Entries categorized "d.i.y. by others"

15, 7, and other significant numbers.

Muchos gracias to Happy Whimsical Hearts for adding me to her list of 15 and giving me the opportunity to tip my hat to 15 other inspiring blogs.

The Rules of the Game

  • Thank the person that nominated you with a link back to them.
  • Tell 7 things about yourself.
  • Pass this award on to 15 newly discovered blogs and let them know that they've received an award.

Seven Things About Alina

  1. I was born in Romania and raised in Alabama. I come from the breed known as "globalized mutt".
  2. I am a hopeful (as opposed to hopeless) romantic.
  3. Rather than be an expert at anything in particular, I have chosen to be a dabbler and a dilettante who keeps her fingers in as many pies as possible and maintains a hearty appetite for more.
  4. Just because you scare or coerce your child into proper conventional behavior does not make you a good parent. "Goodness" is a process, a mode of being, not a result.
  5. I am captivated by different countries, cultures, and folkways.
  6. Poetry fills the cracks in my days.
  7. No one could have told me that my feminism would lead me to being a home-schooling, stay-at-home mom. But it did. I am still learning so many things...


Now for my favorite part...

Fifteen Newly Discovered Blogs (in no particular order):

  1. Resweater
  2. Passengers On A Little Spaceship
  3. Mommy Labs
  4. Chalk in My Pocket
  5. Smile Monsters
  6. Sew4Bub
  7. My Delicious Ambiguity
  8. Filth Wizardry
  9. Domestic Goddesque
  10. Baby-making Machine
  11. Teaching Handwork
  12. The Lucky Ladybird Craft Blog
  13. Echoes Of A Dream
  14. The Dainty Squid
  15. A Merry Mishap

November 30, 2011 | | Comments (0)

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Love letter #39: Happy Whimsical Hearts.

I love all the wonder and whimsy in the blogosphere. And I love all the bloggers who sprinkle sparkles that brighten wet, cold autumn afternoons, like Happy Whimsical Hearts. Her love for Anne of Green Gables peeks out on every post.

As an Australian mom to Master D and Little Miss Q, Happy Whimsical Hearts aims "to fill their childhood with magic, through imaginative play, homemade toys, the great outdoors (or our backyard), crafts and baking". Her inspirations in the blogosphere include "Waldorf, natural parenting, arts and crafts for children and adults alike, as well as simple living".

Now for how she inspires me:

 Felted pixies and Christmas fairies

Gnomes and fairy doors

Stained glass with kids 

A recipe for fairy wands

Beeswax "echidnas"

Flower peg people

Bottom print butterflies

Knitted bunny for kids

And here is my little inspiration thank-you for her.

November 29, 2011 | | Comments (3)

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The perfect cardboard dollhouse I will build tomorrow.

Thank you, El Hada De Papel, for planning my day for me and making it such a lovely, enticing plan...

November 24, 2011 | | Comments (0)

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Slightly obsessed with embroidery and stitches.


I feel hot-pink about this stitching thing right now, and hot-pink marks a new phase in my emotional lexicon.

EMBROIDERY AND STITCHING HOW-TO'S + TUTORIALS

HOW TO MAKE CERTAIN STITCHES

FREE PATTERNS AND DESIGNS

INSPIRING STITCHING BLOGS

Slightly stolen from the amazing Steotch blog.

 

November 16, 2011 | | Comments (0)

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Looking at Alabama artist and crafter Lindsay Mouyal.

Two watercolors by Lindsay.

I had the chance to check out Lindsay Mouyal's creative craftings at the Handmade Holiday Event last weekend and couldn't get enough. As an elementary school art teacher, Lindsay dabbles in almost every medium, including masking tape. Her coloring book, which would make a great gift for whimsical kids and creatures, even had a drawing of our favorite friend, the gnome. 

You can learn more about Lindsay in this artist feature on Creeper Jess' blog. Or you can see some mixed media pieces from the "Aquatic Dreams" opening. Or you can borrow her recipe for Saag Creamed Spinach. Or you can ask her about her penchant for owls. Better yet, you can grab some duct tape, sit down with a cup of tea or a mug of beer, and learn how to make your own duct tape wallet for someone on your holiday list. 


Lindsay's craftings at the Kentuck Art Fair (photo borrowed from Lindsay's blog).

If you find her work/play as enchanting as I did, you can BYO at Luna and Twig, her etsy shop.

November 14, 2011 | | Comments (0)

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Hungarian needlework stitch how-to.

Still transfixed by Susan Siegler's inspiring book of stitches.... And into my favorite world, the world of Eastern European folk art. By 1800, decorative folk costumes for special occasions, including weddings, church festivals, and christenings, became widespread in Eastern and Southcentral Europe. Geometric-type cross stitch patterns, handed down from generation to generation, transmitted folksay and customs.

The Peasant Happiness Motif from an Albanian or Montenegrin peasant gown, circa 18th-19th century.

This pattern, a cross surrounded by concentric circles, is frequently found on folk costumes and ceremonial clothing, including church shawls and baptism gowns. The cross pattern was one of the earliest tokens used to ward off the "evil eye" (or envy), and it was used to convey wishes for happiness and well-being.

Detail.

Detail of this design pattern.

More peasant stitching patterns from the book.

A how-to for the Hungarian Point canvas stitch.

November 14, 2011 | | Comments (0)

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Love letter #35: Inspired by a jigsaw, scrap wood, paint, and a happy heart.


version 1- wooden planks pieced and painted

Custom painted wood art (Curbly)

Beachy scrap wood collage (Ella Boo and Company)

Chalk paint reclaimed wood wall art (Perfectly Imperfect)

The folk art of Howard Finster.


Michael Cutlip's mixed on wood.

version 2- drawings and paintings on wood

Cherry blossom stain (Project Pretty Blog)

Dandelion rustic (DIY Diva)

Howard Finster's folk art (pictured above)

Parris Gerard's portrait on wood panel (Today In Art)

Pour art on wood (Inhabitat)

The brilliance of Michael Cutlip (My Art Space)

Ethiopian Orthodox icon from late 19th century. Distemper and gesso on wood.

