The Second Robe

Same pattern as the first. After the trouble I had with Elijah's robe, I was hesitant to start an even larger version (Iain's), so I decided to make some adjustments on a smaller scale, while making Galen's.

~Galen and 'Burdock'~

Of the three, I think his turned out the nicest.


And, when all else fails, it's a great place to stash your sword...

Stuffed duck made from recycled sweaters by a local toy maker. Sword (a gift from my parents) by Isle of Man Woodworking.

2009

The First Robe

I made Elijah's robe first for two reasons:

1) With all of the crafting for my winter birthday kids (as in, everyone but him), I felt like I hadn't worked on anything for him for a while.

2) His light colored outer fabric made it out of the wash just as I was sitting down to sew (where as the darker counterparts did not possess such excellent sense of timing).


KWIK SEW 2705
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I purchased the cotton velour for lining these robes ages ago, when I found it at a good price through a co-op. The little kids Christmas pj's from last year were made of cotton velour and the older set were covetous of "fuzzy fabric-ed" garments of their own.

Now, the problem with buying the lining so far in advance was that I was them committed to finding a fabric to coordinate with it.

There is a part of this shopping trip that I didn't mention. The hour or so that I spent pacing up and down the flannel aisle, tiny fabric swatches in hand, muttering about horrible shades of red that outright clash with everything. The kind ladies working that day took pity on me and tried to help, but all the same, by the time Steve got back to pick me up I had the crazy-eyed look of a women on the verge of a break down.

And right then and there is where I did some letting go of my own and the kids learned about their robes.


The next level of letting go came with the fabric choices. I had something very particular in mind. For months on end, I had been picturing some very classic looking Christmas pajamas. Maybe something in plaid or pinstripes, perhaps some paisley, maybe, just maybe, some discrete and tastefully done snowflakes; none of which I could find to match this red.

What I did find to match it was several different overly bright, overly loud and, dare I say, overly tacky fabrics.

And I found this:
With snowflakes and polar bears and tress and (this was the clincher) red cardinals that matched the velour exactly. It wasn't at all what I had in mind, and yet it was very, very Elijah (especially the cardinals). When I showed it to him and he hugged the bolt, I figured it was the way to go.

Sewing the stretchy velour to the stiff woven gave me all kinds of trouble, but it more or less worked out in the end. And he *loves* the robe. I think it's been on him, every single indoor hour since I gave it to him. He hangs it by the door and the moment the snow clothes come off, the robe comes on. Every time I see him in it, I can't help but smile.

Happy Monday!

So, I had plans to post a Christmas Eve status update (these photos were to be a part of that) and I thought I would put out a Merry Christmas sort of post, but then I got caught up in all that is life and none of that ever happened. So I am here this morning to wish you a Merry Monday After Christmas and I hope that you are enjoying all of it's charms (how many of you just cursed me into eternity?? Come on now, it's not that bad...).


It's actually no where near the end of the frantic holiday season for me. The holiday season doesn't end, and the new year doesn't officially start for me until January 6th, possibly a little later this year since we are a hosting a big double birthday party the following weekend. That is the earliest possible date for me to take a deep breath and have a good sit. But there has been a shift: first set of goals met (or at least a valiant effort was made) and it's on to level two. This year that means a shift from the sewing machine to my knitting needles, and I quite welcome the change of pace, along with the potential movies that might be watched during said knitting.

Christmas was pretty nice here. A fairly quiet affair. It was good really, but it somehow had a little less sparkle for me this year then usual. I think a lot of that has to do with it coming right on the heels of the stress of our recent move. Everything was lovely really, I just couldn't quite enjoy it to the fullest.

There was lots of fun to be had though. Iain and Elijah got this and I'm currently enjoying my reign as world champion....alright, well, house champion anyway. I've been joking that I finally found my sport. How sad is it that it's tabletop pinball?!? Do you think I can count the blister that I've developed as a sports injury??


I'll be rolling out some of the Christmas crafting, just as soon as I get some good pictures. Can you believe that my camera batteries died Christmas morning! Apparently some of my usual planning was overlooked. Gee, I wonder why. It's not like there was anything else going on....hmm...

In a way it was good though. I kind of appreciated the shift in perspective; the move away from viewing through a lens and just being with everyone without any other agenda. It was a good one I think, for me in that moment in time. But it means that you might just have to wait a little bit to see how far I got with the Christmas pajamas!

