A Tip from the Procrastinating Patternmaker...

 A year and a half ago I set out to make my son a couple of button-up shirts for his birthday.  I drafted a pattern, he picked out the fabrics, and we were both really excited.  In a moment of over confidence I cut out two shirts.  With his birthday just around the corner I finished the first one.  I loved the way the first one turned out...until he tried it on.  It was too short!  Too short and sewn together really, really well, seams finished without a serger, lots and lots of top stitching.  The thought of taking out all of that stitching was daunting.  The birthday came and went, summer flew by, and the beginning of school approached.  "I'll have them done by the beginning of school," I promised.  So, I adjusted the pattern and he picked out more fabric.  I cut out and started three more shirts....then procrastination happened again, and kept happening.  The front pieces of a button up shirt are not necessarily symmetrical, every time I would think about working on the shirts I would remember that in this particular pattern they were not suppose to be symmetrical, but the pieces I cut out were symmetrical.  I could vaguely recall there was SOMETHING I was suppose to do, but I could not remember...so procrastination continued....for a whole year.

As school was getting ready to start this year, my son asked if I would please finish the shirts I was suppose to finish for the beginning of school LAST year.  FINALLY I got the pattern out figured out what it was I couldn't remember...cut 5/8 of an inch off of the left side of the shirt before adding a facing....all that time for 5/8 of an inch.  So, if you know you are a procrastinator, as I know I am, here is the tip:

Keep all of your pattern pieces in a large envelope.  If you need to make changes write down the changes on the envelope with a date, mark off the change when the pattern gets updated. 

I do this now, but I was not doing it a year and a half ago, it saves sooo much time.  I don't always have time to get pattern pieces out and alter them right away, but this way I always know where I left off.

I mustered up the energy to take out all of my fancy stitching on the first shirt and lengthen it.  The boy loves the shirt and ended up wearing it for the first day of school.  He told me when it gets to be too little he is going to save it for his kids, and if he doesn't have kids he'll make a quilt out of it someday...that's my boy!

I just finished the other four yesterday, in time for the third day of school.  I have one very happy boy.

Bovine Beauties...A Cow Portrait Collection

"Melinda and her beautiful bell"

No ordinary cows, these bovine beauties spend their days roaming the rolling mountain pastures, basking in the sweet alpine sun, and making milk for some of the world's best cheeses and creamy gelato! 

Who is not more worthy of a portrait?

   

"Molly and the girls...and the Dolomites"

"Heather in the sun"

"Cynthia"

"Allison"

"Mary"

"Jennifer"

"Don't be shy Melinda"

Surprisingly not one of them was named "Daisy".

Putting Inspiration to Use!

All that inspiration from my trip to Ljubljana was channeled last night.  The pictures I took of the wonderful architectural detail I loaded on to my Kindle as an alternative to printing them out...that printer uses so much damn ink. Normally, I use the time after the kids go to bed to do a little hand stitching, but last night I got out the Kindle and the sketch book instead. The picture above was my starting point.   And below is the little sketch....

I enjoyed the sketch so much I delayed going to bed...always a good idea...so I could see what the sketch would look like as a repeating pattern. Here are the results...

This is my favorite, with the pattern offset. 

This is my daughter's favorite.

This is my son's favorite.

What do you think? Lots of fun in the making, perhaps I'll try another this evening!  

Well, Call Me Inspired!

Inspired...to do what I'm not quite sure...but INSPIRED none the less. 

Recently, I found my self in Ljubljana, the capitol city of Slovenia.  Such a beautiful city!  So much Art Nouveau architecture! It is safe to say I am a HUGE Art Nouveau fan.  I fell instantly in love with Ljubljana, all the beautiful curved lines, the rhythmic repetitions, and of course all of the floral motifs.  So much effort went in to making everything so beautiful.  
  

All that beauty was inspiring!  So, I did what I do, and made a bizillion pictures...and I could have made a bizillion more.   These are some of my favorite architectural details...perhaps you will be inspired, too!   

" A   gable without an ornament is like a man who never laughs."  Joze Plecnik, Slovene architect active in Ljubljana in the early 20th century.