"The Never-Sleeping Eye" from 18th century Moscow School.

version 3- religious art on wood

The Jiminez family retablo (pictured)

Painted wooden icons (The Coptic Network Picture Archive)

November 10, 2011 | | Comments (0)

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Love letter #33: Stitching for home inspirations.

Pojagis, a form of Korean patchwork (annekata)

Potholder rug (Craftzine)

Vintage quilt (The Lettered Cottage)

Embroidered children's art (Feeling Stitchy)

Phrenology head pincushion (Graphics Fairy)

Lace inset curtains (annekata)

November 4, 2011 | | Comments (0)

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What to do with a blank wall and a Sharpie.

Or, at least, this is what Alice and Remus did with Filip's blank wall in his Bucuresti apartment. Love. 

October 24, 2011 | | Comments (0)

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Love letter #20: Ponchos.

Preparing for a lot of travel through airplanes, Eastern European cars, trains, metros, buses, and even the occasional horse-and-buggy has got me thinking about ponchos. Glorious, multi-faceted family ponchos for the Coryells. In my head as I prepare to stitch.... (To download the mp3, just right click and save as.)

Reversible car seat poncho tutorial (Pattern Schmattern)

How to make a fabric poncho or a Mexican poncho (EHow)

Poncho with panache printable tutorial (Bernina)

Homemade super hero poncho cape (Filth Wizardry)

Poncho tutorial (Tilda)

Fleece poncho (Drummond News)

Plus various ponchos for sale found with the help of google to inspire colors, shapes, and texture...


September 26, 2011 | | Comments (1)

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Love letter #19: Projects writ large.

I love projects, the projects you read about on one page and then decide you must somehow knead through. The projects that inspire you to start your own community-building project. The projects that make the world a better and more beautiful place.

(A glimpse at the Magic Feather Project.)

The Inhabit Project.

The Fibershed Project.

The Sketchbook Project.

The Magic Feather Project.

The corresponding Whispering Feathers activities and crafts.

The Storytellers Project.

Trash for Teaching. 

Timeslips, a creative storytelling project.

Blarter, an online bartering project.

The Druid City Garden Project.

Thousand Kites, a national dialogue project on the criminal justice system.

September 24, 2011 | | Comments (0)

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The art of natural dyeing.

Cobbled Together lit a spark under my kettle last night. As the fall nip sets in, eco-dyeing with the children suits our "study style". Brenna used a recent trip to the rocky coasts of Normany to dye Eco-Colour style with locally sourced fabric, water, rust and plant matter.

Brenna lays out hydrangeas.


The wind fall collection is laid out.

Rolled, twisted, tied with twine, and boiled.

Resurrection Fern's mushrooms ready for spore printing.


The world of eco-dyeing is as large and unbound as the upcycling century. There is so much to learn and play, and so many mavens willing to share and teach. 

September 19, 2011 | | Comments (0)

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Love letter #17: Hunts, treasures, and mysteries with kids.


A photo taken at the Columbus Zoo earlier this week.

SOFT SOFT SOFT- The Mural and the Mint (mp3)

I love a good hunt- the kind with clues, thorns, grass stains, and head-scratching moments. This love letter is devoted to good hunts, mysteries, and findings.

Letterboxing, sport and glory.

Good ole hide and seek.

Host your own green scavenger hunt.

A riddle from the Grimm Brothers.

Mystery food taste test (Let's Explore).

Geocaching, another recent love story at the Coryell Castle.

Backyard photo scavenger hunt (No Time for Flashcards).

The Armchair Treasure Hunt Club.

ABC scavenger hunt, a printable for the weekend.

Group scavenger hunts, like this printable photo scavenger hunt. 

Krummuz, a free google maps based program for authoring and following treasure trails and treasue hunts online. Includes iPhone application. 

Leave it to the knitters in Portland to dream up something so cool.

A nature scavenger hunt printable checklist.

Or a more detailed, touchy-feely nature scavenger hunt that engages all the senses in exploring and observing.

Go on a squirrel nut hunt.

A recycle scavenger hunt printable checklist.

A graveyard scavenger hunt printable checklist. I'm loving these.

The University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt has a reputation.

Internet scavenger hunt (Education World).

Search the clouds or stars for a story. Then tell it.

September 16, 2011 | | Comments (0)

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A lesson in nursery rhymes.

Studying poetry begins in the cradle (or the family bed). The first poem we hear is probably a nursery rhyme- a brief, often silly, wacky imagining with an easy rhyme. So we are all exploring nursery rhymes today.

The Mysterious Mother Goose

 The most famous author of nursery rhymes is Mother Goose, but no one agrees as to her actual character. Did she live in New England or in France? A book of poems for children entitled Mother Goose's Melody was published in England in 1781, and the name "Mother Goose" has been associated with children's poetry every since.

The History of Nursery Rhymes

They come from many different places. Some were meant to be recited as part of a game, like a grown-up saying "Pat-a-cake" while a little one claps along or like children singing a rhyme while jumping rope. Others were originally written for adults and describe actual people and events from history. Many have hidden meanings that mock kings or other unjust rulers who held power a long time ago. These poems were penned carefully and secretly so that no one could ever be sure whom the poems were actually about. Direct criticism of kings and rulers was considered treasonous so nursery rhymes offered a way for common people to dissent without being held responsible for their opinions.

Other nursery rhymes don't mean anything in particular. Instead, they reveal the power and fun of stringing words together in a way that pleases the ear and evokes silly images. A rhyme associates words with similar sounds using a rhyming couplet or short verse. It is short and easy to remember, which allowed it to be passed on verbally from generation to generation when many people were unable to read or write. 

Nursery rhymes gained permanence around the year 1570, when they began to be printed in England. Printing allowed the production of books and cheap pamphlets, or chapbooks. A chapbook is "a small book or pamphlet containing poems, ballads, stories, or religious tracts". More people during this time were learning to read but the chapbooks were also popular with people who could not read as they contained pictures, in the printed form of crude wood engravings - A Middle Ages equivalent of a Children's comic! So the Nursery Rhyme was then passed from one generation to the next by word of mouth and in a printed format. Now let's explore a few nursery rhymes. 

