Beauty in Hand

Tulips are up. Pink, purple, white, and any other color big one threw in the cart last fall as we snatched up clearance bulbs.

 Before I could gather them for a vase, they were found...

snatched by hands eager to hold beauty.

In those tulips, I saw two worlds:

My mom's as she watched her toil in the garden snapped up by my small fingers or crushed under careless feet. Beheaded plants, some with bulbs exposed, bedraggled garden.

Myself, as a little girl, confused at mommy's dismay. Smelling and seeing from the border were well enough, but I wanted to be in the garden, sitting in the middle of all those colors, holding flowers in my hands. Tasting beauty.

Small one embraces her tulip, pressing it to her chest. Petals fall to the ground as she releases. She's all smiles.

The flowers would last longer in a vase. But they would never have been enjoyed like they were crushed in tiny fingers. I'm all smiles, as I let go the garden and embrace their joy.

ReStyle It - Castro Cap

With my recent ADD approach to the blog's design, you might have missed this button:

Please, check out the project. It's a great idea - turning stuff you don't use into stuff you want. I became interested in restyling after reading Michael Sleeth's Serve God, Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action (great book - I highly recommend for anyone interested in greening up their act). I'm challenging myself to repurpose items I no longer use or enjoy. My plan: make ReStyle It posts a weekly feature.

My first "official" ReStyle is this castro cap from Camelbak:

The hat's style is good, and it was a cute fix for crazy short hair days. But I like to leave skulls to pirates, poison and bikers. Time for something more feminine.

I found this Andy Warhol inspired print (in the remnant bin!) - not something I'd make a shirt out of but a terrific accent fabric.

The bright colors reminded me of flowers without being overtly floral. This is how I made fabric flowers:

1. Heat up iron.

2. Cut fabric into a long strip at least 1.5" wide and 8" long. The longer and thinner the strip, the flatter the flower will lay. For a more cup like flower, cut a wider, shorter strip (what I did).

3. Fold in half length-wise and iron flat.

 If you are planning on attaching this to a garment that will be washed, use fray check or bind the cut edges before moving on to the next step.

4. With a coordinating thread, hand sew a running stitch along the cut edge. Don't be put off by the phrase "hand sew." I'm learning to love hand sewing because it is quiet and portable. I'm not signing up for a hand pieced quilt any time soon, but I'll eagerly tackle a small project or tailoring job.

5. Pull the running stitch tight so that the fabric bunches then sew the edges together, creating a circle.

Time to attach:

If your flower is supposed to lay flat, iron first.

6. Attach the flower by sewing just around the gathered stitch. Use a running stitch, making sure you include all fabric layers.

I added an additional, smaller flower in the center for more texture and covered the center stitching with a bead.

The finished product:

I was so excited the next day when I woke up with crazy hair and had an excuse to wear my "new" hat.

Whether or not you agree that I improved the hat, I hope you will at least take the inspiration to alter something in a ReStyle It project of your own.

The Promised Mobile

A few days ago, I asked for accountability to finish G's mobile. It worked. I finished it and have moved on to a set of leg warmers for my soon-to-be-scooting baby. Now, all the mobile pieces are waiting on Tim to finish the frame (He's close).

I made up the patterns for the dragonfly and bumblebee, but the pattern for the ladybug is here and the flower is here. They were very quick and would make great gifts. I am working on the write up for the dragonfly. I had no idea how time consuming it is to write out a pattern. When I'm making it up, I just adjust until it looks right. Reproducing it for anyone is difficult.

A word about where I find patterns. I usually list the websites on the left side of my blog under "My Inspiration." My favorite site for knitting and crocheting patterns is ravelry. They have hundreds of free patterns to make just about anything you could think of. If you have any interest in yarn crafts, ravelry is gift.