:: a happy nest ::

stitching together.

One of my favorite things to do - especially at the end of the day - is to busy my hands with an embroidery project. There is something magical about the slow(er) pace of hand sewing: feeling the fabric and thread in my hands, the work of the needle, and seeing the project slowly come to life. 

Since I'm often with a project in hand - Thea has been asking me to teach her to sew. We have fiddled a bit with stitching before, but she seemed to become frustrated that her projects didn't look very much like mine. With mixed results, we tried free stitching, as well as me tracing a shape for her to work on. 

Yet she was determined that she wanted to sew something for her grandmothers' mothers' day presents. The projects turned out beautifully (our gift for her Omie is pictured above) - so I thought I'd share a bit about how we did it.

To start, you'll need some basic materials: fabric; a marker, pencil, or something to create your pattern; and a template to trace (if, like me, freehand drawing is not a strength).

You'll also need an embroidery hoop (I find plastic ones to be sturdier & easier for little hands to work with) and large child-safe needles (the ones pictured are plastic). And of course, thread (not pictured). We usually use regular cotton embroidery thread, all six strands. I find that using a length no more than 18 inches is easiest: it helps prevent thread tangling and wear - and is easier for small hands to pull stitches tight.

Burlap is one of my favorite fabrics for stitching with my wee girl - it's thick weave nicely accomodates the large needles we use, and I do like the look of it. I was lucky to score a huge amount of burlap at the thrift store for just a few dollars - and it has lasted me for several years.

Use your marker to create your pattern using dotted lines. The dots serve as stitch guides. Using dotted lines finally allowed my sweet girl (4 years) to create the pattern she wanted. 

I used a thick mark-b-gone pen, which made for large, visible dots that also bled through to the back of the fabric. 

This was helpful so that my girl could turn the hoop over and see where to make her next stitch.

The ink from this marker fades away when sprayed with water, leaving only your pretty stitches. I do love these pens, but I have had mixed results with burlap.

I have found that on burlap, the ink does not disappear, but instead migrates to the edges of the fabric. With that said, I will still use it for projects with my girl, but I will be sure to factor that into my cutting of the fabric

Be sure to start with a large enough piece of fabric, stitch, and then spray. Once the fabric has dried and the ink migration is complete, you can cut out any additional pattern (I traced a circle using a regular pencil).

To create the template for the word "love" in the middle of the heart, I printed out the words in a size and font that I like. I then positioned it where I wanted it on the back of the fabric, using tape to secure. Then I taped the fabric to a window and traced the letters.

The photo above is the finished gift for her Mema. Thea helped picked the fabric, thread colors, and buttons, and, after she had stitched the hearts (all by herself!) I stitched the remaining elements together.

She is so proud of her work! And I am so proud of her.

gingerbread houses.

This week, we hosted a small party for the kids in our little neighborhood. It was such fun!

The night before the party, I made the houses from graham crackers. Each child was given a bag of royal icing to do their decorating. Thea helped me fill muffin pans witha variety of yummies to pretty up the houses.

It was my first time making them, and the houses were actually much harder to make than I anticipated! I made quite a mess! The houses are all "unique" but I like to think that adds to their charm. I don't think anyone minded crooked houses or a little extra messy icing.

I'm thinking this might have to be an annual tradition!

Hoping your season is merry and bright. And sending love and peace if your spirit needs a little extra loving care. xo

watercolor pencils.

A while ago, I bought some watercolor pencils, but had tucked them away in my studio. In this week's cleaning and clearing of that space, I found them, and Thea and I thought it would be fun to give them a try.

We both had so much fun, and she was so excited  to be making something together. I'm planning on doing a series of these with her and then hanging them in her room.

What are your favorite creative supplies to play with?

I hope you have a happy weekend!

spin art.

A while ago, on one of my favorite blogs, I read about spin art. It looked like such fun! So, when I saw this little spin art kit, I picked it up for Thea's stocking. She's been asking to try it daily, and this morning, we we gave it a go.

We both had so much fun with this. My favorite part was that Thea could actually spin the disk and squeeze the paint all by herself. I'm pretty sure that was her favorite part too. (As a side note, I didn't experience the problems stated in the reviews. Our spinner worked just fine, and while the box does get a little soggy, the paint didn't really last that long. These may have been bigger issues for an older kid, but it worked out pretty well for my pre-schooler's somewhat limited attention span. And I never really expected this to be a long-lasting toy/art tool, though I may try to come up with another type of box to make it work after this one is done).

I'm a little bit embarassed to admit this, but when our paint ran out, I knew we should be able to refill the little paint tubes, but, since there was no screw top, I wasn't exactly sure how. It took me a little bit to figure it out. Again, I'm sure this is a no-brainer for most, but I thought I'd share how I did it. I hope you at least get a little laugh.

Here goes:

empty tubes

I started with tempera paint and an empty cup. This is actually the top for my laundry detergent.

I used about a teaspoon of paint.

And added about a tablespoon of water.

Stir well (I used the paint tube).

Mine ended up fairly watery - maybe a tad thicker than the original paint.

Squeeze out the air from the tube and put the tip into the paint. Release, the pressure, which will allow the tube to suck up paint. My tube only filled up about 1/3 of the way. Turn the tube so that the tip points up, and slowly squeeze out the air. Insert the tip of the tube into the paint and then release again. Repeat until your tube is filled.

And you're done.

I know, I know, so easy! I'm not sure why I didn't think of it sooner. :)

Happy weekend!