Longer Than I Thought

How many things take you longer than you think??  I tend to think that most anything will take me about...oh.... forty-five minutes or so....  well these absolutely adorable bonnets, that I eagerly began, and have sewed with love and positivity, have taken me much longer than those predicted forty-five minutes.  I finished them this evening and then noticed that before I could finish Miss Maia's little apron, I needed white thread.  Now, who doesn't have white thread??  Especially when you have 25 or so little spools of thread!!??

Well that apron, that really, truly, honestly should have taken about half an hour or so, will be extended by a round trip to JoAnn Etc., walking in through the pouring rain, finding the thread area (that somehow seems to move ever so slightly each time I go there), standing on the line that seems to take forever (I swear the cashiers have to be trained to take a long time with each customer - so you have to stand on line looking first at the many craft books and magazines - which crafters compulsively buy) then stand looking at their "$1" bonus buys right before the register (I really do think that Maia cannot survive without those little socks with shamrocks all over them for St. Patrick's Day.....).

So, in addition to expanding the time it will take to finish that quick little apron, made from an old sheet salvaged from my friend's fabric stash, this "no-cost" apron will only stay "no-cost" if I can resist those oh so carefully placed and marketed impulse purchase items.

The consolation prize?  Eight little girls, in prairie garb, playing "Hide the Thimble" on Sunday...

                                                                                                                                                                                                        








Here's a little needle-book that I made last week, to help keep track of my needles.  I was getting very tired of those little paper and plastic folders of needles that are so hard to get the needles out of.  It is made of wool flannel with more wool flannel appliqued on the front. I just loved the colors.

Detours

Welllll...... I was planning on getting those birthday things done today, but I got that dreaded note from school regarding those horrible childhood pests of the hair sort..... Let's just say I was detoured for four hours tonight, Maia's hair is now incredibly squeaky clean, sheets are changed, laundry is churning, vacuuming is done (thanks to my wonderful husband) and I just want to climb into a warm and cozy bed.  Alas, tomorrow is another day.....

Gifts

Today is my dad's birthday.  My parents were very, very young when I was born and these days I feel like I am rapidly approaching their ages.  Despite the chronological closeness of our ages, there has never been a moments doubt as to who the parents are in our relationships.  My intense, vigorous relationship to a life of creativity may have born out of admiration for my mother's seemingly effortless ability to do anything, but I think it was my father that instilled in me the absolute certainty that I was capable of doing anything I decided to do.

"We are going to build a wall today, Jacqueline."  "Sure, you and your sisters can stack seven cords of wood, as I chop it."  "We will be taking the roof off today, you girls are to put all the fallen debris in the dumpster." "Here, paint the windows like this..."  "Execute your plan with vigor and all will be good."  To say my father is a man of strong will, would be an understatement.  And, while some might think he got a lot of free service from minors.... these hard jobs, that we were expected to execute, were probably the best gifts that a parent could give a child.  There is no thing that I am unwilling to try to do (even singing in public or climbing to high places - which are both very, very scary for me).  Also, I am confident that there is someone out there that would teach me, if I couldn't take on the task myself.  These two things are powerful things to know.

Gifts that carry us into the future, rather than gifts for immediate gratification, are the best kinds of gifts.  So as I ponder what to give my dad for his birthday, I angst as I do every year.  There is no gift in the world, for any price, that could demonstrate my gratitude for the gift of confidence.

Now, I have the certainty that although I have not yet finished the bonnets (7 out of 10 are finished however) I will somehow make a plan to finish them tonight, while making dinner, planning for the week, folding laundry and trying to "relax."

Weekends

My little Miss Maia is turning eight next week.  Birthdays are great fun.  They provide a thousand excuses to craft.  Maia has had a "Tea Party" birthday, a "Welcome Spring" birthday, a "Flower Fairy" birthday and a "Pinkalicious" birthday.  Being a bit of a book-aholic, each birthday was born out of different books we have read.  This year's birthday party is born out of her new interest in Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" books.  We have heard all the early stories of Laura and her brave family.

 I think I could write a book titled Parenting Skills from Ma and Pa Ingalls.  It would include lessons such as - children do not need to know everything, parents expect their children to do what they say - the first time, children need to share - always, parents are the ones that will take care of every need a child might have, children do not need much more than a haystack to have a great day, parents are the wise ones and children are to learn from them, and my favorite - boredom is a fine thing.

I digress.... regardless of the parenting lessons we can learn from the Ingalls (and I do recommend rereading these books if you are parents...) the life lead by pioneers was full of creativity.  Just about every item owned was made by hand.  Wow... This seems to me to be a wonderful dream (minus the lack of running water and central heat).  The idea of making all day long makes my heart sing.  Well, Maia's birthday is a wonderful focus for making.  On the docket for this weekend are the following:  10 prairie bonnets (from my and my friend, Merideth's,  stash of old calico, 2 aprons, 10 "slates", and autograph books to share at the party.  I can't wait to see them all in their prairie best playing "hide the thimble."

