boys have birthdays too

and eve knows that because her daddy has a birthday and she remembers when charlie came out of my tummy, and that was his first birthday ever. but he was zero, which is a little funny. 

so, because they have them too and because i believe in the glory of two-in-one, we now celebrate birthdays with this banner. one side for the girls. one side for the boys. or if the kids decide to break free of the gender-specific color regime, they get to choose whichever side they like the best. either way, this thing is going to be around forever. i love thinking of hanging the banner up 10 years from now when these exact shades and designs are decidedly out of fashion and the kids think it's so ugly, but love it still. because it is tradition, and you can't help but love tradition. 

if you don't already have your own and are thinking of the awesomeness of reversibility and segregating colors, this is a fun project. great for using up fabric already in your stash, in fact, i like this so much more knowing i used only what was on hand. and even though it sat in the "almost finished" pile nearly a year, it really is quick. especially if you sew the triangles, wrong sides together, and use pinking shears on the edges rather than spending the time turning each right side out, which i'm happy with, but am not sure was worth it when pinked edges are fun too. and faster. 

. . .

things are most likely going to be calm around here for the next week or so. i've got my hands full watching over little charlie as he recovers from a terrible burn on his left hand. my chest is tight with guilt just thinking about his sad bandaged hand. i will never doubt his determination or strength again. nor will i assume that trains and a chair barrier are enough to distract him from the heat pipe of his desire while i wash my face. as i was waiting with him in cornell's burn unit, clowns came in to cheer the room up. people laughed. a lot. but i couldn't look at them, it was too sweet and right and made me want to cry for little charlie, that we were in a place where clowns come to cheer up the sad and broken. but i was so grateful all the same. people are awesome. 

(and so were your treat suggestions! it's almost scary how many delicious things there are to shove in my mouth. . . i haven't stopped dipping my apples in honey since jackie suggested it and i can't wait to get going on all the other favorites. but slowly. because charlie and his paw need more attention than my belly. . .) 

five! five! FIVE!

this little love is FIVE today. i can remember being five. i got a tea set, loved my rainbow-sleeved shirt-tails shirt and had my first official friends birthday party. what will eve remember from this day? will it be riding daddy's shoulders to school? waking up with the birthday banner (finally) finished and displayed in her honor? ruthie shouting over and over and over "it your birthday, eve! it your birthday!!"? maybe she'll remember her baby brother swatting at the shower curtain, trying to get in with her and soaking himself in the process. she might remember me sewing her birthday shirt seconds before she needed to leave (and minutes after). possibly she'll remember sitting on our bed opening birthday cards (cards in the morning, presents at night) from her dear family. she might remember her own disbelief "am i really five now? really? five?" or she may remember none of it. but i will remember. i will remember rushing and sewing her shirt to help make her special day just a little more special. i will remember ruth and charlie and chip slowing our usual morning routine to celebrate. i will remember looking at this big, beautiful little girl and feeling about her now the way i felt the moment she was brought into view and placed on my chest. absolute amazement. i will remember sitting here typing, my eyes stinging as i think of how much this little one is to me, to our family. she is our first. the protector, the encourager, the comforter. she has so much growing to do, so much to learn and be. but for now i will not think of that. i will freeze time and sit in awe as i think that she has been ours for five years. . .five years. . .

and then i will get busy. because this one is also a taskmaster. banana cupcakes to bake, crowns to cut out, goodie bags to tie for our class celebration this afternoon and then there is the dinner to prepare, rainbow cake to assemble and gifts to wrap for our family celebration tonight. we'll see how much happens. regardless, we'll be having a fun day. the perfect day. just like five years ago. 

the birthday shirt with the number eve is now thrilled to claim as her very own, thanks to my recently re-united best friend; freezer paper. disregard non-ironed back. and wet, messy hair. there's only so much a sentimental procrastinator can get done on a great morning like this. . . happy friday the 13th! (clearly, always a lucky day around here).

art shirt/ failing my daughter

sometimes the things i make don't work out the way i have planned, which is great. in fact, it's the way i prefer to operate; the unforseen adjustments and even mistakes are a part of my process. a different fabric is chosen, a piece is added here, a cut, a pleat, a stitch or a button there. . . or it is all eliminated and simplicity reigns. in the end, the result is so much better than the original idea, than the original sketch. 

this is not an example of that happening. . . a cute little white shirt with gathered sleeve, tiny orange ribbon to tie in back and - to make her love it - a tansfer of eve's very own artwork. perfect idea, right? i thought so, but it didn't work out. my floor is burned (i'm an idiot), the transfer is weak. so weak that i pulled out the sharpie to fill in some of the most glaring gaps- a desperate low. and for the first time since the apron i made her when she was two, eve doesn't like it. she saw it and decided she doesn't want to wear it. ever. "it's supposed to be blue at this part, but it's white! where's the green i colored, mom?! i think you didn't do it right!" i agree. 

but, despite my apparent lack of iron-on transfer skills, i'm really good at reverse psychology. and bribing. the shirt was agreeably worn to school and at the end of the day eve reported that both julian and brody liked it. and if julian likes it, everyone likes it. especially eve. first he introduced pokemon, then "dude!" and now he has restored my daughter's faith in me.

i might put a proper hem on the shirt after all. and then experiment with the iron-on transferring, it shouldn't be that hard, should it?

