BeachBlythe

Happy 4th of July

Happy belated Canada Day! Thank you Canada for Anne of Green Gables, Alice Munro and Margaret Atwood, the Kids in the Hall, and Rush! And Happy 4^th of July to my fellow Americans!

Kim is visiting from Hawaii so we are going down to LBI for the weekend. I'm hoping for sunny breezes, swimming in the ocean and bay beach, Marvel's doughnuts and catching up with a few friends. Cha helped out by outgrowing almost all of her shorts so I've sewing like mad the past few days and managed to finish five pairs. I love the simplicity 3743 pattern: simple and comfortable. I tried it last year when every pair of shorts churned out for children were impossibly short and tight.

And here is our model, modeling:

Yes I sew my children's clothing, but I cannot be bothered to wash their faces. Most of the fabrics are from SewZanne's Fabrics.

Have a wonderful and safe 4^th of July. Take time to remember those whose courage and sacrifice kept us free and continue to keep us free, review the Declaration of Independence, and talk to anyone and everyone especially children about what this day is truly about.

 

Happy belated Canada Day! Thank you Canada for Anne of Green Gables, Alice Munro and Margaret Atwood, the Kids in the Hall, and Rush! And Happy 4^th of July to my fellow Americans!

Kim is visiting from Hawaii so we are going down to LBI for the weekend. I'm hoping for sunny breezes, swimming in the ocean and bay beach, Marvel's doughnuts and catching up with a few friends. Cha helped out by outgrowing almost all of her shorts so I've sewing like mad the past few days and managed to finish five pairs. I love the simplicity 3743 pattern: simple and comfortable. I tried it last year when every pair of shorts churned out for children were impossibly short and tight.

Here is our model, modeling:

 

Yes I sew my children's clothing, but I cannot be bothered to wash their faces. Most of the fabrics are from SewZanne's Fabrics.

Have a wonderful and safe 4^th of July. Take time to remember those whose courage and sacrifice kept us free and continue to keep us free, review the Declaration of Independence, and talk to anyone and everyone especially children about what this day is truly about.

--Kelly

Art all Night

Tren

Trenton hosts a 24 hour art show, where anyone over the age of four can submit a piece for display and possibly selling. It's set up in an old factory building and thousands of people stroll through. There are live bands, dancing at night, wine tasting, performance art and hooray-food!

Cha decorated two tops- one for herself and one for Mel who wouldn't go up to the lathe. Cha is always willing to step in for her, but I wish Mel would take a few chances.

This is Ricky Stang. I loved the bowls and vases he displayed, especially the vase that had a hole in the side. It had been part of the chunk of wood he had used to cut it from, and he incorporated it into the design.

I think this piece was the girls' favorite. When Cha had a fit and decided to run away this is the piece she ran to. I don't have the artist's name written down and I'm sorry for that.

It was two men circling as though they were diving through the air. This piece was among my favorites as well. It wasn't for sale. Shame. Here's another view:

There was also a children's' art area, with tables of odd bits and pieces that they could decorate poster board, glass jars, and paper bags with. I think I sort of took over Mel's poster. They had those smelly markers from grade school that smell so incredibly good you can easily ignore your brain cells shriek of death as you inhale them. By the time we left Mel's nose was multicolored from sniffing them. I think next year they might contribute their own artwork. We've got a year to plan our pieces. That might be enough time!

--Kelly

 

Oh thank you to Erin Harris at House on Hill Road for the coffee cozy tutorial! Today was Mel's last day of preschool, and the gifts I had ordered from a friend's candle business were held up. My budget this week is shot thanks to car repairs, so I couldn't just go out and buy much of anything. Then I remembered her post about the gifts she had sewn for her children's teachers. Two coffee cozies (cozys?), and small gift cards to a coffee shop later and I think I gave each teacher a sweet little gift.

I wrapped each around a take away cup, tucked in the gift card and that was that. They require hardly any material, and sew together in minutes. I am addicted to these little guys now.

Home Ec Fiascos

Kim's comment has me thinking--How many of us learned to sew in Home Ec? While both my Mother and Grandmother sewed, I learned to sew on a sewing machine in school. The sewing machines were attached to the desks and all I remember of them is that the bobbin dropped into a slot beneath the machine. We had several sewing options, and I chose the sweatshirt. I don't believe my teacher was too thrilled with me choosing the most advanced option as I hadn't shown much interest in the class. In fact, the teacher had called my mother to complain that I would sit and read a book under my desk instead of pay attention. Now I ask you- which is a better way to spend 40 minutes: cutting out pictures of fruits and vegetables to paste onto a folder, or read a book? Yeah, this teacher had us doing things we did in nursery school, and she calls my Mom to complain that I would rather read a book. Please.

So, the sweatshirt. My Mom drove me to the mainland to buy fabric and I forget if we went to Kmart or an actual fabric store. I chose a white synthetic material suitable for a sweatshirt that had small rings of varied colors on it. Ugly ugly ugly. I liked it though, and she sighed and had the salesperson cut the yardage.

