By the kids, for the kids

It always happens: I walk into my sewing room, intending on a little creative recuperation time. As soon as I start cutting/sewing/thinking hard, in a child (or four) walks, with the words "Oh, Mommy, can I make something, too?" on their lips. Normally, this throws me into a tizzy, since I can't do my thing and their thing at the same time, I don't want to stop doing my thing, but I do want to enable them to do their thing (that must be a pretty accurate description for motherhood all over, isn't it?).

I bought some burlap, embroidery hoops, blunt needles and embroidery floss a while ago for just this need, and sometimes it works - hand them the stuff and they get creative. This time, though, Abigail had a nugget of an idea that truly blossomed. First, it was, "I want to make something for Daddy - how about a handkerchief?" I convinced her that Daddy wouldn't use one, but he could do with a bookmark for his books. Then is was, "Could I draw {embroider} some tools on it for him?" That would be a no, since I am unable to draw freehand anything like a tool of any description, and I wasn't in the mood to start scouring the Internet for templates. How about hugs and kisses, so he knows his girls love him? "Ohhh, yeah!" At which point, Anna chimes in (as always): "Can I do one, too?" Okay...

Decorative fraying on the edges? Check. How do we keep Ellie from "over-fraying", though? Aha, stay stitch the edge! Done. But now what about the back - how keep the knots and such on the back protected? Ah, yes - sew some burlap on the back! Score!!

I'm not sure who like them the most: the girls, Daddy or me. I think I'm probably the most excited, seeing the germ of an artistic idea become something pretty nifty.

So, that's by the kids. For the kids, I was making wrist warmers that would slip on under their coats and gloves and cover up that ominous gap that snow likes to find - have I mentioned we've had some snow??

The girls wanted to model theirs:

Simply put, I cut the sleeves off an old shirt and made thumb holes. The sleeves were really big on them because it was an adult-sized shirt, so I sewed them a little tighter. And that's it. Noah didn't want to model his, but his were made from scrap material that I had left over from his blanket. Love working from the scrap basket (big box), I do.