earth day sewing

For ages I have wanted to make bags using this great tutorial on my friend Emily's blog. At 10 p.m. Thursday night I finally got around to it - and finished four adorable bags by 1 a.m. Just in time for Earth Day.


I got inspired to do this after finding a brand new Crate & Barrel dishtowel at our church Rummage Sale a couple weeks ago. The towel was too cute to actually use for dishes, so I started imagining what else I could do with it. I remembered the tutorial and headed over to C&B to see about getting another towel to match so I could make a bag. Since the dish towels were on sale, I figured I'd just make a bunch and give them away as gifts. The tutorial is so easy and the result so satisfying, I'll be making these as gifts for a while.


Since I had gone to all that trouble dust off my machine, I figured I should make something else. So I dug out a nice old tablecloth I never use and cut off the end to make this book holder for Liam's new top bunk. In the week the bunk bed has been up, Liam has been happily going to bed, reading with his little book light. It makes me so happy to see him snuggled up there reading. Trouble is, he has no where to put the book when he's done and throwing it down would surely wake up the lower bunk inhabitant. So I decided to try this idea for a bunk bed book holder.


So I hemmed up the raw edge of the tablecloth and then folded lengthwise to make a long pocket. At book-length intervals I sewed vertical lines, then sewed on bias tape in a couple spots so we could tie the pocket to the bed. There's a pocket for his book light and his books and his journal and pen. (Even if you just sew a very little bit, this was super easy to do. And it took less than an hour to make it.) Liam was giddy about his book holder last night and stayed up later than usual, reading and writing in his journal.


When should a mom stop reading her son's journal? At this age, I can't resist. Last night he drew a picture of his stuffed animal, a list of "Elliott's New Words" and this sweet note about Wisconsin. Papa and Gigi should pay special attention: Don't let up on the dessert.

because Ann came to visit and Josie had a dinner party

This is my new sweater thing. I don't know what to call it because I've never seen one before. I just made it up in the 30 minutes I had planned to clean up and shower before joining my cousin for dinner. But inspiration and cute, free clothing supersede clean hair. (Thank goodness for headbands.)

Two days earlier I had spent 24 wonderful hours with my dear friend Ann who drove herself and her kids to town for a visit. After weeks of nothing but work and fighting a cold, I was feeling pretty worn down and uninspired. There's nothing like hanging out with a beautiful artist to turn me around.

Usually the inspiration comes on Ann's turf, surrounded by her quilts and artwork and books and recipes. This time it came on mine, in non-stop conversation about faith and parenting and books and cooking and sewing. Oh, yes, sewing. I forgot how much I love talking and dreaming about sewing. And how lit up I get when I actually do it.

I brought out my sewing books for her to flip through (after I sheepishly showed her my totally trashed "sewing room"), like The Sweater Chop Shop, Born-Again Vintage and Betz White's Sewing Green. I love to look at these books (although I hadn't in a while) but I get bogged down in deciding what I could tackle. I get paralyzed by the possibilities and then get distracted by the paying work and leave the sewing machine untouched. It takes a birthday or a baby shower to get me in there, ignoring the disaster surrounding me, whipping something up. Turns out a dinner party works too.

Saturday night my cousin Josie had a fancy dinner prepared for her and a small group of friends by her two daughters and three nieces. Her mom Ruth, the girls' grandma, had the girls give the dinner party to Josie as a Christmas gift and then Ruth made it happen. And what an amazing gift it was! The food was fabulous and the girls were adorable, serving us like caterers.

That afternoon I had an idea for something to make and I was itching to do it. I wasn't sure if it would work, but with the idea that there would be an event that night to wear it to, I figured it was worth a try.


In one of the many piles in my "sewing room," I located a soft Merino wool turtleneck sweater I had thrifted (and already washed and dried - shrunk a bit). I cut off the bottom of the sweater just below the arms. Then I cut straight down the front of this piece (Note: If you try this, be sure to mark the front of the sweater before you cut off the arms!). I found some wide lace I bought for nearly nothing at an estate sale and cut a piece a little longer than each side. I pinned and sewed on the lace, then topstitched around the top of the whole piece. The lucky part (as I had no idea while sewing this thing as fast as possible how I was going to fasten it) was digging up the cool vintage broach, also thrifted, I've held onto, unworn, for years.

It may look like I simply ended up with a silly sweater thing. But that's not the whole story. Barbara Brown Taylor sums it up beautifully in her book An Altar in the World when she writes,

"What is saving my life now is the conviction that there is no spiritual treasure to be found apart from the bodily experiences of human life on earth. My life depends on engaging the most ordinary physical activities with the most exquisite attention I can give them. My life depends on ignoring all touted distinctions between the secular and the sacred, the physical and the spiritual, the body and the soul. What is saving my life now is becoming more fully human, trusting that there is no way to God apart from real life in the real world."

Whether I'm slicing an apple while deep in conversation about potty training, Japanese quilts and a dear friend's pentecostal childhood, or I'm drooling over a bite of perfectly cooked beef tenderloin while listening to a new friend laugh about her life as a stepmother, or I'm keeping a line of stitches straight in a small bubble of stolen time, something holy is happening. I don't understand it, and I sure can't explain it. But even now, when I look at my silly sweater thing, I tear up, just to know it's true.