And I sewed a sweatshirt, having never sewed anything beyond a few simple stitches through felt before. And while I recall having some missteps, I also recall being happy and fully occupied, a feeling that happened very rarely in school. The only bad day of sewing happened when another class was sat in the back of ours because their teacher was, well who knows? Stuff like that happened a lot at our school. So these kids, trouble makers you could tell by their denim jackets and huge white sneakers that were loosely laced sprawled over several chairs like ivy and watched those of us sewing. One boy from my bus whom I'd had a crush on for a year leaned forward and snidely asked "Is that fun? It sure looks like fun" and a cute girl next to him with bunches of bouncy hair and black eyeliner said "Stop teasing Chappy!" and my face was red and I was proud to be able to answer him in a bored bemused monotone that alerted me to the advantages of sarcasm and painlessly ended my crush on him.

I didn't sew again until 20 years later. Why? Because sewing was so, antiquated? So Little House? Just the other day I was knitting while watching my daughter in her karate class and a young girl behind me told her mother, "I want to learn to do that. To knit" and her mother's disbelief and distaste was so evident in her "really?"

 

So here's the practice top I sewed from Heather Ross's Weekend Sewing. And I have to sew it again, in lighter material for cooler summer nights if there are any. I love that feeling of imagining, planning, cutting the pieces that fit together so logically and then wearing something that didn't emerge from that hellish growth of concrete and synthetics called The Mall. It's rough living in New Jersey with that thought. I wore that sweatshirt to school a few times, too. I wasn't a popular kid, and I'm sure that sweatshirt didn't help. But I made it, I own it and I know it looked RTW and I liked it. At least I was smart enough to go with those feelings. And smart enough to read under the table instead of cut and paste.

---Kelly

 

Give-a-way Winner

Ok so I used Random.org to randomly choose a number.  And of course I am not literate enough to get the widget to show up on this page.  I use Mac and it just adds to my confusion sometimes. 

So you will have to believe me.  The winning number is 212 and the winner is Emily!!!!!!!!!  I just sent you an email and I can not wait to hear back from you.  It has been truly exciting reading all of the comments. It is amazing to briefly meet people from all over the world-Israel, Australia, Slovakia, France. 

I have been a little crazy with the school year ending this Friday but I have been able to briefly check out some of the great charities that some of you love so much. 

Here are just a few of the most mentioned:
Little dresses for Africa  Make a dress for a needy African girl out of a pillowcase!

Project Linus Blankets and quilts for seriously ill and traumatized children.

Craft Hope The current project ends June 13 but you may have time to help make a sewn doll for a needy child. 

Sewing Seeds This blog is looking for handmade skirts and shorts to send to Costa Rica.

I can not wait to see what I can do.  I have never made clothing (since a horrible experience in Middle School Home EC) but I think I might be able to handle the simple patterns.  This give a way was fantastic and I can not wait to do it again.  I will be adding these links to my sidebar.  Thank you so much everyone!!!
~kim
ps Kelly has not blogged in a while.  I will make sure that she does soon!!!!!! 
 

Just few hours left

Wow, I can't believe how many comments this little blog has received.  I have been overwhelmed reading all the awesome ideas.  I  plan on making crafts for a few of the charities!! Thank you so much everyone.  The give a way may be over in many places but here in Hawaii it is 9:20 pm so there is still time left for last minute procrastinators. 
I do not intend to be awake at midnight and I am blocked from blogs at work so I will not be able to choose the winner until 5 or 6 pm which means 11pm-12 am on the east coast.  Cross your fingers everyone!!!

My First Give-a-Way!!!!

Sew Mama Sew is hosting another Blog Give-a-Way Day.  The last one seemed like a lot of fun so I decided to join in.  I figured if I was going to enter why not also give.  Now my sister and I just run a little blog.  It is a great way for us to keep in touch since she is in NJ and I am currently living in Maui (don't hate).  We both love to craft and love to hoard craft supplies.  Kelly is a librarian who is currently at home with 2 girls, 2 dogs and 3 cats.  I am a Special Ed teacher and my parents have custody of my cat since he refused to move!

I thought it would be fun to send a bit of Hawaii so I have a little gift-a-way of fabric.  They are 4 fat quarters.  Two are floral Hawaiian print and two are batik.  My favorite fabric store (Sew Wonderful, Kahului) has an unbelievable selection of batik.  I get so overwhelmed I can never choose.   I have also included some made in Hawaii lip balms and teeny tiny gift tags that I designed.  One day soon I hope to have the tags for sale on Etsy. 

Of course there will be a little chocolate treat too but it is not in the picture. Why you ask? Here are the choices.
 A) it is too hot right now and the chocolate would melt.  I do not have AC.
 B) I would eat the chocolate before it shipped.
 C) I would eat the melted chocolate if I did not eat it before it melted. 

correct answer is all of the above

Well, here it is!