Drawing Villas Class 2013

Drawing Italian Villas 

June 19, 26, and July  10, 17, 24, & 31 from 9:30 to 12:00

Vicenza Arts & Crafts Center and at Various Locations in the Vicenza Area

As you sit perched upon the villa lawn, pencil and paper in hand, the beauty and magic of Italian architecture is revealed in the subtle details. In this class, you will visit four different beautiful villas in the Vicenza area to study and draw them.  Our first two weeks of class will be at the Arts Center, learning perspective drawing, reviewing basic drawing techniques and composition, and discussing a brief history of Italian villas in the Vicenza area.  Then we hit the road for our final four weeks of class, studying and drawing villas in the area.  

All supplies available for purchase at the Arts Center!  

You will be responsible for your own transportation, car pooling is encouraged and can be arranged during our first two weeks of class.  

The Stitch with the Odd Name

Hawk Mask with Fagoting

Fagoting (or faggoting), fagoting stitch, or fagot stitch...it's a beautiful decorative stitch with a rather odd name. Fagoting joins two pieces of fabric together, but leaves a small gap to highlight the decorative crisscrossed or parallel threads of the stitch. Examples of fagoting can be found on Victorian garments, laces, knitted pieces, and on women's garments from the turn of the last century.  Perhaps a less than traditional use, above it is used to piece together a hawk mask!

There are a variety of different fagoting stitches, here this is how to create the one used on the hawk mask....

1.  Knot one end of thread.
2.  From back to front, push the needle through the fabric at point "A".
3.  From back to front, push the needle through the fabric at point "B".

4.  Run the needle behind the thread and up through the fabric, from back to front, at point "C".

5.  Run the needle behind the thread and up through the fabric, from back to front, at point "D".

6.  Continue in this manner, running the needle behind the thread and pushing the needle up through the fabric from back to front.

Despite the odd name, fagoting a fun and easy stitch that can add lovely detail and visual interest to a variety of projects.

The Hawk Mask is available from OxeyeDaisey Patterns and Design on Etsy.

The Ultimate Birthday Party Game Guide

Planning a birthday party?  Looking for the fun birthday games?  You've come to the right place!  After planning and hosting 14 children's birthday parties, all with varying degrees of success, it's time to share with my readers what I've learned how to plan games and good games to play.

Should I Plan Birthday Party Games?

Frog Beanbag Toss

YES!  Whether you are planning a birthday party for a first birthday or a tenth birthday, children love to play games.  Games should be age appropriate for the guests, or at the very least made flexible for the youngest attendant. 

Birthday party games can be a fun way to incorporate the theme of the birthday party. Remember, children have very active imaginations.  They love to hear stories that tie the game into the theme of the party.  Children are very willing to accept that a ball is a bird or a bean bag is a cookie.  Feel free to use your imagination when creating games and create opportunities for children to use their imaginations when playing the game. 

Colored by a 2 & 5 yr old

Let the guest of honor help plan and create the birthday games.  Children have a natural talent for this part of birthday planning.  Let them color, draw, paint, cut, and glue, any task that is age appropriate.  When the game becomes something they have helped create it adds to the fun and enjoyment of both the planning process and the party. 

The most fun games at birthday parties are cooperative games. Games that are competitive and have clear winners and losers are bound to leave a few guests in tears. Emotions run high at birthday parties; it is not the ideal time for competitive games.  For the happiness of all, focus on games that are cooperative.   Many traditional competitive games can be turned into cooperative games with a small twist in the way they are played. 

What About Prizes?

If you really want to give out prizes, try working the prize into an aspect of the game.  Consider giving all participants something for playing, placing an emphasis on playing the game and not winning or losing the game. 

How Many Games?

Birthday Craft...Make a Hat!

While there is no magic number, a good rule of thumb is between 2 and 5 games for a two to three hour party.  Be flexible! Sometimes a group wants to keep playing games and sometimes they are finished after a few games.  Time should be left for children to play with each other, but organized games are an essential part of the traditional birthday fun. 

Me First!

Who’s turn is it away?  The child that pushes to the front?  The quiet child in the back?  A friend taught me early on the perfect way to skip this dilemma.  Before the party starts, number slips of paper from 1 to how every many guest you will have at the party.  Keep a few extra slips of paper on had just in case you have extra guests.  Place the papers in a hat or basket and have each child draw a number before the game begins.  Instruct the children to line up in order.  Older children can be particularly helpful with getting everyone in order. 

