Where Women Create: Quilters - Their Quilts, Their Studios, Their Stories - Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks - Week 49

For the 49th week of the Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge, I read Where Women Create: Quilters - Their Quilts, Their Studios, Their Stories by Jo Packham.

Under David Butler's section there was an image of quilt flags. They were made using the patterns of flag, but not in the typical colors that you would associate them with which made them quite intriguing and beautiful.

After doing a quick search, I found that it leads to Amy Butler's PDF pattern that can be purchased for $10. There are seven different applique/quilt patterns that can be made. As the description says:

I designed these flags as an easy project with plenty of creative legroom! We're giving you instructions on how to make them as individual flags using grommets, but you can also simply sew them together to make a great patchwork flag quilt, pillows, wall hanging, or even skirt. Great possibilities might come in the form of your favorite country, sports team, or maybe a nautical theme for a boy's room. At any rate, enjoy! - David Butler (Parson Gray)  FINISHED DIMENSIONS: Each finished flag measures 12" wide x 18" long.

Another design that I liked that several quilters used was circles in various forms and patterns. It seems like the "typical" quilt uses such angular lines and shapes - lots of squares and rectangles. So, it is particularly refreshing for me to see circles used. I'm not sure how to best do that and be able to create such smooth lines. Perhaps sometime in the future I can take a quilting class and learn how to do this.

The  book was visually uplifting and beautiful to look at; and had so many inspiring ideas. It made me realize how much I miss sewing and quilting...even if what I do pales in comparison to what these quilters are able to create. What's important is that the quilts all meant something to me and reflect where I was in my life and my skill level at the time.

Embroidered Hummingbird Ornament - Art Every Day Month - Day 27

On the 27th day of Art Every Day Month, I made a hand-embroidered hummingbird ornament. The free pattern is from Downeast Thunder Farm where there is a wide selection of patterns of birds from which to choose.

There are six different felt pieces that I embroidered together to create the hummingbird.

The hummingbird I embroidered. 

It is sitting in the Christmas cactus plant that my Dad gave me many years ago.

It is just starting to bloom...right before Thanksgiving.

I followed the directions with the exception of the eyes. Instead of using a trio of black beads, I used a a few stitches of white embroidery floss to create an eye.

The beak is a toothpick that I colored with a black Sharpie pen.

It is inserted between two layers of felt 

once I was stitching the bird together.

At this point, I haven't put hangers on the birds that I have embroidered. I'm thinking that I may make quite a few different varieties and then do a hands-on type of bird activity at the nursing home in the spring.

In that way the seniors can touch the birds and perhaps handling the "birds" will help unleash some memories they have of feeding and enjoying them throughout their lives.

Homeschool Planning for 2013-14

Since early-August I've been planning the 2013-14 homeschool year. I registered for an online class called "Sketching it Out :: A Four Week Planning Session" led by Lisa Boisvert Mackenzie.

Originally, it was a four-week planning session. However, it has since expanded to eight weeks. The original participants went through the four-week planning process; and then could choose to begin again. This has been helpful to re-visit some of the earlier topics covered and fill in sections that I didn't have time to address during the first process.

At any rate, the focus of the class was an exploring the rhythm of the year in the context of planning a homeschool year. We began by getting a planner. I had several on hand, so I picked a small, maroon 3-ring binder. I added a pencil case and lined paper.

3-ring binder for academic work,

tabbed dividers, and a pencil case.

I also added some information I printed out from Lisa's website and links; some of the ideas from conversations on the Yahoo group set up for the class; and other ideas from the internet that focused on creating rhythm in the home and within homeschooling.

I began pinning ideas on Pinterest for different subjects:
=> Waldorf Rhythm, Routines, and Meal Times
=> Waldorf-Inspired Home

The next step was to create a school calendar. For us, that means a yearly calendar since I consider homeschooling more of a learning lifestyle than a set period of days when the girls learn. That being said, there is a "start date" and "end date" of the more "formal" homeschooling. This year, that is September 3rd and May 30th respectively.