And we still have Christmas part II to celebrate, with the arrival of my parents and sisters on New Years day. As I said, things are going to be busy, busy here for a bit longer yet.

Onwards and upwards!

WIP: the great Christmas pajama race

My life's purpose at this moment is centered around the making of Christmas pajamas for my four little ones. That's it. Seems simple enough, right?

Well, maybe.


Today I managed to: find the fabric.

And not much else. I unpacked the box that reads, "MELODY NEED THIS NOW". And while all that was true, there were about 20 other things that Melody needed, that weren't in the box. After the rearranging, unpacking, repacking, stacking, and unstacking, of several dozen boxes, now Melody has everything she needs. Everything that is, except for the entire day that was lost to the search.
(and for all that sorting, I still haven't come across the nail clippers *or* my size 4 knitting needles. I tell you, I have half a mind to chuck all of those boxes out the window right now.... but I really should find those nail clippers first...)

I don't know how far I'll get, but I have to at least try. I'm taking my own advice and going easy with myself, in-so-far as not holding on to keeping my work a surprise. The downside of that is that a finished product is now expected. Oh, the pressure.

Break time's over!

Now to find a space to work...

Saint Martin

"Golden light is turning gray,
Mist begins to rule the day,
Bare the trees their branches lift,
Clouds of dead leaves earthward drift.
Deep below, deep below
New life will spring."

~Elijah's illustration for the story of Saint Martin~


"Through the fields the beggar goes,
Weary feet and tattered clothes,
Trust that God will keep him warm,
Shelter him from cold and harm.
Deep below, deep below,
New life will spring."

~ the opening song to "Saint Martin's Play"
Adapted from the legend of St. Martin by William Ward

This past Sunday, the children were in their first play; one angel, one soldier and one St. Martin himself.

I honestly felt that it was really spectacularly beautiful (even if the Littlest Angel, ahem Galen, did get bored halfway through, take off his sash and pretend to go fishing with it down from heaven).

We got the script for this particular version from a teacher at a local Waldorf school and I'm so glad we did. It was really just lovely, full of poetry and music.

We have two 2nd grade boys in our little group, so they played the role of Martin concurrently. We have two fourth graders at the moment as well and my hope is that our next performance will be related to the subjects they are studying. There has already been mention of a play geared toward our third grader this spring. I've been thinking about how great it would be if we as the parents could come together to put on a small fairytale (perhaps with puppets or marionettes?) for our kindergarten and preschool set.

Can you tell that I've been missing the theater days of my youth?

We were blessed with warm weather, which allowed us to stage the performance outside. I don't think that this stone circle could have been more perfect for the show. And the fact that we were nearing dusk just made it all the more enchanting.

The performance was well received by our little audience of family and friends. And after we enjoyed a potluck dinner while waiting for the darkness to arrive in earnest.

Then we went out for our lantern walk, followed by spiced cider.

It certainly could have been worse, but during the walk, we didn't exactly manage to foster the reverent atmosphere that we were hoping for. We had some set backs in the beginning with lanterns falling apart (not the ones that we just made). And I think that a big part of the issue was that we never really talked about it in advance and didn't actually have someone set up to lead the walk.


live and learn.

We still got out there and we took our walk and sang our songs.

The three of us founding mothers all agreed, managing to pull off the play in such a short period of time was a mightily impressive task, there was no shame in not having the perfect walk too and there's always next year.

Work in Progress Wednesday: a flop

I've never really attempted one of these theme type days (the work-in-progress Wednesdays, book sharing Mondays, gratitude Fridays, wordless Wednesdays and so forth) for any length or time because that doesn't tend to be my posting style. I post what's on my mind, when it's on my mind, and go from there and it's suited me just fine for many years now. But at the moment I'm actually feeling like I could use a bit more discipline in several areas of my life, blogging included and crafting especially! I'm feeling what a friend refers to as "pixilated", as in lacking focus. So I'm going to try one theme day for a bit and see how it feels.

I had an unofficial work-in-progress post last week too, did anyone figure out what I was working on? Or did come off as a crazy women with that one???