Higglety, Pigglety, Pop

Higglety, pigglety, pop!

The dog has ate the mop;

The cat's in a flurry,

The cow's in a hurry,

Higglety, pigglety, pop!"

Samuel Goodrich wrote this rhyme in 1846 as an example of how silly and worthless nursery rhymes could be. He believed that nursery rhymes were bad for children and encouraged foolishness. You can read a scathing review of nursery rhymes by Goodrich online and see how he poked fun at them- this rhyme emerges at the very end. Unfortunately for Mr. Goodrich, his nursery rhyme meant to mock nursery rhymes has become a nursery rhyme classic. The joke is on him.

Little Miss Muffet

Little Miss Muffet

Sat on a tuffet,

Eating her curds and whey;

Along came a spider,

Who sat down beside her

And frightened Miss Muffet away.

A tuffet is a little stool. Curds and whey is a soup-like mixture of milk with bread or oats. It was a very common meal for children long ago. In fact, some people consider it the predecessor of cereal. Look and listen.

This nursery rhyme is thought to have been written by Dr. Muffet, a famous 16th century expert in the study of spiders and insects, for his stepdaughter. You can imagine how eating her breakfast might have been difficult in a house where spiders and insects roamed freely. 

There Was An Old Woman

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.

She had so many children, she didn't know what to do.

She gave them some broth without any bread;

And whipped them all soundly and put them to bed.

Supposedly, this rhyme is based on an actual woman, Elizabeth Vergoose, who lived in New England in the late 18th century. She had 6 children and 10 stepchildren. She is believed by some to be the original Mother Goose. Since whipping does not seem like a particularly loving way in which to cope with lack of food, Jordan Riak wrote a "kinder, gentler" version of this rhyme.

Alternate interpretations of this rhyme suggest it might have been written to poke fun at Queen Caroline and King George II.

How this rhyme was used in a Jello advertisement.

Old Mother Hubbard

You can read this longer rhyme online. It was written by Sarah Catherine Martin and first published in England in 1805. Interestingly enough, it is said that the author liked to talk a lot- in fact, she talked so much that people often tired of listening and told her to write it down instead. (Max commented on this: "Hey mom, that's what you say to me!") Ms. Martin finally sat down and write and this publishing hit was the result.

Crafts and Activities

  • Print out this Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme Book and color, cut, paste, and staple according to instructions.
  • Listen to Crispin Glover's reading of Little Miss Muffett at Speakaboos.
  • Make a felt board for Old Mother Hubbard.
  • Choose a nursery rhyme from above to "rewrite"- you can make it kinder, gentler, funnier, scarier, crazier, sweeter, happier, whatever suits your fancy. 

Make a poem page for The Old Woman in the Shoe. You will need paper, old magazines, scissors, glue, and crayons. Draw a shoe on a piece of paper, have little ones copy the rhyme near the shoe and then color in the shoe house. Take out old magazines and let them pick images of children to add to the overflowing shoe house. 

Max pasting his cut-outs to his shoe.

Micah's shoe is overflowing with colors and kiddos.

Max's shoe looks almost habitable.

Sources quoted in this lesson plan:

September 16, 2011 | | Comments (0)

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Gnomes are gnarly.

Gilgamesh the Gnome demonstrated a little spleen today. We chalked it up to the weather and the way the leaves are making his favorite toadstools inaccessible. We're on a gnome meme kick.

Read The Gnome, a Grimm Brothers fairy tale.

GETTING TO KNOW GNOMES HANDOUT

Use the Gnome Images handout and pictures cut from magazines, newspapers, and brochures to create a gnome village collage. Make sure to add an area where gnomes can meet and engage each other socially. Follow your fancies.

Gnome Tales:

Crafty skilled gnome:

Crafty apprentice gnome:

Play play play gnome:

September 13, 2011 | | Comments (0)

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Love letter #16: Making pretty things from twigs and branches.

TIME OF THE PREACHER- Willie Nelson (mp3)

Travel paper plane mobile (Ruffled)

A gnome house (Something Made)

A wildflower weave (Child In Harmony)

A twig flower pot (Nini Makes)

A driftwood city (Alisa Burke)

Twig candle holder (Spearmint Decor)

Sparkly mobile (Shelterness)

Rustic wood star roasting sticks (Factory Direct Craft Blog)

A story stick (Butterfly Jungle)

Stick men (Red Ted Art's Blog)

Wooden sun craft (Wabi Sabi Wanderings)

Twig coasters (Martha Stewart)

Twig push pins and wall hooks (design sponge)

Twig picture holders (Re-Nest)

One bright branch (Shelterness)

Willow twig table (Instructables)

September 6, 2011 | | Comments (2)

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Love letter #15: Family trees, leaves, and ripening.

FAMILY TREE - Howling Owls

I love the word "ripening" as a descriptor of how our homeschooling is "progressing", mostly because it is not linear (like the word progress, which assumes a definite desirable end). Yes, my little ones are ripening. Thank you so much for asking. Are you ripening? 

I love Let's Explore's 10 ways to play in September printable, especially since it is not focused on the supposed autumn leaves which have not arrived in our neck of the woods. Fall still seems so far.

I love The Artful Parent's leaf and fern print tshirt how-to. So timely.

I am made slightly giddy by Jenny's thrifting finds and hoping to find some tasty Ohio thrifting during my visit.

I love this tutorial for making Montessori baric tablets. I wonder if Patrick will make these for us while we are on our little trip to Ohio.... I have a feeling he is reading this as I type.... Patrick, I love you and I hope your lips aren't chapped.

September 4, 2011 | | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

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Storytelling with story blocks.

Inspired by the perfect simplicity of Teach Beside Me's story starter blocks, I grabbed a sharpie and made a few blocks of our own today. The kids called out nouns and verbs to me while I tossed in a few personal favorites. 