In case you are interested....
The Flowers' Festival: Mini Edition
Pinkalicious
The Complete Little House Nine-Book Set

Time

 So I have been working on a couple projects since heading back to work this week.  They are all portable and very, very satisfying.  I love creating things that are both beautiful and useful.  In looking at my new favorite embroidery book,   Embroidery Companion: Classic Designs for Modern Living,  I am constantly inspired to slow down and look at those things that have beautiful detailing.  What does this detailing mean?  I think it means that something was important enough to take time and create a detail that would enliven a utilitarian object or garment.  Time - what do we do with our time?

To me, time is life, and when we say we don't have enough time it is kind of saying we don't have enough life.  Time is the great equalizer of all humanity.  We all have the same amount of time in every day, it is the same for every person.    There are no extra hours for the privileged.  What we do with our time is the true measure of wealth.  Do we squander it engaged in activities that rob us of joy or peace?  Do we let it slip through our fingers, complaining about the unfairness we dealt with during the day?  Or, do we just watch it fade away, with those mind numbing, yet totally amazingly, entertainment inventions that have become imbedded in our lives.

Yes , I am talking about those time thieves, the television and the internet.  As useful and entertaining as they are, they do rob us of time to talk to those right in front of us, take a walk in the crisp cold air, or play a game with our little ones.  And the funny thing is that I know that I can justify the hours easily.  "I am researching."  "I am exhausted, but don't want to go to bed yet."  "I just want to unwind...."  But, I know as I go to bed, I regret those hours, especially when I don't get the satisfaction of feeling like I actually accomplished something in the real world or I spent a few hours watching some fictitious person living a really interesting life.  Hmmm..... life is always more interesting than fiction, if we take the time to live it.

This little bag is from another great book, if you are interested...... Scandinavian Needlecraft: 35 Step-by-step Projects to Create the Scandinavian Home.

Friends

There aren't many things better than crafting with friends.  Through friends we get encouragement, celebration and good honest criticism.  Friends introduce us to others they think we might have something in common with.  My friend, Merideth, has been one of my very dearest for the last fifteen or so years and this week she introduced me to Tasha Tudor.  While she never had the opportunity to meet Tasha Tudor herself, she knows her well through her collection of vintage and current books and wonderfully slow documentaries.  I have to admit, Tasha Tudor has never been much more than a name on two of my favorite childhood books, A Little Princess and The Secret Garden.  Anything other mention of her was, to me, a corporate logo on many cards, books, and so on.

It would be putting it mildly to say Merideth was surprised that Tasha was not on my list of inspiring women, because when I finally "met" Tasha I felt a recognition of spirit and productivity that was hard to put into words.  Tasha Tudor lived by her own rules, created her own reality, enjoyed herself thoroughly and gave no apologies for choosing to live according to her muse.  I must admit, I became totally fascinated by her and I have spent the last several days reading everything I could about her.  She was not perfect, but my oh my, I would love to have her quiet, yet absolute, certainty that life is ours to create, coupled with the resolution to create it.  She is an example worthy of imitation.

Grandmothers, Mothers and Daughters

I decided to start with embroidery.  Why??  Well, it is portable, inexpensive and breathtaking to look at when a project is complete.  I was introduced to embroidery as a little girl.  My mother gave me a Snoopy embroidery kit when a was around nine or ten years old.  Embroidering that little Snoopy, with his long stocking cap hanging down over the side of his classic dog house, kept me entertained for hours.  I was surprised that it was fairly easy after my mom showed me the first few skills.  The funny thing is that I never saw my mom embroider.  And, although she didn't carry a hoop around, stitching the hours away, she was good at it.  Actually, my mom was good at everything. 

When I was small and we moved into my first real house, my dad built her a studio in the basement.  She spent hours, burning wood, and creating gifts for family and friends.  The smell of scorched wood brings me back to that room.  She had a wooden box that she kept her oil paints and linseed oil and precious paint brushes in, that I gazed at like they were jewels.  My Nana Mary had an oil painting, that my mother did in high school, hanging in her dining room that I marveled at.  If my mom could do that she really could do anything.  That old paint box was in my possession for a number of years and it now lives with my daughter, Mary, in Toronto.  I saw it the other day while organizing Mary's studio, and it made me so happy to see it still in use.  Creativity nurtured and practiced over three generations.

My mother is one of my greatest inspirations.  She has gifted me with more things than I can list and supported me through every phase of my life.  She is an example of the highest form of unconditional love and acceptance and demonstrates generosity of spirit in every act.  She also is one fine artist, worthy of imitation.