The pictures in this post are from a crafting failure. This little hat was supposed to be part of Màiri's Halloween costume. Only it ended up far too little. As I new it would the entire time I was knitting it. I have no idea why I decided to keep knitting and trust the pattern instead of myself. Not sure what I'm going to do with it now. I may just frog it. I have some friends who are pregnant right now, but as far as I know, all are expecting boys. Galen says Teddy might be in need of a new hat, but only if I finish it with ties (apparently Teddy has no tolerance for his hats falling off). We'll see.

Most of my crafting over the last two weeks has been Halloween related. And I'll get around to sharing all of that eventually. We were invited to a costume party mid-November, which will be a good excuse to get into those costumes that didn't see much use at Halloween.

Meanwhile, I woke up this morning and realized with a start that it's really and truly NOVEMBER now, making Christmas, not some far off, distant event, occurring sometime in the vague and far off future, but a very definite reality, occurring next month. Eek!

Suddenly those meager beginnings at preparations seem very, very limited indeed. It's time to really and truly get a move on now.

knitted me a sock....

found me a stick...

Gotta get this horsey going, lickety-split!

uhm, how many days do I have left before Halloween again? (she asked while biting her nails)

Sewing Decisions

I'm having some issues with uploading pictures to my blog at the moment. So, the post that I had planned for this morning is just going to have to wait until I get it all figured out.

Meanwhile....I am sitting here typing and nearly alone. It's just me and the babe for the next couple of hours (bless that husband of mine for taking on the back to back dentist's appointments of three little boys), which is as close as you get to alone in a family of 6. Sewing somehow seems the thing to do. I've been out of the habit and need to get to it again. For some reason the starting is always the hardest part for me. The question is, do I work on Halloween costumes, which can be worked on out in the open any old time OR do I start in on some of the winter holiday sewing that I have to do on the sly. Logic (and the calendar) would dictate the Halloween costumes. First things first, right? But logic very rarely wins out for me in these situations...as I observed last night, when I stayed up late to work on a sweater for a February birthday, despite the fact that I've yet to so much as cast on for the projects that need to be complete 9 days from now. Yes, knitting work is required. Again. I am indeed, undeniably ridiculous. It's true.

And there is always the possibility that I may just scoop up this baby girl of mine and spend the rest of the day playing with her. Of course, if I do that, there will be no dinner for the tired grumpy people when they come home expecting their dinner. So maybe that's not the best option. It sure *sounds* like the best option though.

Well, whatever it ends up being, I better go do something!

Hopefully I'll be able to figure things out and there will be a picture post in just a bit. Until then I hope that you enjoy whatever it is that *you* happen to be doing!

Looking Ahead

I had every intention of doing a "Christmas in July" post talking about thinking ahead to the holiday season; planning and doing well in advance. But July got busy and the post never came. I did, however, get a start on things.

I have some presents tucked away here and there. I have many, many lists. Lists of things to do, lists of things to bake, lists of gifts to make, lists of gifts the kids want to make. I have lots of lists. And I have some supplies, because there is bound to be some crafting...of course, of course, of course!

I have extensive (and slightly delusional) plans for the Christmas pajamas this year. That link is from three years ago, wow! Look at baby Galen! Here are the ones I made two years ago, and last year's are here and here.

This really is one of my favorite parts about being a mama. I love being the person who grows and sculpts family traditions. I love finding ways to add warmth, spirit, beauty and meaning to our celebrations. I love working with my own hands to create, with love, special things for those special times and making each celebration uniquely our own.

Also high up on my to-create list at the moment....

birthday sweaters for all three of my winter babies.

A start to the Autumn sewing...

Sewing seems to have fallen by the wayside with my current kitting obsession. I have managed to churn out a couple of quick things and I am hoping to get back into more of a groove soon.


First up is a quickie pair of pants for him (also seen here). There has been this weird plaid/gingham trend around here lately, so don't be surprised to see more of this sort of thing showing up.

The fabric is twill from Chez Ami, when they were having one of their fabulous clearance sales and it's awesome. I have some more (in an even more vivid pattern, yikes!), that I'm looking forward to working with soon. Life gets interesting when you start letting the kids pick their own fabrics!

I actually love these pants and think they look adorable on him, but so far, most other adults that I've come across seem to disagree...

And a quickie skirt for me, from some wool jersey that I've had kicking around for ages now...

Iain was kind enough to take several pictures of me in it. He caught me in the process of pulling back my hair in this one, but this was the one that Steve liked, so this is the one you get!