School calendar.

Normally, we go on a "not back to school" trip the day after Labor Day for a few days. This year, however, we will not be going on a trip. Instead, we will do a "not back to school picnic" on September 3rd - the day after Labor Day.

Also on the calendar are days that there are no school or a holiday. This year on holidays we will focus on activities related to the holiday rather than doing traditional school work.

The calendar also shows birthdays and anniversaries (e.g., Adoption Days); breaks; and when we start and end the time period where we focus more on alternative ways to learn (e.g., 4-H, county fair, state fair).

Wheel of the Year.

Next, I looked at the different holidays that we will be celebrating and learning about this year; and found pins on Pinterest for them. We will be celebrating additional holidays and special days (e.g., New Year' Day, Mother's Day), but these are the core ones that had quite a few ideas that I wanted to remember.

JANUARY
=> Epiphany
=> Tu B'Shevat
=> Chinese New Year

FEBRUARY
=> Brigid's Day
=> Candlemas
=> Groundhog's Day
=> Valentine's Day

MARCH
=> Mardi Gras
=> Lent
=> St. Patrick's Day
=> Spring Equinox

APRIL
=> Passover
=> Easter

MAY
=> May Day
=> Memorial Day

JUNE
=> Pentecost or Whitsun
=> Summer Solstice
=> St. John's Tide

JULY
=> Fourth of July

AUGUST
=> Lammas

SEPTEMBER
=> Labor Day
=> Autumn Equinox
=> Rosh Hashana
=> Michaelmas

OCTOBER
=> Yom Kippur
=> Halloween

NOVEMBER
=> All Saints Day
=> All Souls Day
=> Martinmas
=> Adoption Day Celebrations
=> Chanukah
=> Thanksgiving

DECEMBER
=> Advent
=> St. Nicholas Day
=> St. Lucia Day
=> Las Posadas
=> Winter Solstice
=> Christmas Eve and Day
=> 12 Days After Christmas
=> New Years Eve

Monthly activities on a circular calendar.

I created a wheel of the year after I found a pin that I liked. using a free PDF pattern from Daily Colours.

Then I looked at the weekly rhythm that I would like to start doing this year. Some of the ideas are based on Rudolph Steiner's beliefs and/or what some families using a Waldorf methodology/lifestyle follow (e.g., color of the day, grain of the day) while others are what works best for our family.

Rhythm of the week.

I noted the color of the day, grain of the day, activity of the day that involves Sophia and Olivia, and an activity of the day for me. Some of the activities that I do, the girls can help (e.g., Soup Day), but most are personal things that I want or need to get done.

SUNDAY
=> White
=> Wheat
=> Bread Making
=> Renew the Spirit

MONDAY
=> Violet
=> Rice
=> Music
=> Errands

TUESDAY
=> Red
=> Oats
=> Art and Painting
=> Mending

WEDNESDAY
=> Orange
=> Millet
=> Writing
=> Yard Work

THURSDAY
=> Yellow
=> Rye
=> Nature
=> Wash and dry bedding + towels

FRIDAY
=> Green
=> Barley
=> Adventuring (field trips, visit my mom, volunteering at the nursing home)
=> Soup Day

SATURDAY
=> Blue
=> Corn
=> Handiwork (e.g., sewing, embroidery, crocheting, knitting)
=> Menu Planning (also includes cleaning out the refrigerator)

Daily activities on a circular weekly calendar.

Once the color of the days were set, I thought that the best way to implement that was by having them be a part of the meal. For example, it may be the color coasters, place mats, tablecloth, table runner, and/or candles that we use.

I also looked on Pinterest for ideas for food that incorporates the different grains. I was surprised at the lack of recipes for millet. Apparently it's an under-rated grain.

I also made a rhythm of the week wheel. Daily Colours (the website mentioned above) has a free PDF pattern. However, I ended up using only the back and pointer. The colors on Wednesday and Thursday were the reverse of what I wanted to do in my family. (I prefer the flow of red-orange-yellow-green rather than red-yellow-orange-green since it follows the look of a rainbow.)