R dress

if there is an "R" anywhere in sight ruthie will find it. "that my letter!" "R! R!" finding her very own letter makes her hour, and hearing that little voice shout in glee makes mine. 

two years ago (three?) when eve was little(r) i decided it was time to start making the dresses i had floating around in my head. a dress a lot like this was the first thing i made. eve wandered around brooklyn, twirling and showing off her letter E with pride. last year ruthie started trying to wear that dress. she would complain about the E not being her letter. i would complain as i tried to pull the dress closed over ruthie's belly (these littles have such different bodies). . .  no more complaining! out came the muslin, the freezer paper and fabric paint, and yesterday my littlest girl got a dress just right for her. now she can always find her very own letter, even in the off chance that we find ourselves without the signs and graffiti of the city to search. 

clothes for (fake) babies

eve's teacher is every parent's dream; fun, smart, kind, engaging and so funny. she is also resourceful. in a school system dealing with horrendous cuts to an already insufficient budget, she manages, piece by piece, to get everything their little classroom needs. mostly through the incredible donorschoose.org. "teachers ask. you choose. children learn" such a valuable tool- both for teachers and for those who would like to give to the cause of education.

the most recent result of people's generosity through donorschoose.org is a group of four baby dolls that live in the dramatic play area of the classroom. clad only in diapers, these babies were in some serious need of coverage (and really, isn't the best part of playing with dolls the dressing and the undressing?). so, out of the scrap pile these four outfits were born. 

 

if you are looking to achieve super hero status among the group of girls in your daughter's pre-k class, make outfits for their dolls. they will look at you in wonder. they will love you. they will ask if you can make dresses for them. your daughter will squeeze your hand in appreciation and pride. you will be embarrassed by the amount of attention you are getting from these 4-year-olds. . . but not too embarrassed because, man, feeling like a super hero for a few minutes is fun.  

++eve would like to make it clear that these pictures are all of the same doll. the four dolls in the classroom are a much more accurate reflection of the diversity of the students. 

++ thanks to all of you for your concern and good wishes toward our little family. it is wonderful to be surrounded by so many kind and incredible people. we are all well and very thankful to be so. thank you, again! 

hearts in their hair

because they are little girls who love to talk in high voices and wear high shoes. and because no matter how foul the mood brewing between their little eyebrows, when given a heart- any heart- their world becomes warm and bright and magical again. ponies, unicorns and princesses return and they are back to the work of rescuing us all from the ever present danger of hot lava.

and because if you're going to wear a garland of bright pink felt circles and hearts in your hair, this is the week to do it, right?

++

i took pictures of the girls after writing the above. turns out hearts on the head are not the cure for everything, especially for a mom who won't stop taking pictures of girls who have better things to do. . . 

hideout skirt

the stiffest denim known to man. sometimes i pull fabric out of the hatch and wonder what i was thinking when i bought it. . . especially when there is three yards of it taking up our very very precious closet space. . . but then i make a skirt for my daughter out of it. not only does the indestructible skirt look fine on the child, but in a desperate situation, it could also serve as a lampshade. brilliant purchase after all. 

you should have seen the eye-roll eve gave me when i mentioned the skirt-as-lampshade nonsense. i thought her eyes might actually fall into the back of her head forever. apparently, much more serious business was at hand. business like finding the perfect "hideout" for the family of dolls on the run from "mean animals . . . so they won't eat them up." but apparently the family can spare their feet. . . who's rolling their eyes now, eve? 

obnoxious mothering aside, i really think a nice, wide hem goes a long way in making a simple handmade skirt successful. it looks great and you've got the option of lengthening when needed. especially useful for those years when kids never seem to get wider, only longer and longer. barring any unforeseen run-ins with mean animals. 

quilt how-to

alright, so here is the tutorial for my go-to quilt. just after snapping the first photo, yesterday became, what seemed like, the darkest day of the year. . . so the lighting is bad, but i think you'll get the gist of what i'm saying all the same. . . 

materials: 

fabric. 100% cotton. two solids for front and back. third fabric for binding, can be patterned or solid, you choose. the beauty of this quilt really lies in its simplicity and flexibility. 

batting. i only use 100% cotton, mid or thinnest loft. 

thread. lots of thread in as many (or as few) colors as you choose. 

tools. rotary cutter, cutting mat, masking tape, quilting pins, binding clips. 

first. cut fabric to desired sizes. for a quilt size guide, see here. depending on the size of the quilt, you may need to do some piecing. be sure to leave batting just bigger than front and back pieces.

