pause and rewind

Looking back on 2010, I can see that it has been a watershed year for me craftwise.  I have been busier than ever, but also happier and more balanced due to our family prioritizing of creativity.  I have learned a lot of new techniques, taken some personal and creative risks, and spent some unforgettable moments with my kids.  I have also completely overrun the dining room, but that's another story.  I thought that, with the year coming to a close, it might be a good time to share some of my favorite projects of 2010.

The Perfect Changing Pad

This is something that, I guess, is not technically a project of 2010 since I have been making them for many years for friends, but this is the first sewn item that I mass produced and thus represents creative confidence to me.  With my mother's prodding, I approached the gracious owner of an adorable children's boutique in my area with the changing pads, and her enthusiasm spurred me on to really make a go of selling my work.  She and I have recently collaborated on a new changing pad with a modified design that will make it super friendly to cloth-diapering moms and will be sold exclusively through her shop.  Very exciting!

The Market Tote

This was a favorite simply because it is so fun and functional (as my pal Lily would say).  It was another item that I originally made for myself (a somewhat piggish theme is emerging here).  The way that the fabric works with the design led me to explore the world of fabric designers and discover such talented folks as Valori Wells, Heather Ross, and Etsuko Furuya.  I was especially proud of the design and the fact that it provided an actual solution for people wanting an attractive alternative to reusable shopping bags.

My Kids' Halloween Costumes

A topic I have covered ad nauseum, I know, but it was so much fun creating these costumes with my kids.  I have heard other parents discuss the obsession that some children develop over their Halloween costumes, and experiencing that with my 3-year-old was, in a word, hilarious.  One of the funniest moments working on his crab costume was when he rejected my first attempt at eye stalks because they were "not stalky enough."  Ah . . . . a creative director in the making.  Even though a little girl dressed as Taylor Swift beat us in the local costume contest, we knew in our hearts we were winners.

I have some crafting resolutions for 2011, like designing more of my own fabric and trying to do a few more craft shows.  I would love to find or start a craft alliance in my area.  But for the most part, I feel like I am on the right track.  Now, if I could just get to the gym.

complicated crafts with kids? yes, you can!

When I switched from a crib to a big-girl bed, I was pretty nervous (and probably pretty old, judging by how clearly I remember it).  I remember loving the safety of my crib walls and not wanting to move to the expanse of a twin bed.  To help ease my mind, my father decided that I would help him build my new bed.  He let me set the screws, use the hammer, even help to stain the wood.  Probably this required prodigious reserves of patience on his part, but he never let me know it.  We truly did it together.

Now, as a frequent and zealous crafter and constant and zealous mother of two, I often find myself with one or both of my children in my lap while I work.  I will be the first to admit that allowing my boys such access to a hot, heavy iron, sharp needles and pins, gigantic scissors, and other hazards is maybe not the best plan, but they know that my dining/workroom is off limits if I am not in there, and it works for us. 

An interesting side effect of my sons' proximity to various instruments of doom is that they have both developed a very interesting and ambitious handmade aesthetic.  Even my youngest will literally hand me a piece of fabric and say, hopefully, "Ball?"  I love the idea that my constant crafting has given them the idea that anything they can think up could be made, by us together.

Taking the time to conceive and create a difficult craft project with your child is worth it--you will love the sense of excitement and accomplishment that both of you get from the process.  As an added benefit, the resulting toy's shelf life will most likely be greater since your child was an active participant in the entire process.

A good example of such a project is the portable car playmat that my son wanted to make.  He loves his matchbox cars, and he wanted a little town that he could take with him.  We didn't find anything we loved, so we decided to do it ourselves.  Using photoshop, we designed the town, making sure that it was the correct size to print cleanly to a yard.  My son dictated what I should draw and where I should draw it, and helped by using the paint bucket to color the images.  We printed the fabric through Spoonflower and waited with excitement for it to arrive.  We also picked out some of Riley Blake's fantastic Wheels fabric (hideously, it is discontinued, but I managed to find some at The Quilted Castle) to back the mat.  We also used some plain green cotton duck.  When it came time to sew, he helped me to measure and make sure that the pockets were large enough for his favorite cars, and even "helped" me sew by sitting on my lap, snipping threads, and removing pins.  This is now his favorite gift to give to friends, and I love that he is giving something that he has helped to make by hand, from the ground up.

A few tips for tackling complicated projects with small children:

1. Don't be afraid to take the driver's seat.  Make it clear from the beginning that this is not a do-it-yourself project.  There are plenty of those, but this is not it.