Since I wanted the structure to be a little more open-ended (i.e. not taking the form of complete sentences but rather giving the subjects, objects, scene, and action while allowing the storyteller to string it all together), I used the blocks as follows:

YELLOW BLOCKS - Characters and nouns. Our favorite characters, the ones we can't imagine stories without, included Max, Micah, Milla, Alina, Patrick, Vanilla the dog, a tick, a fairy, a frog, a knight, a robin, Johann S. Bach, a magician, a nerd (I love nerds and geeks and dweebs and others of my stripe), a goat, a giant, a ninja girl (Max thought of his friend Micah with this one), a uniorn, Grand Bunicu, a clown, a prince named Honored, Einstein, Queen Mab, and an alien. 

RED BLOCKS - Verbs and action words. The actions we loved most includedmakes, promises, battles, runs, tickles, loves, climbs, forgets, prays, goes, leaps, wanders, eats, gives, ponders, dances, forges, and finds.

GREEN BLOCKS - Places, locations, and scenes. Our personal must-haves included the circus, the beach, a pond, church, an old house, a tower, an island, a road, a castle, a canoe, a crib, a garden, a magic mask, a thimble, a car, a spaceship, a key, and a rope.

BLUE BLOCKS - Objects, things, and story props. We included a bag, yarn, bubbles, a piano, a box, a bush, a tree, a crown, a wand, a song, a toilet, a can, a pen, a ball, an eye, an egg, a gadget, and a toe. 


So far, I love the story seeds we are planting.

Ninja girl makes eggs on the beach. 

Or ninja girl makes a beach with an egg.

Bach eats a crown.

Rather than lose our blocks right away, I stitched together a little story block bag from a table napkin.


Just fold the napkin in half longways and cut a 8 inch folded piece. Turn it inside out and stitch the sides together, leaving a hole at top for the bag. Then roll down your fabric once (still inside out) and stitch it down all the way around to hem raw edges. Then roll it one more time leaving a larger amount of space (large enough to thread some twine or a fabric belt through) at the top. Stitch all the way around, leaving a 2 inch hole to thread your twine through it. There are so many variations on this simple little bag stitch... as many variations as the stories you can tell and the adventures you can serialize and continue with story blocks.

August 29, 2011 | | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

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Sketching is good for the soul.


The munchkins using their new sketchbooks in the backyard.

Today is a start-sketching day. Inspired by John Kelley's sketching series, we are delving into drawing with ours hands, feet, and (for Milla) mouths. John explains how sketching is an "addictive" habit which allows you to cultivate a sense of wonder and appreciation for life as it is lived around you:

When you become comfortable with your own personal sketching style there is a rhythm that develops during a sketch. This rhythm allows you to think about the days problems, dream about the future, pray for people and most of all you begin to habitually see what is going on in  the visual world. During one of my biology classes in college I remember the instructor asking us to look at a fish and write down everything we could observe with the naked eye. As you may have guessed, when we were asked to reveal our observations our lists fell woefully short of the instructors learned observations. If I had been an avid sketcher at the time, I would have forgone writing anything at all and simply sketched the fish. Spending 5 to 30 min or more observing something for the purpose of sketching releases tidal waves of visual information and you begin to realize just how much you have actually been missing.

Photographs record  two-dimensional documents. Sketching the same scene with your eyes and mind  involves you in a process of revelation! The best way to understand this is to take an object you are very familiar with and try and sketch it. I would guess that even if you sat down to sketch the face of one of your children you would be amazed at what you had never noticed; a mole here - a dimple there - or just the unique slant of their eyes (you'll be better off trying this while they are sleeping). What is revealed by this exercise is that there is visual information available all around us that we have never noticed. As busy human being  we tend to develop mental filters that get rid of the things we are not interested in and when your life  is saturated with the urgent  it is nearly impossible to notice much more than the big picture: small- large- green, blue-ugly-pretty. Just as a sunset is meant to be watched over a period of hours and not just with a glance, so the rest of the visual world has treasures that are revealed when we sketch them.

 

John's description underscores why sketching is such a useful part of nature journals and notebooking. And so it goes. The Coryell sketching adventure began this morning with the creation of our sketchbooks.

 
I introduced sketching by noting John's difference between sketching and drawing- sketching is general while drawing is specific. He defines a sketch as "a quick general rendering from your perspective". We talked about John's diagram (because Max loves diagrams) to understand more about sketching.

Then we dove into some introductory sketching exercises.

Exercise 1: Practice using your tools (i.e. pencils, charcoal, and pens) to see how lightly or darkly you can apply them to paper.

Max's curved lines and Micah's first lines.Yes, this exercise led Micah to draw her first lines!

Exercise 2: Use your tools to draw different squares on your paper. Notice the differences in the the way different tools make the squares appear.

Max's robot head squares (top) and Micah's first squares (bottom).

Exercise 3: Close your eyes and imagine something you'd like to sketch. Now sketch it from your imagination. Use lines that convey how it stands out.


Micah kept squeezing her eyes shut while sketching this portrait of "my daddy that I love".

And Max sketched a few stars which turned into an intergalactic scene.

August 18, 2011 | | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

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Needle painting for kids tutorial.

What follows is a little freebie from this garage sale find- I love the 1970's graphics and colors. Print and share with your kids.

August 11, 2011 | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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21 crafts I must make this month.

Because maybe if I put them down in an easily-accessible list form, I will actually make them.

  1. Twill tape labels for y.so.str8 (Habit of Art)
  2. A banging wall for Max because I love him and he needs something to express his frustration (soulemama)
  3. A yarn pillow (Sutton Grace)
  4. A doily onesie or two or three or four....
  5. An art bucket to organize my art supplies (My Kotori)
  6. A tiny boat for small places (llevoelinvierno)
  7. Another one of these to hold loose toilet paper rolls 
  8. A hanky and old linen curtain for the bathroom (dottieangel)
  9. This pillowcase dress (Tessuti)
  10. A couch slipcover that looks something like this (decor8)
  11. A quilt that looks something like this (The Lettered Cottage)
  12. A bustle-back dress for Micah and Milla (Wildflowers and Whimsy)
  13. Embroidered portraits of family members and pets (Habit of Art)
  14. A fabric dollhouse that can be washed as needed (uklassinus)
  15. A summer skirt because we still have a few more months of it (One Avian Daemon)
  16. A new and improved pillow cushion and cover for my sister's chair because anyplace where her bottom spends that much time should be beautiful
  17. Some sunprinted fabric (Art Threads)
  18. Something for the walls with this quote on it
  19. A little boat scene (ColourLovers)
  20. A bold black painting inspired by this to go over our bed (Lonny Magazine)
  21. Brenna's pinhole artwork will probably interest other members of the family as well (Design Sponge)

August 10, 2011 | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Love letter #10: A picture, a song, and lovely links.