So, I made the circle and divided it into seven sections. I wrote the daily information into each section, and then colored in each part with the appropriate Prismacolor colored pencil.

One of the other things I did that ties into both the monthly holidays and special days; and the weekly grains was go through a binder that I have with lots of recipes that I would like to try. The recipes were divided by type (e.g., appetizer, main dish, bread, vegetables). This did not lend itself well to easily finding recipes.

To address this challenge, I went through all the recipes and pulled out ones that I'd like to try during a particular month, at a specific holiday/special occasion, or that included the grain of the day.

After the recipes were divided, I put each grouping into a plastic sheet protector. In this way, I can easily find recipes that use peaches, for example, since they are in the August sheet protector. (This is the month that peaches are readily available in Minnesota.)

The next step for me was to figure out what to teach on a daily basis. Honestly, this is where I got stuck for well over a week. The girls each have some work left to do from the 2012-13 school year. Since they enjoyed what they were doing, I wanted to continue with it into this year. There were other subjects or activities that I let go in favor of new ones that we will be adding this year.

The other challenge is that funds are quite limited this year. That means there is no extra money to purchase curriculum that I would like to try. Rather, I went through the resources I have on hand as well as look at free resources online to create the curriculum for the 2013-14 homeschool year.

A page from Sonlight's curriculum.

This is the one that Sophia will be finishing this year.

Already, there is quite a bit done on this particular week.

As I have done in the past, I look at the girls' interests, skill levels, educational levels, and learning styles. Although both girls have a strong interest in reading and literature, Sophia has done particularly well with Sonlight's curriculum.

Page from Sonlight's science curriculum schedule.

Thankfully, Sonlight includes so much into one level of of curriculum, that it can be stretched out into 1 1/2 - sometimes 2 years. In Sophia's case, she will complete what she started last year by January 2014. At that point, she will move onto Ambleside Online since it's a free curriculum and follows Charlotte Mason's educational philosophy.

Page of Ambleside Online's schedule for Olivia.

Olivia will be starting with Ambleside Online in September. Since she is working with the local elementary school to receive assistance with some learning, auditory processing, and short-term memory issues, some of her subjects are covered in a way that works well for her: through workbooks.

This is quite a different path than both a Waldorf and Charlotte Mason approach, however, for Olivia it works well. The workbooks are supplemented by "living books" from the library which gives her some quality reading on subjects addressed in the workbooks.

She also will be doing Beyond Five in a Row. During the first semester, she'll be working on four books (two fiction and two non-fiction). There are a wide variety of hands-on activities for her to which she is looking forward to doing.

One of the pages in the planning binder.

There are three of these per week - 

each row has a different subject.

In addition, the girls each have a variety of subjects that they learn about during the year:

A to Z Book (Olivia is creating a book about different subjects that begin with each letter of the alphabet)
Art
Character Education
Foreign Language (French for Olivia; Spanish for Sophia)
Grammar
Handwriting (standard for Olivia and Spencerian for Sophia)
Holidays
Journaling
Latin/Greek (Sophia only)
Literature (listen to 1 Newberry award book per month)
Math
Music (piano for Olivia; piano, harp, and violin for Sophia)
Nature Journaling
Physical Education (sports, equine vaulting, dog training, dog agility training - not all at the same time)
Poetry
Religion
Science
Service/Volunteering
Social Studies (includes geography and history)
Speech Therapy (Olivia only)
Spelling
Typing
U.S. Geography
Vocabulary
Writing
4-H

Another page with more subjects

that the girls will study in the 2013-14 school year.

Using free printable sheets from Donna Young's website, I did a plan for these subjects as well as using Sonlight's, Ambleside Online's, and Beyond Five in a Row's schedules for 9 weeks. This will take us to November 2nd. At that time, I will complete another 9 weeks of planning based on what has and hasn't been completed. I have the schedule for the academic portion of the girls' year in a purple 3-ring binder. There are tabbed-dividers that separate the plans by week.

