Google+

Sewing and Family


This is a very busy and somewhat stressful week in my house, but I wanted to hop on here and share a few things. I have my 12-year-old nephew visiting because he was staying with my parents, but my mom is having surgery on her heart tomorrow, so we are watching him while my parents are in the hospital. As a result, I have not had much time to share things or make things. Here are a few things I have sewn lately.

I made Hazel a fun pillow case dress with fairy pockets. I hoped to make one for her doll as well, but I didn't have enough fabric. Oh, well. There are tutorials for these dresses all over. Here is one on Sew Like My Mom: Easiest Pillowcase Dress Ever.


Hazel has been wanting a mermaid tale for her dolls (well actually she wants a couple in different colors). I have been playing with patterns including one I found at Peek-a-boo Pattern Shop: Dressing Up Dolly: Mermaid Tail. She had a pattern for a 15-inch doll, so I made my own. I also am making a green one using a method someone showed me that sells them professionally. It is not done, so I won't share pictures yet.

I will post a pattern and tutorial for the mermaid tale once I have the pattern finalized to what I like best. Sharing Saturday will still be happening, so stay tuned!

Color Exploration: Art, Quilts, Music and Color

Congratulations to Cindy R for winning the latest giveaway!!


We have been rather busy with our color explorations. Awhile ago we discovered some fun color music. I made a CD of songs from the following CD's having to do with colors or a color. It is one of our favorites to listen to besides maybe the Frozen Soundtrack. One of the songs on it is The Purple People Eater. (We found it on the Kidz Bop Halloween Party CD.)

Since Hazel has been loving the song, I made her a purple people eater peg doll. So here is our "One-eyed, one horned, flying purple people eater."

His horn and arms are from pipe cleaners and his wings are a piece of felt with a pipe cleaner to form them. 


We also had a big adventure yesterday. We headed into Boston to go to the Museum of Fine Arts. I went to meet my mother back in April to see the Quilts and Color Exhibit. Hazel really wanted to go see it, so I took her before it ended. We have also been reading books about artists some are shared below. Hazel wanted to see some of the paintings by the artists we read about. She really wanted to see something by Pablo Picasso. She has decided her favorite artists are Pablo Picasso and Georgia O'Keeffe.

When we first got to the museum we were told to go to the customer service area and ask for an art bag for Hazel. They give you a little tote bag full of scavenger hunts, questions about artwork and a sketchpad and colored pencils. Most of the things were for exhibits we were not planning on viewing, but she loved the sketchpad and tried to sketch some of her favorite quilts. After not finding all the colors she needed she decided I should take pictures and she would sketch them at home. 


In preparation for the visit to see the quilt exhibit, we have been reading books having to do with quilts. Above are the ones we have enjoyed. We loved reading about each state in A Quilt of States by Adrienne Yorinks and fifty librarians from across the United States. Another great one that teaches some American history as well as information about quilt squares is The Quilt-Block History of Pioneer Days with Projects Kids Can Make by Mary Cobb. We have done a few of the activities in it. The first is making a paper nine-patch square. For the paper you cut out color squares from magazines. We did this at my parents and cut up two of my mother's old magazines. Hazel had so many squares and so much fun, she made three paper nine-patches.


While at my parents, my mother offered us some five-inch squares she already had cut. Hazel picked out nine and began to hand sew them together. Then she picked out another nine to sew. Neither is completely finished, but she is close. She wants to make a reversible quilt for Ducky.

For more on color and quilts, check out:

Virtual Book Club for Kids: K Is for Kissing a Cool Kangaroo by Giles Andreae



It is time for the Virtual Book Club for Kids and this month the author is Giles Andreae. We have been having so much fun with his books. Hazel picked her favorite to feature this month and it is K Is for Kissing a Cool Kangaroo. We actually got this book out of the library on Friday. I was all set to do some giraffe crafts to go with Giraffes Can't Dance, but she changed her mind once we read K Is for Kissing a Cool Kangaroo. Well my idea changed. Instead of doing a craft we changed to an activity or game. Actually this book is perfect for one of the things Hazel's school wanted the students to work on over the summer. They want us to practice with the beginning letters of words.