sewing lesson

 UPDATE: we had to do more sewing the following day :) and he wanted to make 'sleep bags" for the other pirates... here they are! [The original pirate's sleeping bag is obvious if you look close enough.]

Billy had his first sewing lesson tonight!  He was standing watching me sew, asking all kinds of questions about the machine (what the different moving parts were doing, where the thread went, when do I use the knob on the side, what makes it go) and so I took the opportunity to teach him about it.  He really wanted to try it out, so I picked up a scrap and let him make a pocket... sewing several layers of fabric together, using that knob on the side :)  He claimed his had hurt after an inch of sewing, so I allowed he could try to foot pedal.  That was fun, and he did fairly well in keeping a consistent speed.  He is so pleased with the sleeping bag/pocket he made for his Playmobil pirate.  Might get a photo in the morning--it's in bed with him tonight

Spider Man

finally finished my infamous Spider Man quilt.... mostly famous because I have been "working on it" for over a year. 17 months. not really that whole time, but start to finish, taking time off for four other quilts cause I was frustrated with it.

Lessons learned: don't use flannel and regular cotton fabric on the same side of a quilt; quilt a simple design you are capable of quilting; stop when it's not working and take the stitches out :) I really hope the little boy I have been praying for the whole time I was working on it is doing well. Maybe that is why it has taken so long--he needed more prayers than the others. [the last photo is a close shot of the backing]

boring

"I don't want that one. We need some that aren't boring, Mom."

So, I recently bought some "boy fabric" and got sewing :) No more boring pillowcases!

homemade cold pack

I just made a cold pack from flannel train fabric in hopes that Charlie will use it on his face a little while today. [Yesterday was our first visit to the doctor for an injury. Poor Charlie was pushed by his big brother and has what looks like a black eye... though it's really on his cheek bone.]

We stopped in to visit our neighbors last night and they showed us a homemade cold pack using soft fabric and beans... so I whipped one up today using this tutorial as a reference
http://www.ehow.com/how_4887451_make-pack-ease-sore-muscles.html (I wanted to make sure I used the right kind of bean, but I think any is fine since they don't mention a certain type.)