One of the many types of planning sheets 

available from the Donna Young website.

The last component of planning for the upcoming home- and homeschooling year including creating a larger binder with non-academic subjects and home management items.

Binder with non-academic subjects and 

home management items.

Organized Home has many free printables that will be invaluable this year in terms of keeping organized. The tabbed sections in the white 3-ring binder include:

- Contact numbers - includes emergency numbers, frequently-used numbers, and a list of birthdays/anniversaries

- Menu planning - this has a plan for theme dinners when things get a bit more hectic and we don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, or making meals for various school subjects (e.g., meals that focus on different states, meals from Beyond Five in a Row).

Some of the meal themes dovetail nicely with the grain of the day. For example, on Monday the grain is rice so I chose "Asian Night" as the theme. On Saturday, the grain is corn so I thought "Mexican Night" might fit well. Here is the weekly plan:

Sunday - Sunday Dinner - meat with potatoes and carrots. The leftover meat can be used for sandwiches during the week. Have a very light meal in the evening if anyone is hungry (e.g., cheese, crackers, fruit).

Monday - Asian Night

Tuesday - Crockpot Night

Wednesday - Pasta Night

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - Soup Night with Fresh Bread

Saturday - Mexican Night

I've also included several printables from Organized Home in this section including weekly and monthly meal planners.

Shopping List - Copies of a shopping list. One will be posted in the kitchen to add to each week. In this way, when we run out of something it can be immediately added to the list.

Food Inventories - There are sheets for the freezer, pantry, and larder. The larder, in our case, is part of a closet that holds heavier canned goods (e.g., peaches, pears, tomatoes, applesauce) as well as the top shelves of a built-in bookcase that hold lighter canned goods (e.g., jams, jellies, salsa).

Recipe Locations - There are pages that have the name of favorite recipes, the cookbook/source, page number, and comments.

Monthly Rhythm - This is my chart that has five columns: month, mood, symbols/color, activities, celebrations.

One of the pages that has the monthly rhythm.

This page still needs to be retyped 

so that it includes the hand-written information.

Monthly Sections - I have a tabbed section for each month. It starts with August right now because that's the current month. Once this month passes, it will go to the back of the monthly section so that September is first.

Each section has a list of the holidays and when they are in 2013-2014. I've also included some ideas, instructions, and information that relates to some of the holidays. Following that is the plastic page protector that has the recipes for the month.

This is December's section. 

The first part has a list of holidays and

the second part has a sheet protector filled with recipes

that can be made for the month's holidays and celebrations.

Seasonal Chores - Organized Home has a free printable that has a fall and winter checklist; and spring and summer checklist.

Weekly Rhythms - This is the typed version of the daily color, grain, learning activity, and home activity. There also are daily to-do sheets from Organized Home.

Weekly rhythm.

Grain Sections - The next seven tabbed sections are labeled with the grain of the day - starting with wheat and ending with corn.

Protector sheet with

a variety of recipes using rice.

Patterns for Meal Time Accessories - I printed out some ideas for making tables look welcoming and pretty. There also are patterns to create napkins and place mats.

Blessings - There are some blessings I've collected that I would like to print out on cards made from watercolor paper that the girls painted.

One of the meal blessings in the binder.

Daily Rhythms - This section is a reminder of what I would like my daily rhythm to look like:

Wake up before the girls and:
- Get dressed
- Let the dogs out, take them for a walk, and feed them
- Make hot chocolate
- Write in my journal
- Start the laundry (if needed)
- Review the meals for the day, and take out anything that needs to be thawed
- Prepare breakfast

I'd like to play a board or card game with the girls each day. Integrating an element of play into each day is a goal I'd like to work on during 2013-14.

The next section focuses on family values. In terms of family values, I'd like to have the following words describe my home: contentment, love, acceptance, comfort, spiritual, truthful, generosity, helpfulness, exploring, learning, togetherness, openness, happiness, caring, compassion, wonder/discovery, reflective, excitement, enthusiasm, gratitude, and service.