Ok, the rules:

Please leave a comment by May 31st.  (I am 6 hours behind the East Coast so that may give some readers extra time).
I will ship international.  Why not?
I am in Hawaii so shipping can take a few extra days. 
I will choose a random comment.  But there is a catch.  On Memorial Day I blogged about wanting to focus more on crafting for charity.  Please scroll down and visit the organizations that I linked to.  Perhaps you can volunteer to do something also??  Or can you add the name of an organization that is looking for knit, sewn items??  Have no fear. I am not going to choose a name based on whether or not a reader is going to volunteer.  Just visit and comment.  I need inspiration and motivation and perhaps  you do too. Hopefully a few groups could benefit.  This is a great time of year to craft.  

***update*** I have added a charity typelist on the left hand side of the blog

Thanks for visiting,
~kim

ps. Thanks Sew Mama Sew for allowing a little novice blog to participate!!!!

Memorial Day

In Honolulu the day before Memorial Day there is a lantern floating ceremony to honor those who disappeared at sea.  Part Buddhist, part Japanese and part Hawaiian it is called Toro Nagashi and has been celebrated here since 1999.  The event takes place all day.  In the afternoon there is music and dance and when the sun sets, the lanterns are floated from shore and from canoes.  I saw some of it for the first time last night (on tv).  There were thousands of paper lanterns decorated with names and pictures.  Pretty amazing.  It has been interesting to see how traditions are the same yet different here in Hawaii. 

In honor of Memorial Day I have been thinking about what I should do.  One big adjustment I have had to make is that there is just one season.  Holidays do not have quite the same meaning when your family is clear across the country and when you can spend Thanksgiving at the beach.  I barely decorated for Christmas or Easter.  At home, Memorial Day weekend is a big deal as it is the first busy tourist weekend at the Jersey Shore. 

I like the idea of crafting for charity but normally the call to donate is made when time is very limited.  The stress of knitting or sewing for someone that you do not even know becomes a stress that is tossed on the backburner.   Why not use this time of year to make a few things that can be donated now before they are needed???  I have pledged to make projects for the following charities:

Citizen Sam is a citizen group dedicated to helping and supported those in the Armed Forces.  They need helmet liners for soldiers fighting in sub-zero weather.  They also want quilts for wounded soldiers (they are transported on unheated planes). and Christmas Stockings.  For safety reasons there are strict guidelines to follow.  Color choices are very limited.  I plan on making a couple helmet liners and stockings.  The quilts need to be red, white and blue and I do not have much of that in my fabric stash. 

Seamen's Institute is an organization affiliated with the Episcopal Church that provides support and advocacy for Maritime Marines.  It is mainly in NY and NJ.  The minister at my church at home works with them.  Many of the mariners are from overseas and due to restrictions after September 11th, can not leave their ships when docked.  They need hats, scarves, vests and slippers for warmth.  They have patterns to follow on the website.  There are guidelines to follow also.  Our minister gets homemade cookies to take whenever he visits so if you are in NY or NJ and like to bake you may wish to get in touch with them!  I think that I may make some hats.  Kelly has already made hats and scarves this past fall.  I can work on them while at the beach.  A good way to justify being there. 

Mountain Baby Blankets  was started this past February by Rachel Cox.  She was inspired after watching a Diane Sawyer special on poverty in the Appalachians.  They need quilts (crib, todler or twin) and swaddling blankets.  Guidelines are on her blog.  Since starting, 281 quilts have been collected.  I am going to send the Nine square quilt-a-long that I am making with  Crazy Mom quilts.  I may also knit a swaddling blanket. 

Well, I think I will have plenty to work on.  But it is do-able (is that actually a word??). 
~kim

It's Saturday, I have some sweet denim blue yarn already looped around knitting needles, coffee is finally starting to perk, Rob is at church helping them get ready for the barn sale (with a hangover I might add Bless!) and I am ready to do my weekly 'work' at my laptop; placing about a dozen items on hold at my library after reading the New York Times book review. One book invariably leads to another, and then maybe some music or possibly, finally a DVD. Then I put things, educational items that will expand my daughters' teeny minds into that of a scientist's. The herpetologist Kate Jackson learned journal keeping through her parents, who had her draw a picture before she could write, and then narrate to them what it meant.

This, of course, necessitates first that I decorate beautifully some black and white comp books with paper and ribbon. Haven't done it yet, but it is on the agenda. I did finish a summer dress for Cha:

We are still debating the wikity wack ric rac. I think the dress needs something along the bodice, but white ric rac? What could I use instead that would complement the dress naturally? The fabric is another thrift store find. All hail Red White and Blue! The pink fabric is for Mel's dress. I just can't bring myself to cut it yet as lately all I feel like doing is knitting. However the first day Cha wears the dress will be rough if Mel doesn't have her dress to wear.

Yesterday Rob trash picked a sweet mirror and desk:

It is Buddy approved. You would think I would close the drawer behind the desk before I snapped a photo, wouldn't you? Not at 5am, sorry. The legs need tightening (isn't that the truth for most of us?), and I'm simply going to swipe it with a cloth, then into Mel's room it goes. She suggested we paint it pink. It's scratched and banged up enough that painting is an option, but I still haven't finished the rocking chair, sewing more 'softy' sweatpants for Cha or knitting the leg warmers and baby sweaters (as everyone in my neighborhood appears to be drinking the fertility water) I vowed to complete. Eh. Yeah we'll paint it pink.