Milla and Vanilla scope each other out.

BANJO-PICKIN' GIRL by the Carolina Chocolate Drops (mp3)

I love Sandra Dodd's take on sleeping. 

I love imagine childhood's better than opposite day, and I think our afternoon will be devoted to making our own one-minute sculptures. 

I love the free little girl and mushroom stitch pattern from oneredrobin. So pretty.

And I love Natural Suburbia's cloth pad tutorial. Because they really do feel better. Why spend loads of money at Victoria's Secret for nice panties when the materials you put inside or next to your private parts are just toxic, bleached cotton made in China? Pretty on the outside, ashamed of the inside. I'll confess that tampons have always seemed a little gross to me- part and parcel of the manufactured self-loathing in being a woman. Which is just to say something like, "Don't bother to burn your bra if you assault your private parts with toxic tampons". If you disagree, I'd love to know why. My own opinions are just that-- and subject to change.

I love the hum of our dilapidated fridge as it struggles to keep the food cold. When we get a new one, I doubt it could possibly have so much character.

August 8, 2011 | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Love letter #7.

Patrick and Milla at the Berry College Farmer's Market.

"Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again. And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are?

We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children."

Pablo Picasso

I love all the links and inspirations at One Pretty Thing. And I love Rachel for adding my boho piano bench cover tutorial to her weekend round-up.

I do so love Michael Rosen's readings of his limericks and poems for children. 

I love Clare's new banner for her blog. It's been too long.... The last time I saw Jack, he was still nursing.

I love Kerry's inspiring quote (posted above) from the Always Unschooled yahoo group. And I love learning to respect my child as a special, unique creation who makes lots of noise and exudes exuberance. The world will enforce its own standards and soul-crushings on my munchkins; that is emphatically NOT my job.

I love Sawdust and Paper Scraps' play and store toy mat tutorial.

July 25, 2011 | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Making your own fabric.

For those with graphic design or drawing talents, Spoonflower allows you to make your own fabric using nontoxic inks. Granted, it's not cheap, but neither is having your artwork printed on fabric, which is how I like to think about it. I wasted a significant chunk of gorgeous sunshine today browsing through the inspiring fabrics created by others on Spoonflower.

Kventura's pastel drops fabric + Pop bot floral by modgeek + Sea inspired by illusio + let's bake by anda

 

c'est la viv's poppies + c'est la viv's rain + taraput's underwater friends + taraput's watercolor feathers

There are many ways to make your own fabric. The Long Thread has an excellent blog post in which she details a number of handmade approaches, including that artist woman's kid-friendly glue resist method for making batik fabric and shibori fabric-dyeing techniques. Her linoleum block printing is also quite lovely. Others ways to make your own fabric at home:

If you decide to use an online shop to print your fabric, there are a number of different free online drawing and designing tools that you can use to create motifs four your fabric, including:

July 18, 2011 | | Comments (2)

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A perfect little chair back pocket tutorial.

SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS

  • Measuring tape
  • Scissors
  • Fabric yardage for main chair back cover (I used a blue-white sailcloth)
  • Fabric for pocket (I used canvas upcycled dish towel scraps)
  • Sewing supplies (needles, thread, machine, fingers, etc.)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Measure the back of your chair. 

In my case, the chair back measures 15 inches wide and 17 inches long. But it also has some little wooden muscles on the sides which cannot be ignored, unless I want the chair to resemble  a weight-lifter bulging through a tight muscle tee.

When I measured the wood on the sides of the chair, I got another two inches to my width. You also need to add an inch or two (depending on your sewing precision style) to both width and length for seams. I decided to go with 19 x 19 inches as my dimension. 

2. Cut your main fabric piece.

At this point, you can cut and pin your fabric one of two ways. If you have a long piece of fabric, you can cut one piece for the main body. Alternately, you can cut two pieces of fabric for the main body and then stitch them together.

The main difference is that the first option only has seams along the sides of the chair back cover while the second option has seams along the top of the chair back cover as well as the sides. I chose to cut one long piece which measured 19 x 13 inches because my materials and vision tend towards the rough-hewn in this project.

3. Cut your fabric pocket.

The pocket should be made from a material sturdy enough to hold books and paper upright. Since you want to pocket to be large enough to hold notebooks and more, it will be almost the same size as your fabric dimension minus a few inches in length and width.

My pocket fabric is 14 inches wide and 15 inches long. You can play around with these numbers until you get a pocket size that suits your aesthetic and practical needs.

4. Hem one edge of your pocket fabric.

On the other hand, if you want a clean look all around, you should go ahead and pin all the pocket edges 1 inch inside the pocket. You can sew all but the top part down as you attach the pocket to the main fabric.

5. Sew your pocket to the main fabric piece. 

Pin it first to make sure it is correctly aligned. If you want the finished look, then make sure your edges are folded in before you start stitching. For a rough edge, like mine, just lay your pocket flat and pin in the corners.

I decided to use a zig-zag stitch again because the sailcloth has such beautiful texture with zig-zags and I wanted to bring that out. To really highlight this texture, I decreased the stitch length to a 2 on my Husky Viking and ran around the edges twice. It isn't so often that I really want the stitches to stand out so much, but the sailcloth just loves it!

6. Stitch the main fabric pieces together.

Now that your pocket is attached, take your fabric and lay it over the top of the chair to get a sense of spacing and proportion. Then spread out your main fabric wrong side up and fold it with the inside facing out. 

Turn your fabric right side out and trim any extra fabric from the edges.

7. Hem the lower edge of the main fabric.

Slip your chair back cover over the chair to see if you need to trim the length before you start hemming.