The last section focuses on a family mission statement. I have a rough draft of one; and would like to work on finalizing that during 2013-14.

I also included several daily to-do lists from Organized Home. These will come in handy - especially during November-January when there is a lot to be done on a daily basis.

Daily Chores - This section has ideas for keeping a home clean. I have a proposed schedule for daily cleaning that I am interested in seeing if it will work or not this year. It is:

Sunday: Bedrooms
Monday: Mudroom
Tuesday: Offices
Wednesday: Bathrooms
Thursday: Dining Room
Friday: Living and Family Rooms
Saturday: Kitchen

Following that are more comprehensive daily chore lists that I pinned from Cedar Ring Mama. At some point during Autumn 2013, these would be nice to review and adapt to my home.

First Aid Inventory and Medicine - Organized Home has a inventory sheet for first aid supplies. I also would like to list everyone's current medications they are taking.

Bills -  There are forms on Organized Home that are for each month. The top half has lines, and the bottom part has the name of the bills, date they are due, and the amount owed. There also are important dates and a monthly calendar on each sheet.

Social/Support/Craft Groups - This section will have information about any groups that the girls and I are participating in and/or leading. Once the groups begin in September, this section will have more things in it and may be sub-divided for each group.

So, what happened to the maroon binder? It has information that I still want to read, think about, and integrate into our daily lives and homeshool. This will be an ongoing resource that I can refer to, add to, and adapt the 2013-14 homeschool plan by as I make my way through the information.

Information about handiwork in the maroon binder.

I am very grateful to have taken this online class. It will add a dimension to our lives and to homeschooling that was not fully developed or - in some respects - completely absent. The plan is definitely a work in progress as I see what feels right for our family and what doesn't feel like a good fit.

Minnesota State Quilt in Progress - Art Every Day Month - Day 16

I haven't made a quilt since June when I did one for the Summer of Color challenge. The Art Every Day Month challenge seemed like another good time to undertake a quilt.

None of the quilts I make are like the beautiful ones that you see at quilt shows, or county or state fairs. The level of precision and perfection is admirable, but truly escapes me when I try my hand at quilting. So, instead, I aim for comfort and usefulness.

For the quilt I'm making this month, I chose the theme of Minnesota since that's where I live. There are going to be 35 quilt blocks (5 wide by 7 long) that are raw-cut at 12 1/2" on each side. With 1/4" seam allowances, the final squares should be about 12" square. The final quilt should be about 60" x 84".

Of the 35 blocks, 12 will be appliqued and hand-embroidered; and 23 will be fabric only.

Three of the hand-embroidered squares

are in this picture.

All the fabric is in shades of blue and green since those colors remind me of the many lakes, rivers, waterfalls, and streams in Minnesota as well as the variety of trees that grow here.

Some of the fabric reminds me of my family and home.

The fabric with the blue bird on it is from a quilt that I made

for my mom's 80th birthday.

The blue fabric next to it was used for curtains I made

for one of the bedrooms in the home.

Today, I ironed and cut 23 pieces of fabric in shades of blue and green plus 8 pieces of white fabric. I arranged the squares in the pattern that they'll be eventually sewn in.

The eight white squares will have applique designs

that I will hand-embroider

(there are four that I have already completed this month).

As I was arranging the quilt squares, I realized that a significant number of pieces came from old bed sheets, pillowcases, and clothing. It's certainly one of those "make do" quilts and one that reminds me of ones that would have been made years ago when women resourcefully used what they had on hand.

Yesterday, I found some images on the internet that I can adapt for the quilt. Some are from the Department of Natural Resources, while others are photographs or drawings I found from different sources.  I'm going to have to work a bit on the images to somehow change them from being coloring sheets or photographs into workable patterns for applique. Perhaps that will be one of my projects this afternoon.

Hand-Embroidered Wool Felt Toys

I've been spending some time over the past few days making some new hand-embroidered toys.  I used all natural materials to create the toys:  wool felt, sheep wool stuffing, cotton embroidery floss, and cotton stockinette fabric.