second. baste the quilt. very important to do a good job basting so there is no unfortunate pinching or clumping of fabric while quilting it on the machine. usually best to do this while kids are in bed since their little feet cannot resist dancing (or crawling) on large pieces of fabric stretched on the floor. begin by taping the backing to the floor as taut as possible. don't be afraid to pull. gently lay and smooth batting over taped layer. follow with "front" of quilt. smooth out and get fabric as flat as possible. starting in the center, use quilting pins (essentially safety pins with a bent arm) to secure the the three layers together.  work your way out in a circle, smoothing and flattening the "quilt sandwich" as you go. the fabric should be totally smooth. be sure to go all the way to the edges.

third. machine quilt. the fun and most time consuming part. with a walking foot on your machine, begin the quilting at one edge of your quilt. (quilt "parallel" to the shorter side, easier to manage). quilt at very a slight diagonal. removing basting pins as you go (don't sew over them, or let your daughter take control of the pedal for you while she also watches a show about mermaids. . . you'll regret it). when you reach the opposite edge of the quilt (going beyond edge of fabric, into the batting a bit) lift presser foot but keep needle in "down" position. rotate the blanket and quilt to the opposite edge at a slight angle once again. repeat until you quilted the length of the quilt. your quilt will look something like this:

switching out thread colors (or keeping the same) repeat entire process again and again and again until you are satisfied with the amount of quilting. this uses a lot of thread but looks really great. just be sure to go slowly, feed quilt through at an even pace and watch that the fabric doesn't get gathered or bunched while quilting. the walking foot helps a ton with this, as does proper basting, but keep watch just in case. if some of your lines aren't perfect, don't worry, the other quilting lines will distract, and washing and drying does wonders for covering up small mistakes. 

fourth. trim quilt. to get ready for binding, the quilt sandwich needs to be "squared" and trimmed. i like to trim two sides at once, folding it in half before evening it up and trimming. clear ruler and rotary cutter. check that all layers go to the very edge after trimming. 

fifth. bind quilt. i use the "double fold mitered corner" binding method. the same method taught in denyse schmidt quilts book and that was taught at my quilting class at purl. i love this method, and it deserves it's own tutorial. luckily, there are a few out there. hand stitching the binding is ideal, but if you are short on time, go ahead and use your machine to stitch the binding down. don't feel bad, it will still look great. (especially in the light of a much brighter day).

sixth. after binding and trimming all loose threads, throw your quilt into the washer and dryer. pull it out, admire it, wrap it for a gift or wrap yourself up inside. feel great. you just made a quilt, and it's modern and cool and probably took you less than 10 hours.  

old tricks

you've seen it before. and you'll likely see it again (but only in the background, i promise). . . my go-to quilt for giving when i have procrastinated to the point of panic. like this year when, three days before christmas, i was still without a gift for my brother, who lives in california. with one day at my disposal, i needed something that i knew would turn out well, so this quilt was it. 

i love this project for four reasons: first, it's fast (one day). second, it doesn't require a lot of thinking or quilting know-how beyond basting properly (i came up with this scheme shortly after coming up with the no-knit scarf). third, it's so so flexible- depending on three simple choices of color you can completely alter the feel of the blanket so it works for babies as well as grown men and their families. and fourth, it looks great fresh out of the dryer- all the tiny little spaces between the countless quilted lines are perfect for those great quilt-y wrinkles. 

oh! and a fifth reason too, it gives me a chance to run in to the ever charming purl patchwork and choose from their great selection of solids, something i truly appreciate after visiting several shops in which solids have been badly (if not totally) neglected. hooray for purl, hooray for my old standby quilt and the postal service that can deliver it 3000 miles away less than 24 hours after shipping. (and here's to you for tolerating yet another show and tell of the regurgitated fruits of my procrastination!) 

weirdest teacher gift ever?

well, technically, these were for the class. a mrs. field and mrs. morales doll. i thought they'd be strange and entertaining for the classroom's dramatic play area. after all, what student doesn't want a chance to be in charge of the teacher for once? 

it seemed like the perfect idea in the wee hours of the morning while chip and i were working on them, but when school time came i was a bit nervous that the teachers would not only have no idea what to make of them, but would think they were a serious gift. a very weird and slightly disturbing serious gift. but, happily, mrs. field received them with a big laugh and the two teachers immediately began concocting plans for the many jokes and fun to be had with the crazy little dolls. 

the bubble jet set and rinse that i have stored for the last two years were finally put to use and totally worked. after a wash and a dry, the image was holding fast. eve and ruth have begun making demands for their own dolls, so naturally we will have a little family soon. perhaps even an extended family in doll form, a la angrychicken. and maybe we'll throw in some animals too, a la salvor. . . yes, we'll definitely need some animals. . . the bad luck continues around here. after a break of several months we decided to surprise the girls with a new fish for christmas. in the middle of stuffing stockings chip called my name, i looked over to see him holding the pitcher with our beautiful new goldfish. . . belly-up. at least the girls never saw it during the five hours it was alive. 

more to come on the christmas festivities and a few other last minute projects. . .  happy holidays!