Keeping with the shabby, zig-zaggedy look, I decided not to tuck under the edges when hemming the bottom. Instead, I just zig-zagged my way across as close to the edge as possible and then pulled a few threads to fray the edge a bit.

If you are going for the polished look, just roll your edge under twice and stitch it down.

8. Cut off all your extra fabric and threads and load 'er up.

Milla decided that a doll's baby bottle really belonged in the pocket. I'm quite happy with the way it turned out. Please share links to your similar creations and other chair back pockets so I can oooo and aaahhh.

July 14, 2011 | | Comments (0)

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Upcycling as a lifestyle choice.

Living in a commercial society means even our wildest dreams will be marketed and brought to us in the form of a product. While I am grateful for the choices and the material prosperity, abundance ushers in its own spiritual problems, including the belief that we can buy our way to happiness.

One way I try to keep it real here in the Coryell Castle is by upcycling as much as possible. Upcycling, a phrase coined by Cradle to Cradle authors William McDonough and Michael Braungart, is the act of creating useful products from waste materials. We use old things to make new ones. Our imaginations spend time finding novel uses for discarded items. Much of our furniture has been picked up where its previous owners left it on the side of the road. Add a hot pink coat of paint and life begins again. My sewing machine makes upcycling possible in ways I never imagined. All our old, stained clothes-- the ones too dirty to donate-- can be salvaged with a few cuts, combinations, and stitches. So many of the things we "want" already exist if we only decide to create them.

This dress, for example, was upcycled from a stained stretch tank and an old pillowcase. The back of the dress has what I call a "baby bustle" in which the fabric is tucked to create a small bustle. I love it. I loved making it. Like many upcyclings, I must decide whether to keep it or offer it to others on etsy because my closet doesn't have space for everything I love and others might wear it better.

If you are interested in beginning the upcycling adventure, the following might just frost your cupcake:

July 8, 2011 | | Comments (0)

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Making a playhouse from unused fence pieces.

Patrick and I are trying to figure out how to use two old pieces of fence to create a playspace for the munchkins. One idea is to lean them against the fence and make a hideout. Another idea is to lean them against each other in the middle of the garden and make a tunnel-shaped playhouse. As we ponder, I'm seeking inspirations. And finding them.

Learn how to build an eco-friendly playhouse at Emancipation Park. That just sounds like fun. Unfortunately, online searches for diy playhouses offer more plans and kits than they do random diy constructions. And I don't want to build a playhouse from a plan-- I'd like to build a frame first and then, little by little, add as we go so it emerges in our yard as a continuous creative enterprise. That said, one can still be amazed and inspired by these playhouses made by others and free to anyone willing to spend some mullah:

June 20, 2011 | | Comments (0)

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VARIATIONS ON A THEME #1: Dots.

 Teak wood and green dots necklace

"Physics is nothing but the ABC's. Nature is an equation with an unknown, a Hebrew word which is written only with consonants to which reason has to add the dots."
                        Johann G. Hamann

Polka dots cut from assorted fabrics and hand-stitched to linen or burlap... bamboo dotting a frame... disposable placemats covered in dots... "Connect the Dots" poem for kids... a dark disco frame brings back the 70's penchant for dotdom.... a life begins as a tiny speck magnified into a dot on an ultrasound screen... DOTS is a strategy used to reduce the number of tuberculosis cases... there are dots to be discerned in the current political milieu... a single dot tattooed on the hand is perplexing.... a three-dot triangle tattoo on the hand is fraught with meaning... pointillism is a style of painting in which small distinct points of primary colors create the impression of a wide selection of secondary and intermediate colors... something that is "beside the point" is only rarely "beside the dot"...

June 17, 2011 | | Comments (0)

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Coffee cans covered with fabric and other pretty little things.

Patrick saves all our old coffee tins, so I decided to make them pretty enough to use for holding pens, pencils, and other trinkets. I love this shiny grey fabric and a few scraps from skirts fit a small tin perfectly. It took about five minutes to measure the circumference of the tin, cut the fabric, stitch back the edges, and cover the tin. 

Other pretty little things today:

June 10, 2011 | | Comments (0)

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20 pillowcase tutorials.

My thrift store pillowcase bin is overflowing with bounty, so I need some quick, beautiful ways to use some pillowcases ASAP. Thanks to those who provided these tutorials:

  1. Upcycled pillowcase dress for little girls from Punk Projects
  2. Shirred pillowcase top for ladies at The Vintage Sheet Blog
  3. Lovely pillowcase skirt for little girls from Zeah Renaissance
  4. The two-pillowcase bag from The Sewing Dork
  5. Pillowcase skirt for ladies from Bella Dia
  6. Sleepy soft napkins from Adirondack Mama
  7. Retro ruffle pillowcase dress for a little girl from Simply Modern Mom
  8. Pleated bow pillowcase dress for a little girl from Simply Modern Mom
  9. Pillowcase pencil skirt for ladies from ReadyMade
  10. Sweet skirts of all sizes from upcycled thrift store linens courtesy of WonderStrange
  11. Pillowcase pj shorts from Creative Kismet
  12. Pillowcase doll blanket from Made
  13. Pillowcase apron from Being LDS
  14. Vintage pillowcase grocery bag from The Vintage Sheet Blog
  15. Roll-able market tote from a pillowcase from Jordynn Mackenzie
  16. Vintage pillowcase dress for ladies from Potholes and Pantyhose
  17. Pillowcase super hero cape at The Vintage Sheet Blog
  18. Ballet roll and six other fun ideas from se7en
  19. Pillowcase jumper from saffiertje
  20. Stunning pillowcase dress for little one from Freshly Picked

May 26, 2011 | | Comments (2)

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Today's love letter.

Many, many links in my ongoing sewing tutorial compendium. For future reference, you can find this list in the right column if you scroll down a bit and click on the appropriate image.

The Orthodox Peace Fellowship in general.

Life, Cultivated, "a blog about farming, mothering, and coming home."

The Art of the Rural, a blog about art in the rural context including cowboys, indians, and a plethora of polaroids for starters.

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Hanging at the farm.

10 minute yoga "super-sets" from Gaiam.

The Cloth Diaper Whisperer for all your cloth diapering theory needs.

