moment to check it out and get involved!  They just finished sending Delivery Kits to Haiti, and for the latest project they are sending handmade bracelets to orphaned children in Russia.  This is such an easy project to join in! 

This statistic really hit me:
* Approximately 250,000 children are adopted annually, but…
* Every year 14,050,000 children still grow up as orphans and AGE OUT of the system.

These older children who leave the system without families often lead very difficult lives.  They really need families, but we can also send them a little hope now.

I had hoped to have mine finished to show you before I blogged, but my sewing machine is in the shop again, which has lead to all kinds of ugh.  Nevertheless, here's a round-up of other lovely bracelet tutorials that would be great for this project.  I might try some of each!  Be sure to think of the boys, too!

Beaded Fabric Scrap Bracelets
Wrist Cuff
Felt Bracelet
Summer Braided Bracelet
Scrappy Button Bracelet
Elastic Flower Bracelet
Reversible Cuff Bracelets
Ribbon and Bead Bracelet
Friendship Bracelets
Wave Friendship Bracelet

Seed Bombs

This week the girls and I made seed bombs from Whip Up's latest Action Pack. The mini-mag is full of crafts to do with kids based around a theme. April focused on seeds, which was perfect for us. Many of the projects are more suited to kids older than mine, but they're so neatly organized and thematic, I think they'll be easy to file away for later.  We all enjoyed this one though.  What preschooler doesn't love tearing, throwing, and goopy mush?  I liked talking to my girls about seeds and flowers, especially since we've been collecting and identifying wildflowers lately. 

My friend Kat made seed bombs recently as a part of an Urban Land Scouts workshop, and had some beautiful thoughts on it.  When things slow down around here, I definitely want to become a land scout, too!