2. Identify specific jobs that your child can do and communicate that clearly to him or her.  My children know that they are allowed to measure with abandon and give tons of design input.  I also give them scrap fabric as we work and they are allowed to do whatever they want with it.

3. Let go.  When  you let your child make key decisions about a project, it allows him or her to feel ownership, but it might not be the choice you would have made.  That's okay.  There are lots of projects for just you, but this is not it.

Good luck and enjoy!  Your child will be reaping the benefits long after the project is complete.

loose ends

Since you endured my kvetching throughout the month of September, I thought you might like to hear how a couple of things have panned out.  On the Crafty Bastards front, it went swimmingly!  Our booth was a mad house, due in large part to the lovely ladies of Coralilie with whom I shared my booth.  Our tent looked like it had been sacked by the Huns by about 1 pm.  It was a very affirming First Craft Show experience.  I followed all of the advice I could dig up regarding clearly marked items, varying display heights, a neat and tidy presentation, and I really felt good about how things looked.  One of the things that I read pre-show said that seeing your customers respond to your work first-hand is one of the most valuable outcomes of a big show, and I have to agree.  It was fascinating to hear people talking with their friends as they handled the merchandise.  Particularly intriguing to me was the response that men seemed to have to my offerings; one dad even asked me to make him an adult-sized t-shirt with a rocket ship on it since he did not think he could wedge into the 2T I had for sale.  That left me wondering whether men have been left out in the cold a bit on the handmade front.  Maybe not every man interested in handmade wants to be ironic or punkrock.  Food for thought, anyway.

Regarding the lion costume for Cal's preschool, I was finally able to check that off my list.  It was waaaaaaaay harder than I thought it would be!  Observe the original lion costume.  Cute, but doesn't it look simple?  Well, I knew right off the bat that I would not be using the curly faux fur that was on the original mane and tail nub.  I wanted to figure out a way to do the whole thing in polarfleece, keeping it simple enough to toss into the wash frequently since it is destined to live its life in a nursery school dress-up corner.  I started by tracing the parts as best I could and cutting out new pieces.

I then began sewing.  My machine would not sew anything correctly.  It was jamming, knotting, dropping stitches.  A montage of my entire sewing machine's life was flashing before my eyes.  Even my husband was worried, and not just about the nervous breakdown I was having.  Finally, I switched to a stretch needle.  Magical!  It fixed everything. 

My next hurdle was the mane.  I wanted to keep it simple and stylized, but I also wanted it to be immediately recognizable to the children.  My original plan was to create several rows of loops and attach these to the hood.  But when I went to attach the first loop, it seemed like there just wasn't that much room with the ears already in place.  If I had proceeded to attach several rows, it would have not only looked crowded, it would have also been very heavy and caused the hood to fall over the child's face.  Instead of following my original plan, I went with a fringe framing the face.  I used a simple loop for the tail.

The final product is cute and serves the purpose.  It won't be used to outfit Simba for The Lion King on Broadway, but my son insisted on wearing it to school, so I think it will do just fine.

i'm so excited and i just can't hide it

A short, short post this week because I am madly sewing for Crafty Bastards, the craft fair that I have been obsessing over for months.  In an exciting turn of events, the good folks at the Washington City Paper got a real live cartoonist to illustrate the how-to for the wreath of recyclables that I blogged about a while ago.  They did a great job and, to be perfectly honest, I actually shivered with excitement when I saw it on the screen.  The weather is supposed to be great this weekend, so if you happen to be in the DC area, why not pop on by?  I will be the spazzy vendor scaring customers with her out-of-control zeal.

and we're back to costumes

So, today I got an email from my son's nursery school teacher, a desperate plea for a sewing parent to help out by whipping up some new costumes for the imaginative play corner.  Even though I am sewing around the clock for Crafty Bastards and have not even started the jellyfish and crab (yes, that's right, Little Brother has now migrated from sea tortoise to crab--sketch to follow), I of course committed to sewing new costumes for the preschool.  Turns out the problem is that a particular four-year-old so favors the lion costume that she has worn it down to a nub.  Also, she makes it look so exciting to be wearing it that, though intended to provide joy, the lion costume is now causing dissent amongst the Fours.

