Desperation Crafting....

1.14.2008

"It's my pink flower headband"
"No, it's my pink flower headband"

On and on they went fighting over the one pink flower headband for the dolls. Mind you these two rarely play with dolls, but recently if one has something the other wants it. Not wanting to see my lovely little girls faces with a black eye I stepped in with a bit of desperation crafting. I would like to say that all of our little projects are well thought out but often they are purely out of desperation, my desperation that is.
World War 3 averted, dolls tossed to the side and forgotten, I thought I would share this little project.

You need:
a strip of felt about 1" and long enough to fit around dolls head
needle and thread
some fake flowers
a embroidery hoop


Stretch the felt across the hoop, poke any plastic bits out of flowers. Stich throught the center of flowers onto the felt.

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Show it off for mommy and the camera (ignore the pile of laundry in the background).

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Take a deep breath, sit the 3 year old on your lap and introduce her to the sewing machine. Really she can do this.

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Listen to "No, I can do it myself " 50 times while stiching a 1" seam across the felt. Breath, insist that said 3 year old cannot use my big mommy scissors and trim off the thread. One pink flower headband down.

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Take another deep breath and let the 5 year old sit at the sewing machine ALL BY MYSELF.

"Yes, line it all up. Yes, roll down the needle. Hold onto the threads, push the button with your foot.....WATCH YOUR FINGERS!" Breath.
Find the kid scissors.
"I don't know why you have to trim the threads you just do, everyone trims the threads."

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Put headbands on dolls, find a spot that doesn't show more piles of laundry, take a nice little shot. Ohh and Ahh, high five. Shoo girls off so you can finish reading blogs.

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11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love it!!!!! You are sooooo patient.

Thanks for the shout out in your blog.

Amy

Anonymous said...

gasp! my heart just aches for a girl! And I thought boys were so much fun---what I'm missing is right here.

Your sewing machine is very cool. It makes mine look so....plastic and mass-produced.
Oh, this beings back memories of me as a child swing dresses for my dolls. I had one of those machines with a pedal that you had to push up and down like a see-saw? do yo know what I'm talking about? What was that thing called?

Unknown said...

So realistic. So funny. But don't you know they were so proud of their accomplishment! You are such a good mommy.

MJ said...

You are far braver than I am! I don't let my girls touch my sewing machine! I'm paranoid that they'd somehow injure themselves ~ a needle through the finger comes quickly to mind. I know I have to let go of them but I'm just not ready...

MJ said...

You are far braver than I am! I don't let my girls touch my sewing machine! I'm paranoid that they'd somehow injure themselves ~ a needle through the finger comes quickly to mind. I know I have to let go of them but I'm just not ready...

Manda said...

So clever!!

Missy said...

so fun - you brave lady!

Unknown said...

Wonderful post Marytree :) Your courage in letting your girls at the sewing machine and "can do" attitude will be rewarded a thousandfold in the treasure trove of memories you are providing your daughters with :) I love the dolly headbands!

Grafted Branch said...

Your girls are adorable...almost as cute as mine. lol! And I hope you'd say the same thing back at me. ;)

And definately, your girls have a nicer mommy than mine. I can barely exhale when my 12 year old is at the machine.

DeLi said...

lovely, truly chidlren are just amazing and the way you are with them is just heartwarming

mary said...

Awww, you all are so sweet. I have this master plan that if I get them in the kitchen now and at the sewing machine that by the time they are 12 or so I won't have to cook anymore or do any of the sewing!
I really love that I can take a couple of pictures and a bit of text and make everything look so lovely and happy. Editing out the messes, bits of not so patient moments and tantrums makes it all seem so dreamy.

Steph, I never had a machine as a kid only dreamed of it. My machine was found on the curb. A clean-up at the shop and good as new.
Thank you all again for your sweet comments.