Friday Photo

Busyness and general daily chaos had seriously side-railed any creative energy around here lately. Sick chickadees and sick mama, long school days, starting a big reading project and the everyday routine of cooking, cleaning and laundry sapped any idea of sewing or creating. Enter a fun new blog called Stitch Rabbit and my brain is reeling with inspiration and ideas. Yesterday, produced two new headbands for myself and a finished dress with matching headband for Big Sister. On queue for today is a bag for moi and maybe some pillow covers. I love making things! What are you making?

The Girl and Her Doll

Twenty seven years ago, a mama set out to make cloth dolls for her three little girls. Not only did she make dolls, she made each one a dress with a matching bonnet and pinafore. Under the dresses were petticoats and bloomers. Each doll had a flannel nightgown with matching nightcaps and bloomers and a flannel robe that matched the robes the mama made for each girl. After the girls dressed their dolls in their nightgowns, caps, bloomers and robes they could tuck their dolls into their own wicker basket beds with mattresses, pillows and quilts. Of course, at the time these girls didn't realize what a treasure their sweet mama had lovingly sewed for them but now the youngest girl, that would be me, has been honored to carry on the tradition with her little girls. For Christmas last year, I made a doll for each of my daughters though I only got as far as a dress for each one. Unfortunately, Big Sister had given her doll a hair cut so recently I set out to fix the poor thing.

Here is the doll after she got her hair shaved. I always hate to do anything like this in front of my darling offspring so of course this step was accompanied by the lecture on how only mama could cut the doll's hair with scissors and no one else could.

Here is her new hair after being handsewn on. It's much smoother to sew it on by machine when the doll is being made but it was a little too late for that. I used a cotton yarn that hopefully will hold up to all the loving this doll receives.

Sister had been informing me quite often how much her doll "needed" some bloomers so these little numbers were put together.

Here is the doll wearing her pink lace adorned bloomers and the dress and pinafore from my doll who is still in circulation. You never know when you will need to change dolls so Sister keeps them all at the ready. It's amazing to me how many years of playing and loving these dolls have survived and I love to think of my granddaughters playing with their mama's dolls along side their own dolls made my their adoring grandmother. One can never have too many dolls!

Baby's Book

I must confess, my inspiration for craft projects for the kids leaves something to be desired. Our art usually consists of coloring books for the little ones and sketch books for the older two. They have plenty of creative license (translation: their mom can't think of any good ideas) to draw whatever strikes their fancy. Creative bursts may result in a little painting or the occasional modeling clay frenzy, but day to day we don't get too crafty. Lately we have been making some simple sewing projects for gifts and that is what you see happening here. Please note the "happy mushroom" on the left hand side of his page.

My middle son made a cloth book for Baby's first birthday a few weeks ago. He loves to draw and so we set out with some fabric squares, markers and prayers for patience. That would be me praying for patience. He illustrated each page with drawings of the two of them doing various boy things, fishing, camping, hunting, driving race cars and monster trucks. My part was to write the story on each page and sew it all together.

I must say, it was a hit. Baby carried it around with him and looked at all the pages over and over. The best part was seeing Big Brother's delight in giving the gift. When it comes to gifts and giving, I want each of my kids to know that feeling of giving something you made with your own hands. There's nothing like it!

A Little Bit of Pampering!

Recently, as I was perusing my favorite creative blogs I follow I came across a post about pampering yourself. Unfortunately I can't remember which blog it was, blame it on lack of sleep lately or what, but I can't for the life of me pinpoint who wrote about taking a little extra care of yourself during these long winter months. One of her ideas I already loved was homemade herbal bath salts. I've given this a Christmas gifts in the past, paired with a small cotton bag to fill and drop in the hot bath. I was right at the tail end of my last batch so it was time to replenish the supply.
It's so simple and pretty in a big jar. All you need is a box of rock salt from the grocery store and some dried herbs you like. The batch combines lavender, milk seed thistle and crushed juniper berries. Just mix it all together and store by your tub waiting for the stars to align so you can actually have a long soak in a hot bath. I have a small cotton bag I sewed to fill for my baths but you can pick up little muslin bags in the craft section, they are in the tea supply section of our natural food store where I stock up on herbs. You really have to try this, it is so lovely in jar, that's half the treat of it.

And as you can see, it's irresistible to anyone, no matter their age!