Wool felt zebra...only 3 1/2" tall.

I made a zebra like this one about a year or so ago that I gave away.  Made another one this weekend for my daughters who enjoy playing with dolls.  Miniature animals - whether they are stuffed, carved from wood, or glass - make their way into the girls' play time and imagination.  

Since the zebra is for the girls, I decided to make a PDF pattern of the zebra that's available in my shop (Harvest Moon by Hand) so anyone can make one.

Another thing I made this weekend was a doll.  The pattern is from The Birthday Book - Celebrations for Everyone by Ann Druitt.  I've had this book on my shelf for some time now, and just pulled it out recently for some ideas.  I was pleasantly suprised to see all the different patterns for children's toys.

Walking Star Boy

One of the patterns is for a "walking star boy and jester."  I started with the walking star boy since that was the first pattern and seemed a bit easier than the jester which requires a bit more sewing/embroidery work.  The doll stands about 8 inches high (with the hat).

I haven't used stockinette fabric before, so this was my first attempt at trying to make a face and hands.  I chose not to put a face on the doll because then whoever plays with the doll can imagine what it looks like and its expression - the doll can be happy, upset, resting - whatever the girls want the doll to express - rather than having the same expression that dolls typically have when they're purchased from a store. 

Olivia was sick all day, so she rested in bed while I sat by her and made the doll. She chose the colors of the doll's outfit and hair; and enjoyed watching the doll-making process. By late afternoon, the doll was completed...just in time for her to hold onto as she rested.

Olivia resting with her new doll

In addition to providing comfort, the star boy provided Olivia with some entertainment while she was laying in bed.  Because the doll has a horizontal slit in the back, two fingers can be placed in the legs. In this way, the star boy can "walk" and move around which is a bit different than other dolls the girls have. 

Star boy kicking some felted acorns

Countdown to Christmas - Day 13 (Make Felt Ornaments)

WIP - Felt Ornaments
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

Today's activity as we move toward Christmas, is making ornaments. I cut pieces from wool felt for five ornaments.

The top two are blue and purple ornaments with a white decorative top (there's an image of two birds, 2 hearts, and circles). The pattern came from "Living Crafts" magazine. There's a pattern for a rather large version of the ornament (a five-sided star that could be used as a tree-topper). However, I didn't have a piece of wool felt that large, so I chose to do smaller ornaments instead.

The green ornament will be a tree. The red and white ornaments are going to be miniature clothes (a dress and shirt) that will be hung on little hangers on the tree.

The girls will each pick one (or more) of the ornaments to make. I'll make the rest of the ornaments.

Since they had classes and piano lessons at the homeschool co-op today, this project will continue tomorrow.

Wool Felt Hat Pincushion

Wool Felt Hat Pincushion
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

I've been wanting to make this pincushion for a long time now. I've needed something to put my pins in as I take them out when I'm quilting or sewing.

The pincushion is made from 100% wool felt. It is hand-embroidered using cotton floss.

The pattern is from Better Homes & Gardens (on its website).

Olivia Making a Circular Quilt

Olivia Making a Circular Quilt
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

Made the ironing board much shorter so that Olivia could iron the quilt she's working on for the county fair.

Had Olivia look on Flickr for ideas about what she wanted her quilt to look like. She saw on that was circular that had a rainbow of colors on a white background.

Her idea was to take a lot of fabric that had blue in it (her favorite color) and make the circle. The inside of the circle and background will be white.

Not sure yet how she's going to quilt the top. She'll need to figure that out next week.

I helped her by showing her how to make a circle, dividing it into parts (she drew the lines), and making a pattern piece (adding 1/4 inch on each long side for the seam allowance).

She cut the pieces out and sewed them together (I need to operate the pedal since her feet don't reach the floor).

Since we were creating our own pattern, she did need to add a couple of extra pieces to the circle. However, by doing this and modifying some of the seam allowances, the circle quilt now lays flat.

