InchWorm Pattern and Give Away

Happy Summer!  I'm officially back, and what a way to come back!  A give-away below, and still one day left to enter the drawing for the Kid's Crafternoon books (enter here).

I've been sewing all kinds of new designs this year, but I just can't tell you about them yet (I say through gritted teeth).  I wish I could, it's much more fun.  So, when I had an idea that wasn't a good fit for the book, I was quite excited to put it together for you guys, here and now.  So here it is!

This little inchworm is quickly becoming one of my favorite toys.  He's pretty easy to sew and darn cute - but the way he moves?!  Be still my heart.  I can't get enough of perfecting my inching abilities.

I've been wanting to make an inchworm for so long, but couldn't figure out how to make him move.  As usual, the solution was pretty simple - it's all about the filling.  And the best part is seeing how the different fabrics move in slightly different ways.  Am I going on too much about this?  Have a look for yourself.



So, here you go, limited time give-away - he's available for download right here until Thursday morning whenever I roll out of bed. (Updated: the give away is now over!) Please, please, make some inchworms and show them to me!  After the give away, you can find the pattern in the shop along with a few of the inchworms themselves.

On Princesses, and other things

With little girls, I find myself in unfamiliar territory, surrounded by princess language and costumes.  Thankfully, my girls aren't too heavy on pink and glitter, but they do love to wear tutus, dresses, and crowns and be Princesses.  I guess it's unavoidable.

I've spent hours looking for girl heroes - not girls who are rescued or kissed, but girls who do heroic things.  I finally realized that I wasn't finding what I was looking for, because I was looking for girls filling the role of boy heroes - acting aggressively and violently.  Of course, girls can do those things, too, but in most traditional stories they don't.  So, I finally realized I needed to redefine for myself what a girl hero is.   

You already know I love the legend of George and the Dragon.  Here's one version:

A town was held captive by a dragon.  The people tried to appease the dragon with sheep, but one day they ran out of livestock.  With no other options, the princess Elizabeth went out to the dragon as a sacrifice for her people.  Before the dragon could take her, however, St. George appeared and wounded the dragon.  Then, George took Elizabeth's sash and tied it around the dragon's neck, now a tame beast.  Elizabeth took the leash and lead him back into the city, where the people cared for their former enemy. 

 St. George is the hero of the story.  It's true.  But, I'm finding I love the role the princess plays too.  She is brave and self-sacrificing.  She didn't have the strength or swordsmanship to rid her people of the dragon.  But she gave what she had - herself.  And that is a heroic act.

 I also love, in this version, that George doesn't kill the dragon.  He wounds and tames it.  I could write a whole post about how beautiful and redemptive the transformation of the dragon is - but there's more about the princess.  George ties her sash around his neck, and she leads him home where the people care for him.  Nurturing is a thankless task at times, but when someone depends upon it, like a wounded dragon, that's heroic, too.

I made L a little Princess (and a whole series of George and Dragon brooches, too).  As she watched me sew the other night, I told her this story.  Later, I heard her retelling it to John.  That was priceless.

I recently stumbled across this beautifully illustrated children's book about the version of George and the Dragon that I love so much.  In this post, the author Jim Forest beautifully explains how true stories turn into legends and myths, even within Christianity.   I love the way people have always used stories to talk about beautiful and true things.  Isn't that just what art is?  What a beautiful thing to give to our children.  It looks like you can pre-order the book here. 

I'd love to hear about your favorite female heroes.  My sister has talked about princesses some, too.   I'll link to it if I can find it...Here it is! She's excellent.

Kids' Crafternoon: Paper Curtains and Free Books!

I'm thrilled to be participating in the Kid's Crafternoon blog party! By now you already know, Kathreen put together the Crafternoon series, and the first two books Kids' Crafternoon Sewing and Kids' Crafternoon Papercraft are just out! Each book is full of craft projects that kids can do mostly unassisted in an afternoon, hence Kid's Crafternoon! I contributed a little Pencil Pouch project to the Sewing book, and I adore how they styled in in the book.  Isn't this cool?

The sewing book is full of such clever ideas, perfect for kids in the 7-12 range.  My girls are a bit younger, but I knew they'd enjoy making one of the projects from the Papercraft book with me.  We decided to try the Paper Raindrops Curtain by the lovely Khali Whatley.   My girls love to hang out the window to wave goodbye and hello to anyone coming or going, so I knew they'd really dig this.   

I love the sweetly illustrated instructions, and printed templates are always excellent, but they are especially good for kid's projects.   It was super easy to jump right into the project.  I did all the cutting, but the girls picked out the colors and helped me glue them together.  We were all tickled with how cool it turned out, and even the little one pronounced it "beautiful!"  The girls eagerly waited for Daddy to come home so that they could wave at them through the clouds!

Hardie Grant was kind enough to give me a copy of each book to give away to one of you!  To enter the give-away, tell me in the comments which book you'd most like, and who you'd like to spend a crafternoon with!  Two winners will each get one book.  Be sure to comment with an account where I can contact you.  Winners will be announced on August 2.

Also, if you get the chance, follow along with the rest of the blog party to see more projects from these excellent books, and more chances to win a book:

July22, Poppytalk - July23,  Picklebums - July 24, Little Eco Footprints - July 25, Beaspoke quilts - July 26, Maya Made - July 27, Checkout girl - July 28, The red thread - July 29, We Wilsons - July 30, Maggie Makes - July 31, Mmm Crafts - August 1, Domesticali - August 2, Floating Ink - August 3, Elizabeth Abernathy - August 4, Mommy Coddle - August 5, The Long Thread - August 6, Hannah Fletcher - August 7, Between the lines - August 8, Go Make Me

Coming soon...

Just popping in to tell you about the new Kid's Crafternoon series edited by Kathreen, just released this month and available on Amazon now.  I contributed this Pencil Pouch project to the sewing book. 

I just got my copy of both the Sewing and the Papercraft book - and let me just say, they're pretty cool!  I'll be participating in a blog tour at the end of the month - which may involve a give away (wink, wink).  So be sure to check it out. 

I'll be resuming regular blogging in August, and I'm going to try to squeeze as much summer fun into the rest of the month as I can!  Hope you can do the same. 

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.