KCWC and a new SEWING MACHINE!!!

 

I started this week off by doing a lot of hand stitching - which was great!  I had finished a pair of shorts for my 10-year-old, and pocket details for a pair of pants for my 5-year-old.

I must have really looked like I was in mourning for my sewing machine on Wednesday: my husband went out after dinner, after mumbling something about car parts, and came home with a SEWING MACHINE!!!  Wasn't that nice?!  The best surprise ever!

The Shorts:

The pattern is Oliver and S Sketchbook shorts, and I used some fabric that my son chose awhile back from this shop.  The plaid is especially nice - a looser weave, very soft, yarn-dyed cotton.

  I think it really improves the reception of the garment if the wearer is involved in the process of choosing some of the details.  The pattern is really great - easy to follow with clear directions and pictures.  I will be sad when he grows out of the Oliver and S size range.  

Harbor Pants:

My little guy picked out this Timeless Treasures Harbor fabric.  I love the design, and that it is organic cotton.  I used the pants pattern from Carefree Clothes for Girls, but I added a waistband.  My son specified that he wanted the pockets to be on the sides.  I think they are too baggy, but he loves them!

        

Eulogy for a sewing machine, and KCWC - spring

I think it's hilarious that the last time I posted was for KCWC fall.  Did I finish the garments that I had planned?  No.  Do I have a good excuse?  Yes!  When my sewing machine died halfway through, I took it to the shop.  Then I took it to another shop, helped a friend line a bag, then it died again so we had to finish the lining by hand. 

My parents gave me that sewing machine in 1984.  I have sewed skirts, dresses, shirts, and kids pajamas  on that machine.  I remember making a skirt and jacket in 1986 out of paisley denim, and swirly salsa skirts in 1993 out of flowered and polka-dotted rayon.  More recently, I made curtains for the kitchen and the kids' room, and covered the couch.   

But the time has come to put it to rest.  I have resisted buying a new machine for so long just because I felt I didn't need anything fancy, and because I find it difficult to get excited about a light-weight plastic machine with a computer screen.  Call me old fashioned.

At some point I will get a new machine, (maybe even a serger?), but for now, I am going to channel my ancestors and do some hand sewing.  This week, for KCWC I hope to finish the following items:

a pair of shorts for Zaahir

a pair of pants for Ahmad.

That's it, unless I count hemming some jammies.

As for the snack bags and the quilts - they will have to wait until I find a worthy machine, unless I really get into hand sewing.  It's quite meditative, but I will miss being able to make a garment in an afternoon.  And I will miss the lovely heft and simplicity of the machine that helped me create so many pieces over the past 28 years.

It's been almost a year...

since my last post.

But Elsie Marley's new KCWC (kids clothes week challenge) has me bloggin' again!  Thanks Meg!

Here's the plan:

• Finish a shirt for Ahmad from an Oliver and S pattern
• snack bags for lunches
• a Lotta Jansdotter doorstop for the kids in my 8th grade so we don't have to use the emergency bucket!

If I have time, I will finish the quilts that I started this summer for the boys - the tops are done.  It's a big "if" since I havre grades due on Monday - but you never know!

The New Rhythm of the Home, and a Book Review

The new Rhythm of the Home issue is out, and full of inspiration and beauty.  One of the sections, "Winter Reading with Young Children", lists some favorite winter stories, including The Mitten, and The Tomten.  Reading the list reminded me of some of our favorite winter stories.

For the past three nights, both my third grader and my 4-year-old have been requesting that I read this book: 

This story about a young girl's quest to save her brother from the trolls is full of engaging description and illustrations.  My boys are fascinated by the hideous trolls and the magical red mare.  They especially like the part when the girl is crossing a bridge and a troll reaches his gnarled hand up to grab her.  The writing is easy enough for my little one to understand, but includes enough complex vocabulary to interest my third grader.  A beautiful winter book that I know we will read often.  It would make a beautiful gift, especially paired with a Dala horse.

Are Legos Fair Trade?

So after writing yesterday's post, my son reminded me that I had promised to buy him a new lego set this weekend.  I went into a panic, wondering if I would have to break my promise or my fair trade vow!  Happily, I just discovered that legos are fair trade (Whew!).  Here's a quotation from their website:

As the first in the toy industry to join Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan's Global Compact initiative in 2003, the LEGO Group was taking a natural next step in the process of social commitment that is so deeply rooted in the company. Adoption of the Global Compact also reflected an urge to behave decently and to assume a share of the responsibility for helping to solve the major issues facing the world in such areas as human rights, labour standards, the environment and the fight against corruption.

Cool, right?  So then I checked out the Global Compact, and sure enough, there they were.  If you want to look for yourself, visit the United Nations Global Compact website and click on "participant search" under the "participants and stakeholders" button.  If you want to search for lego - the country of origin is Denmark.  

I am so happy to have made this discovery because -  I like to play with legos too!