I took a look at the favored costume and it was quite simple, just a little polar fleece tunic with a tail and a matching cap with ears and what I assume used to be the mane.  The teacher expressed a need for some other costumes of a similar type, so I thought, maybe a monkey?  In my brainstorming mode, I turned to Etsy to see what sorts of costumes those folks were coming up with.  I found quite a few that would be great for Halloween or anytime:

Two Little Bluebirds offers loads of fodder for imaginative play, including a Pink Pirate Set and this Superhero Set.  You do see a lot of superhero capes on the market, but I love that she has included a belt and the cuffs and even that little badge at the throat.  That kind of detail is really the strength of this shop--the pirate set even includes a little roll-up map and a bag of "booty" (not the R. Kelly type).  Fantastic.

Tangle Wit Designs really knows its way around some polar fleece, and these hats do double duty as dress up outfits and real cold-weather accessories, complete with ear flaps.  The Cardinal Hat is especially great for those little ornithologists in your life.  Actually, I might buy this myself.  It would be a great way to pick out your kid on the slopes! 

Her Flying Horses has a wonderful selection of very reasonably priced costumes ideal for pretend play.  My son would adore this Dragon Cloak (which is just a great idea) because it would be so easy to throw on and get right to the fun part of chasing his brother and roaring at the top of his lungs.

Imaginative play is such an important part of childhood.  According to all sorts of sciencey people, it is essential to developing well-adjusted, bright, happy humans.  And while it is sometimes frustrating for me when I address my son and he replies with, "I am a robot I am a robot" in his automaton voice, I know that this is crucial for him on almost every level.  And imaginative play also gives them something to do while I am sewing.  Which I need to go do now.

two and a half weeks? are you kidding me?

The Crafty Bastards Arts and Crafts Fair is going to take place in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of D.C.  on October 2, a scant two and a half weeks away.  This is a well-known fair in these parts and beyond, bringing together tons of super-talented vendors from all over the dang place.  For me, it is exciting because I will be sharing a booth at said craft fair with my great friend of many years who co-invented a tres flattering dress called the Coralilie.  But it is even more momentous than that, as it is the first time I will be in any craft fair at all.  So I am completely freaking out.

Aside from ignoring my children, spouse, dog, household, and job so that I can hole up in my dining/sewing room and develop carpal tunnel, I am just becoming more and more aware by the hour that I have no idea what I am doing.  Sure, I have been to my share of craft fairs, being the craft-fair-loving gal that I am, but I am such a stranger to on-the-ground selling.  I couldn't even hold down a job at the Disney Store when I was 16.  I am planning to bring about 800 items and see what people like.  As I am planning to do this, the words of Jen Menkhaus, whose wonderful work I admired at Pile o' Craft in Baltimore is ringing in my ears--to streamline your offerings, thus preventing your guileless customer from wandering off in an overwhelmed haze.  But it does seem like a good opportunity for me, as the seller, to actually see with my own two eyes how people react to my work.  Maybe they will think, "What, no owls? No mustaches? I'm outta here."  Maybe they will think, "This beautiful youngish lady is just the person to write that book my publishing house has been looking to put out." Maybe they will think, "Why is this vendor staring at me as I look through her things?"

Oh, and if anyone I work with/for is reading this, just kidding about ignoring my job.  Have you seen my sewing scissors?

adventures in costuming, part I

Halloween season is upon us and my son has requested that I make him a costume.  For his first couple of years, he was content with the Children's Place/ Old Navy/ Fill-in-the-Blank Chain Store costumes that we inherited from our benevolent hand-me-downers, but this year I could tell he had something special in mind from the moment the first Halloween-themed catalog crossed our threshold.  For quite a while, it seemed inevitable that he was going to go with Octopus, since he has been obsessed with that particular creature all summer.  I was stumped by the arm/leg situation--would I incorporate his existing arms and legs into the eight required legs or kind of start from scratch?

Luckily he has changed his tune and decided that he wants to be a jellyfish.  I have some preliminary ideas involving polar fleece and various shiny/iridescent materials, and, actually, he had a lot of good ideas, too, mostly regarding the stingers (which seem to be the crux of the entire costume for him).  We have also determined that his baby brother will wear a complementary Sea Turtle outfit.  (Again, in a stroke of good fortune, we moved off of the idea of the baby going as Lobster--it would be adorable if executed well, but in my hands I am afraid he would look like he was dressed as a Chewed Twizzler.)  Because nothing looks worse than things I sew from a pattern, I knew that finding some delightful McCall's costume was just not going to fly.  So, I will chronicle this odyssey in crafting, beginning with my preliminary sketches herewith:

Wish me luck!  I heartily welcome any words of wisdom.