::

Thank to Tara at Go West Young Mom for reprinting my post about struggling with keeping a clean house and to all the wonderful commenters. Evidence, I'd say, that it's good and right to leave the dishes in the sink in order to sew for 30 minutes.

trash to treasure

Friday night I spent five hours around beautiful, creative people and a whole room of handmade items that were dreamed up in the mind of their makers and fashioned out of old, found stuff. In other words, upcycled, useable and wearable art. I was giddy the entire time. I made half a dozen recycled jean skirts for the event and a bunch of coffee cozies made from the left-over denim and other vintage fabrics and buttons.


One of the first people in the door bought a jean skirt, which was a thrill. But the real fun was all the dreaming I did that night. Of making fingerless gloves from the sleeves of old sweaters, sweet ornaments from fabric scraps and strands of discarded fake pearls, and beautiful gift bags from leftover white house paint, salvaged ribbon and empty cereal boxes. Nothing new but the ideas.


My friend Liita can do the most incredible things with garbage. Things you would be pleased to own. Things people would want to receive. Things that look like they cost big bucks at Anthropologie (like her necklace - the type that costs $130 at Anthro). Real-life trash to treasure. It costs nothing to make these amazing things but a little time and creativity.

Not only does this kind of "making" help conserve resources and feed the creative soul, it breeds bigger ideas about ways to be kind to the planet, to ourselves and to one another. The sales at this gallery night raised enough money to buy two sewing machines for an outreach program Liita and her business partner Rose are putting into place at the Ronald McDonald Children's Hospital. They are sharing this creative, restorative kind of craft with terminally ill children and their parents, giving them the tools to pour their hearts into making something beautiful out of something that - on the surface - is not. It's transformative. It's rewarding. It's life giving.

I'm really not exaggerating. Before you toss that old sweater, take a second look. Hat, gloves, blanket, garland, stocking...there are so many things it could be. Spend an afternoon at the Little Bits Workshop and be inspired. Be giddy. Be Anthropologie.

Only 12 upcycling days til Christmas.

a little girl and some pj pants

When I was young and single, I spent many a weekend with my cousin Kathryn. Since I lived in a flat in her town, with two kittens and a closet full of extremely cool dress-up clothes (or so she thought), and she lived with three older brothers and zero kittens, she happily came for sleepovers whenever she could. Being that I am the eldest of 20 cousins and she is the youngest, one might imagine that I could have given birth to this girl. And one would be right. There were days when I wished I had. In fact, I loved to take Kathryn out to eat or to the video store and imagine that people thought she was my daughter. She was adorable and funny and I was quite sure that I must have been the absolute coolest mom in town.

Now, incredibly, 12 years later, I have a six year old of my own and little Kathryn has graduated high school and is off on grand grown-up adventures. This weekend she leaves for a 9-month stint working with street kids in Cape Town, South Africa, getting a way broader view of the world and God's love in action. In addition to adorable and funny, she is now incredibly awesome. I am very proud of my pseudo-daughter.

For Kathryn's high school graduation I wanted to make her something special that she could take with her on her trip. Earlier this year when our grandma died - the grandma that she and I both spent countless hours with, including many nights of sleepovers - I took a small pile of sheets when my aunts and I cleaned out her closet. Instead of using the sheets for their intended purpose, I had an idea of a couple ways I could remake them. One was as pajama pants.


I found a pattern with a wide-bottom leg (McCall's 5989) and cut into the pair that we granddaughters remember so well from our cherished nights in the guest room. I left the groovy wide, white top edge of these funky blue sheets as the bottom of the legs, which made them extra cute. I've already duplicated the idea with two other top sheets for another special cousin and my sister. Someday maybe I'll make some for myself.

For the next nine months, though, I'll be thinking about the little girl with the blue pj pants. I'll be praying that she always remembers where she came from, how much love goes with her and what a cool thing it is to be original. Although I'd still find it amazing to be her mom, I feel lucky just to be her friend. Sweet dreams, Kathryn. We'll miss you!

jean skirts 3 and 4

These skirts are on hangers because, alas, they can't all be for me. Sadly, the altered jeans are no longer in my possession, or I'd take different photographs. It's a little hard to tell with the blur and the white backdrop, but they are definitely the coolest thing I've whipped up so far.

Both pairs of jeans were from my sister in law. They were worn out in some hard-to-patch places and she thought I could use the denim for something else. I don't think she was expecting to get a pair back as a skirt. For hers, I reworked a sheer purplish top that had a ruffle down the front. I had to use the sleeves on the sides as the shirt was too narrow. But it worked out perfectly. Underneath, I layered a remnant of pretty white embroidered fabric. Unfortunately, the girl won't be modeling this little bit country little bit rock 'n roll number for a while as she's incubating baby number 3. But at least she's got some something to look forward to.

For the other pair of jeans I layered a yellow t-shirt and a silky top. I love the fancy-casual combo with the denim. This skirt became a birthday gift for a friend who dresses up in Tevas. Just adding a little zing to her regular rotation.