Tried and True Games: 

Quest Games:

Gathering children together for a group “quest” can be as elaborate or as simple as time and energy allow.  Here are two examples, one very elaborate set-up with a small number of children (7), and very simple set-up with a large number of children (15).

For a knight birthday party my husband drew a map of the yard, around the yard where several different scenarios for the children to encounter.  The map was then cut into a number of pieces. Once each part of the quest had been successfully fulfilled the children were given the next piece of the map and had to figure out where to go.  Different stops along the way included, an encounter with the Green Man (who became the guide), a stop where all on the quest received a shield (the birthday boy helped make out of cardboard), a stop where all the children were given a tunic (simple tunics I made from thrift-store sheets), a slime pit (swimming pool full of homemade slime), climbing an erupting volcano (a slide and a rope), and pushing boulders (rolling giant balls across the yard).  At the final stop the Green Man knighted each of the participants and gave them their own sword (balloon sword).  The game lasted a very long time and was tons of fun for all involved.  

A simpler version, but the same concept, is more along the lines of an elaborate game of follow the leader.  This was used most recently at a Little Red Riding Hood themed party.  Children started at Little Red’s house and followed the hunter to Grandma’s house.  They wove in and out of trees at the park, down slides, and in and out of cut out houses.  In the end they came to Grandma’s house.  My mother was perched in a little play house dressed Little Red’s Grandma.  Grandma gave each of the children a little package containing a special treat.    My daughter says it was her FAVORITE game!

An Adaption of Musical Chairs:

A traditional game of Musical Chairs will almost always end in tears.  No one wants their chair to be taken away.  However, with a very simple adaptation this can be a fun game for all.  For example, at my son’s 6^th birthday party we played Musical Lily Pads.  Everyone started on their own lily pad (cut-up old towels I found at a thrift store…later used as cleaning rags), when the music began the children walked (OK, they ran) around when the music stopped one lily pad was missing…the difference was instead of being “out” if you couldn’t find your own lily pad you had to share a lily pad with a friend.  In the end there was only one lily pad left and the children had to figure out how everyone would fit on one lily pad.  It all ended in laughter and was one of the most success games of the party.  This idea can be adapted to any birthday party theme. 

Beanbag Toss:

Tossing a bean bag is great fun for all ages of children and this is a game that can be adapted for the youngest to the oldest participant.  Beanbag toss is a great way to incorporate games into part of the theme decorations.  A large cardboard box with a hole cut out can be decorated into just about anything imaginable.  Here a few examples,

feed the frog a fly, fly the bird to the nest, and fill the Wolf’s Belly.  Once everyone has had a turn leave the game up. Allow anyone who wants to continue playing to do so while you set up the next game.  Some children really, really love to play beanbag toss, others are satisfied with just one turn. 

Search and Find:

This is a variation on the traditional egg hunt.  Children love search and find games.  This can be as simple as using the little plastic eggs you can find at Easter, or as elaborate as hiding a birthday themed object. For example, use plastic eggs filled with candies or stickers to hide dragon eggs, or for woodland parties to return bird eggs to a nest.  One of my all-time search and find games was for a Super Dinosaur party.  We hid giant eggs in the sandbox.  The eggs were wrapped in aluminum foil and contained Super Dinosaur capes.  The children were given little shovels and told they were on an archaeological dig to discover Super Dinosaur eggs. 

Pin the Tail on the Donkey:

This birthday party favorite is highly adaptable to any birthday party theme. For example, instead of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, play Pin the Kiss on the Frog for a princess birthday, Pin the Tail on the Squirrel for a woodland birthday, Pin the hat on the Lego guy for a Lego birthday, or Pin the Tail on the Cat for a cat birthday.  A word or caution, young children do not like to be blind folded…be flexible!

Crafts:

Though not a game, having a planned craft for children is a wonderful birthday activity.  This can be as simple as a party themed coloring sheet or as elaborate as decorating a crown.  A simple craft is a great activity for children to do as they arrive.  It gives them a structured activity to do while they wait for others to arrive and while they wait for other planned activities.  Crafts are also an excellent way to incorporate the birthday theme. 

Final Thoughts:

Be creative and allow the guest of honor to help and be creative too.  Keep games cooperate.  Remember it is a party, it should be fun for everyone! 

Related Posts:

Kitty Birthday

Lego Birthday

Squirrel, Bird, Butterfly Party