In this case, the quilt is more about the PROCESS of sewing rather than the PRODUCT. She's learning how to create a pattern, machine sew unusual shapes together, modify a project so that it can be taken to the next stage, hand-sew and try to hide the stitching, and how to iron.

Pillowcase Dress

Pillowcase Dress
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

This is the pillowcase dress that I made for Little Dresses for Africa.

I used a pillowcase, bias tape, and a floral fabric to create the dress. It is about a size 7 with adjustable ties at the shoulder. The instructions that I used for making the pillowcase dress are HERE. Little Dresses for Africa also has a tutorial with pictures HERE.

This was made to donate to Little Dresses for Africa which in turn distributes them to girls who are orphans in Africa. Many of them have lost their parents to AIDS and are on their own. They have one outfit...maybe two.

The pillowcase dress is an outfit that they receive to show them that someone cares about them.

I was inspired to make this dress because I had read about the project through a link on Twitter. There was a homeschool family who was making the dresses as one of their community service projects. After reading about Little Dresses for Africa as well as the need, I knew it was something that I wanted to do.

So, for about a month now, I’ve been working on the Little Dresses for Africa project. My goal for this project is threefold:
(1) to make a dress (or more) myself,
(2) to teach my daughters to each make a dress and donate them, and
(3) to teach a class at the homeschool co-op for upper-elementary, junior, and senior high students so they have an opportunity to make the dresses as well.

On Friday, April 9th, I made the dress. It ended up taking a bit longer than I anticipated, but I wanted to make the dress one that a little girl would enjoy wearing. The size of the dress is a 7. My 7 year old daughter wears a size 5, but could fit into it. I had her help me by trying on the dress and determining where to place the pockets.

So, as I was sewing on the bias tape, pockets, and trim at the bottom of the dress, I thought about a girl in Africa who would be receiving the dress. She would be about my daughter’s size…perhaps even around her age. I tried to imagine the difficulties already present in her young life…and how we often take for granted the simple things in our lives.

I took my time with making the dress because I want this little girl to know that someone does care and wants her to be comfortable and have something she can wear.

I added 2 pockets to the dress so the girl who receives it can put her hands in her pockets, collect natural things she finds on a walk, or carry a little toy or items around her home or village.

On the bottom of the dress, I added about a 2” trim of fabric that coordinates with the pockets.

I stitched and doubled stitched areas that I thought may receive more wear and tear. I want the dress to last for some time and not come apart since I’m not sure what sewing supplies the girl would have to mend her dress.

After I was done making the dress, I had my daughter try it on. She had a HUGE smile on her face, despite the fact that it was not her dress. I’m hoping that this is the same type of smile that the little girl who receives the dress I made will have on her face!

My youngest daughter said that she can’t wait to make a dress so it can go to another little girl. So, that’s the last part of my goal with this project: to help my daughters make dresses for Little Dresses for Africa.

In writing my thoughts, I go back to one thing that I read on another website about a group of women who made dresses for Little Dresses for Africa:

[In doing this project we are] "honoring a special group of moms... who can no longer hold their daughters or provide them clothes. Most died from AIDS or other illnesses and their children were left as orphans.

"We honor those precious moms by putting our hands to work and creating beautiful dresses for their little girls. We may not have changed the world, but for those little girls when they pull those dresses over their tiny heads – their worlds will change."

I’m hoping that the dress I made as well as the ones I’ve guided other children and teens to make do make a difference.

Squirrel Papercuts

Squirrel Papercuts
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

I made these Valentine's Day theme papercuts for my daughters - the red one is for Olivia and the pink one is for Sophia.

There's a free pattern (see below) that I printed onto white copy paper and cut it out. Then, I traced around the openings onto another sheet of white copy paper and cut it out using a sharp scissors.

Glued translucent paper onto the back (red on one heart and pink on the other) - the same kind that I use for my window stars. Tissue paper also could be used.

Here's the link to the free pattern: PATTERN.