I'm thinking of making this jean doctor thing into a side business - or, at least, my new go-to gift. If you have a favorite pair of jeans that have worn out in all the wrong places, send them over. I'll make you a skirt. I'm serious.

new summer dos and jean skirt number two

At the 4th of July parade last Sunday we scored two free coupons to Sports Clips. Think these boys need a haircut? For years - actually, Elliott's entire life - they have only had their mother and a pair of scissors. It's worked okay. But we couldn't pass up a free haircut could we?



Two coupons. Three haircuts. Dad surprised us all by sneaking out after he saw his boys' new dos and chopping his 8-inch ponytail. He says he can still play guitar as well as ever and he's not hot and scruffy all the time. He's a man of mystery, and cute as ever. But, the rock star and short hair? I'm still getting used to it.



My hair is shorter and redder this summer, too, but I don't have a good photo and since this is my blog, I'm showing the most recent recreated skirt I've made. These were really old, worn-out jeans with two blown knees. But they were comfy and I wanted to salvage them. At our most recent neighborhood clothes swap, I brought a linen dress that was too long, too shapeless and too see-through. No one else wanted it either. I loved the embroidery at the bottom, though, and my friend Heather suggested I keep it and made something else out of the fabric. She's a smart girl, that Heather. It was the exact perfect fit for this new skirt and I like the funky old-jean, flowery-linen combo.


And to solve the see-through issue, I sewed a t-shirt lining. Another clothes swap find and already hemmed. Too much fun with scissors over here.

my mom made me go to this camp

Looks like he had an awful time, doesn't it? Months ago I signed Liam up for a nature/builder camp at my friend Liita's Little Bits Workshop in River Forest. I knew it would be a trek to get there every day and I didn't even know if Liam wanted to do it, but I wanted him to do it. Correction: I wanted to do it. I wanted to be six again and build a clock out of junk and hike into the woods and draw in my nature journal. Instead I got to do something even better. I got to see my six year old do these things and bubble over about it every day (in the tempered way a six-year-old boy "bubbles" over about anything other than LEGOs).


Some days Liam and I went on our own (him to camp and me to a local cafe) and some days we brought Elliott. Four out of five days we took the train. I think my boys would take the train somewhere every day of summer. I am trying to cook up some more train adventures. Maybe a new stop every week just for fun.


But really it was what was at the other end in River Forest that was the prize. Like this nature journal for instance. Liita made one for each kid out of old jeans - they put on the straps (made out of t-shirt "yarn") and sewed the button on the pocket (which held a pencil and whatever they collected, like Liam's pound of rocks). But the real work of art was what they drew inside.


Liam illustrated nearly every page with plants, trees, bugs and animals. Including what not to touch: poison ivy.


And what one would never expect to find in the middle of a suburban forest preserve: a buck. They saw two last week.

Every night Liam's high point of the day was "art camp." He was so proud of what he made and what he drew and what he saw. Even when I had to rouse him from sleep to hurry and get dressed and go, he never complained. Not a bit. He came home with a clock and a journal and a pocket full of rocks. Thanks to this camp his mom made him go to Liam came home seeing something a little more special about the world and the trash. Best of all, he came home happy.

inspired by little bits

According to the note in Liam's backpack last week, today was teacher appreciation day. I remembered this while pulling together some breakfast and considered what we could do. We are trying hard not to buy extra things these days, so I figured out a cute way to upcycle some old jars. After scavenging the yard for blooms, we ended up with a pretty sweet gift. I have to give some credit to my friend Liita and her Little Bits Workshop. I have been a cheerleader for this creative venture since it began, but on Saturday I went to River Forest and visited the workshop and got a firsthand taste for the amazing creativity and inspiration behind it.


Everything about the space at Little Bits inspired me to want to make stuff. And Liita is the queen of turning old things into new things that are attractive and useful. Messing around with paper beads and Mod Podge on Saturday gave me the idea for our vases this morning. I just love that it doesn't take much to create something lovely. Even trash can become a gift. Or, as Liam's teacher said when she heard how we made the vases, "I bet you'll never look at paper napkins the same way again."


So, here's what we did. First, I dug up some old condiment and spice jars I had saved. Liam brushed the outside of his jar (except the rim and the bottom) with Mod Podge (which is basically watery glue). Then he cut up a napkin to fit around the jar. We used several pieces to cover the whole jar (pulling apart the layers so we were just using the one outside layer of napkin - like tissue). We also tried a couple other napkin styles on some other jars. In the end, the more lovely the napkin, the more lovely the vase.


After positioning the napkin pieces, we brushed another coat of Mod Podge over the napkin, carefully making sure that all the edges were sealed to the jar (some wrapping around the bottom) and that the wrinkles were brushed out as well as possible. Then we turned them on their rims and let them dry. The results were far better than I imagined. So while Liam was at school, I felt inspired to make one for his piano teacher and one for me. It's a strange day when I make something for me. But being at Little Bits, surrounded by all that beautiful, whimsical, creative work, I decided that it's time to change. We need more craft around her. Not just making it. Keeping it, too.