I'm still rather rounder then usual (well ok, I guess with all the babies it's more usual at this point for me to be quite round then not). I am not loving my lack of clothing at the moment, nor the way most things I own fit. I was rather slim (for me anyway) before getting pregnant this time around and in some kind of fit of insanity or something, altered most of my clothes to fit my smaller self.

Like most women, I struggle with the whole body image thing. I want to be healthy and to feel well, but at the same time I also want to accept where ever I'm at in a given time. Posting a full-body picture, by the way, was a step in the direction of trying to be content with where I'm at! There is lots of conditioning to go against here, but I feel like it's really important, especially now that I am raising a daughter. I'm really sick of storming around trying on various combinations of anything that I think might work, and ending up frustrated and feeling poorly, when all I wanted to do was walk out the door looking presentable. In the interest of being a good role model for my girl (and maybe, just maybe, being a bit more caring to myself), I've been trying to pay close attention to what I like, what I'm comfortable in, what I feel good in and little by little, start making myself a couple of things. The goal is to be able to easily get dressed in the morning, glance in the mirror, smile, and get on with my day. I'm not in love with this skirt, but it's comfy and it fits and it gives me some more options, so it's a start.

Inspired by Molli

Back in July, when I was talking about how I always eventually find a use for fabric and yarn, I mentioned some shiny, lime green fabric that I was thinking might be the one exception to this rule.


Clearly I was wrong.

Believe it or not, this fabric was purchased to make pants for me! HA! Which just goes to show that fabrics for sale on-line are not always as they appear! You should have seen the look on my face and the good laugh we all had when I opened that package!


Anyhow, when I talked about this fabric before, I said that it's destiny might lie in the dress-ups box. I was thinking along the lines of the lining for a magicians cloak or something of that sort. Then Molli commented on that post and asked ever so matter-of-fact-ly why I had not made Galen a pair of dragonfly wings.

Well, duh.


So when we were talking about his costume for the parade, not long after, I said, "hey, you want me to make you a pair of dragonfly wings??". He did and I did and there you have it. It may take some time, but I always find a use for my fabric eventually!


And that's how this chubby little cherub of mine got his dragonfly wings.

As if he wasn't tall enough already....

Iain has been building his own simple stilts for several years now. He makes the kind with long pieces that you hold on to and little triangular blocks for your feet. Elijah and him get on quite well with them and build new sets and adjust the height of the old ones whenever it pleases them (one of the joys of growing up with scrap wood everywhere).

When an opportunity came up for Iain to take a stilt walking and dancing class with an entirely different form of stilts, we knew it would be right up his alley.


Unfortunately, it was for ages 9 and up, so Elijah had to play spectator on this one. But I've now got some "Circus Stilt" plans and when things settle down a bit we'll be able to make him an appropriately sized pair. I suspect Iain will make a great teacher and the two of them will be strutting around town in no time.


Iain caught on quickly, which is not at all surprising because this is just the sort of thing that he so easily excels at. We are talking about the child who taught himself to ride a 2 wheel bike in less then an afternoon and by the end of the day was trying to fashion ramps and things to make it a bit more challenging. Yeah. I've said it before and I'll say it again, sometimes I think it takes a really strong heart to raise boys. And I'm sure that it varies from boy to boy (and girl to girl for that matter), but as a women with a house full of self proclaimed dare-devils, I do a lot of breath holding and eye averting. Even Steve, who's youth was full of antics that I couldn't even have imagined, has been known to walk on by with a head shake and proclamation of, "It's a good thing they're made of rubber!" And it's true, for all of their stunts, not a one of them has sustained a serious injury yet (I'm starting to get the alarming feeling of running on borrowed time).

The grand finale for class was marching in our annual town parade, followed by dancing on the common.

Iain designed his own costume (because he's awesome like that). The parade had an outer-space theme this year. Iain and Elijah made all of the planet appliqués themselves.

As we all walked in the parade, I didn't really get any pictures of the actual event, but some from getting ready before and waiting for the parade to start.

And some from after on the common.

Looking up to talk to him, I laughed and told him that this is how it's going to be 10 years from now, I'm always going to have to look up to look into his beautiful blue eyes.

And yes, as the day progressed, my hat rather wilted in the heat.

I have to say, this boy of mine is a pretty neat guy...