Caesarean scar website, "your body finds its voice."

The Shape of a Mother keeps it real and really beautiful.

Rockabye Baby, "lullaby renditions of baby's favorite rock bands".

 Squob, "thinking outside the white box".

Treepees.

May 18, 2011 | | Comments (0)

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12 things I would do today in an ideal world.

Alabamastudiostylecover

  1. Order Natalie Chanin's second book, Alabama Studio Style.
  2. Finish sewing details on my sister's birthday skirt.
  3. Web-wander around the University of Alabama's Image Resource Center.
  4. Check out some books by Father Goose (a.k.a. Charles Ghigna) from the library.
  5. Return our overdue library books and pay fines with a smile.
  6. Alternately, explore Father Goose's poetry online.
  7. Also explore Low Tech Magazine online. Because maybe Luddite is the new black.
  8. Make some happy-looking shower curtain planters.
  9. Transition to face cloths.
  10. Select fabrics and sew aforementioned face cloths.
  11. Create fabric beads with cotton balls.
  12. Make nursing necklace from fabric beads, shoestring, and little wooden beads. Because Milla needs something to distract her from trying to tear off my lips while nursing.

May 13, 2011 | | Comments (0)

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Freebies for craft-heads on the theme of sweltering heat and strings.

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Croco-Flower crochet pattern

How to read crochet patterns (PDF)

Cabled cotton Ragland sweater knitting pattern

Corgi knitting pattern

Williamsburg Pansy Basket pattern

Beach bag pattern

Pleated Mary Jane baby shoes

Hairpin lace shawl crochet pattern

A-Frame Indoor Tent pattern (pictured)

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Chinese friendship symbol crosstitch pattern

Paperbag skirt pattern

Summer baby hat (pictured)

May 10, 2011 | | Comments (0)

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Spring cleaning and re-organizing.

Spring creeps in amid thunderstorms parsed by the blinding halo of little dogwood buds in the sunlight. For me, spring cleaning usually involves the attempt to organize our wild, untamed collections of knicknacks and paddywhacks. This is complicated by the fact that everyone else in town is throwing away valuable little treasures and gems, which sit in tempting little piles by their driveways. So I drive around, pick up a few treasures, and vow to stop seeing gold where others see trash or junk. Among my other vows and springy tasks:

  • To build this DIY Dress-Up Wardrobe for our delicious stash of costumes.
  • To paint each door in our house a different color, beginning with sky blue and ending somewhere between clementine and tangerine.
  • To find outdoor furniture for our backyard at yard sales or (ahem) treasure piles.
  • To create an inviting smorgasborg of personalized bath towels, including Easy Hooded Bath Towels, so that every towel in our home has a special touch.

The Saturday beckons. 

February 26, 2011 | | Comments (3)

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Beautiful hand-made gifts.

Little surprises and packages in the mail with gifts for Milla Percy Coryell. A friend of Emily's made the little rattle and Amy Pelletier, Renaissance woman and the most wonderful boss Patrick and I ever had, made the blankie and doll. Thank you thank you thank you.

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June 30, 2010 | | Comments (0)

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Make some new ears.

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May 28, 2010 | | Comments (1)

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20 things that made me smile this morning.

1. Little green tomatoes sprouting on three of my tomato plants.

2. The story Max wrote about the Bode Empire, a place outside of Dogland which has captured his imagination. I'm beginning to wonder how much longer Dogland will exist.

3. Rogueclassicism.

4. Unicorns, Dragons, and Other Magical Creatures Lesson Plan.

5. The lingering scent of honeysuckle in the air.

6. Patrick's enthusiasm for Inside-Out Prison Ministry, where he will be spending some time this evening.

7. The Adios Lounge.

8. A whole pot of steamed squash, zucchini, and onions sitting on the stove.

9. Under African Skies - Paul Simon

10. Vintage Pixie Cap pattern in pdf format.

11. Verbenas, a pot of roses, and one more tomato plant left to plant.

12. Delivering a sympathy card to dear Mr. Hamner who lives down the street. He and his wife shared such a beautiful, long, long life together....

13. That fence in our future, so close I can almost smell the pine.

14. Mallory and Gabe coming to visit for the weekend- something about those two makes me so so happy. 

15. How to build a meat cart bed. Because I think that might be the next step in our co-sleeping cowabunga. The king-size family bed has everyone sleeping in different directions. 

16. Remembering how much Micah adored Quale, David and Linda Beito's baby daughter. I can now be genuinely hopeful about Canaan's arrival (if only we could be certain that her name will be Canaan).

17. Having a house too small for a nursery to accommodate our coming baby. How wonderful not having to worry about decorating and furnishing a whole new room! I am so much happier since we down-sized...

18. Max's first piano recital coming this June.

19. That tingling feeling in my ribs which can only be the baby and which can only mean she is growing and which must mean that I have her dropping to anticipate.

20. The baby bunny hidden in a pine-straw den crafted by his mommy under a large pine in our front yard.

May 11, 2010 | | Comments (1)

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An old unpublished post preparing for Micah's birth.

Patrick painted the room for Micah and Max in less than tree days, and it looks downright devastatingly beautiful! We used Olympic paint from Lowe's in Blue Bayou, which we thought would be VOC-free but discovered that we had been duped. The walls are charming anyway. Now I just need to decide on a color scheme....

Black sheep on beige
Deep forest fern in natural
Folklore floral on natural
Folklore forest on orange
Happy Street map on natural
Homemade birds in sky blue
Roman glass on dusty pink
Giant trees on blue
My folklore flower scatter on black
Bugs and flowers on natural
#21 orange pink and purple all over print
#29 batik red-orange with green and yellow
Lightning bugs in orange, blue, and tan dot 1318

I could use one of the fabrics above to make a Nigella Quilt with the help of Amy Butler's free pattern (in pdf). Lots more free pattern links available online courtesy of Erica Fabrics. I could also use one fabric as a background or base for these connect-the-dot pillows.

Ant picnic trim
Locomotive trim

I thought about tea-dying a white duvet cover with khaki, gray, orange, and different shades of blue, but my ambition never gets the best of me.

Now for adding details:

March 5, 2010 | | Comments (0)

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20 things to make + do between now and then

  1. felt food. lots and lots for max and micah's new kitchen.
  2. fabric flowers to put behind (or near) your favorite ear.
  3. easy pot holders. as pictured above. 
  4. the perfect printable baby shoe tutorial. plus this or this if you prefer the art of choosing.
  5. bitty booties. for baby wren, due to arrive on the summer solstice.
  6. ruffle tulle skirt tutorial. for miss micah.
  7. diy fabric pommes. to hang from a light fixture.
  8. little boy tie tutorial. for that fantastic fabric piece that screams max-man.
  9. the 90 minute shirt. 
  10. make your own pattern tutorial. indispensable.
  11. puffed sleeves and gathered pockets tutorials.
  12. yarn-wrapped frames.
  13. knee pad pants. for max and micah. who have asked to match.
  14. spring garland tutorial. for the empty wall space above our bed.
  15. tin can planters. to start the seeds.
  16. diy catalog of love. 
  17. easy rustic modern wood console. to double as headboard.
  18. fabric appliques as baby shower game. or just a great way to refashion old onesies.
  19. minimalist oak desk. mounted away from prying little paws.
  20. super simple nightie.

February 2, 2010 | | Comments (0)

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Creating daydreams + background music.

I've put a little asterisk by the patterns or tutorials which might make lovely holiday gifts, for those inclined to make some gifts.

For decorating + the home

For the ladies

Flirted With You All My Life - Vic Chestnutt

For the babies

For the children

For anyone you deem worthy

 

If I Ever Cease To Love - John Rankin

For the gentlemen

Generally

November 10, 2009 | | Comments (0)

Tags: crafting, gifts, handmade, holidays, sewing

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Sewing frenzy.

A beautiful friendship between me and my Singer has finally begun.... Yesterday, I whipped up a batch of table napkins, added some vintage fabric to a pillow cover, created a ladderback chair cover, and made two skirts + 1 shirt for Micah. This morning, I added matching flair to Max and Micah's shirts. There is no stopping me now....

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Here is Micah in the new house-dress I made for her while  the boys played Intelli-Vision. Not professional, but a heck of a lot of plain old-fashioned fun!

July 31, 2009 | | Comments (1)

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Three lovely d.i.y. creations from the late Country Home magazine.

Three office projects from country home  1. CRIB NOTES
Turn a discarded crib spring into a hardworking office organizer.

HOW TO
Cut two sides of the spring with a metal saw to desired size (we matched the proportion of the table below). Next, screw the original top and bottom of the spring to 1×2s (cut to fit.) Drill two holes in each 1×2 and screw in eye-hooks (we added a washer between the wood and hook, but it’s purely decorative). Wrap the loose wires around the hooks until tight. Clip the excess spring with a wire cutter.

2. A GRATE IDEA
Keep pencils and art supplies in check with this sharp project.

HOW TO
Buy two caps for outdoor railings (one peaked and one flat) at your local hardware store. Build a five-sided box with 1×6s to fit the peaked cap. Attach a lazy Susan swivel to the flat cap and screw the swivel to the bottom of the box. Create bottoms for graters/holders by snugly placing wood scraps cut to fit the inside of the bottom of each. Screw graters onto the box.

3. TABLETOP TREASURE  
One person’s rickety table is another’s space-saving workstation.

HOW TO
A broken-down table is best for this project. Cut the table in half, or to the desired depth, then saw off the legs. Screw a 1×4 onto the wall at the height you want the table to be. Set the table on the ledge of the 1×4 and, using L-shaped brackets, attach the table to the 1×4.

February 28, 2009 | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Building a teepee: Part 2.

Patrick went and chopped down the remaining bamboo stalks for the teepee today, so we are continuing our teepee-building spree. After measuring the bamboo rods at 18 ft., then cutting them, we used hedge clippers and a small saw to trim the bamboo leaves from the stalks.


We ran into a small problem in tying and putting up the tripod. Since the diameter of the teepee is supposed to be 15 ft. wide, we had trouble figuring out where to place the poles-- each measurement required another, which required another adjustment, which changed the initial pole distance. We finally found answers after consulting the Lake Huron Teepees instructions for setting up one of their pre-made teepees. Very detailed instructions.

Basically, we needed to mark a 15 ft line and find the center at 7.5 ft. Then we needed to measure the distance from the center to where each tripod rod would be placed at an equidistant 7.5 ft. But we also needed to be able to see our circle... So we collected some pine cones and made a circle. 

Then we played Ring Around the Rosie as a celebratory ritual. For lack of a better whoop.


Now we were ready to add the remaining poles to the tripod. But first, Patrick dug a three small holes and secured the tripod into place by burying each pole about 1 or 2 inches into the grass. Then we placed the remaining poles around the circle at different locations. After all the poles were position, Patrick climbed onto a table and lashed them together with a rope.

And now we reach our second stopping-point because the king size sheet I intended to use as a teepee cover is much too small. So I must procure the fabric. And then we will return with part 3 of our teepee installation.

More tee-pee building resources:

February 22, 2009 | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Make that beautiful bubble chandelier.

Ready-Made magazine has instructions and information on how to make this perfectly-bulbous chandelier.. A hanging lamp composed of 12 handblown glass balls and 3 clear globe bulbs. Clusters of balls and bulbs are held together by cables wrapped in cotton parcel post twine. For fear that the world might change and these instructions might disappear, I've posted them here as well.

February 21, 2009 | | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

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Building a teepee: Part 1.

So Max and I decided to build a teepee in the backyard, inspired by all the nice, slender tree trunks Patrick cut down last weekend. But when I tried to use the tree trunks, I discovered that their heft and differing weight made it difficult to strike a balance. Time for Plan B: the procurement of bamboo stalks.

I remembered that one of our neighbors had a lovely bamboo jungle in the back of his yard, so yesterday we the family walked over the neighbor's home and asked if he had any bamboo to spare. He was so kind and generous with his affirmative response (plus he had a dog named "Max")... so Patrick took a saw and we headed to the jungle.

Of all the teepees we could build, I found the neatest layout and instructions at the Shelter Online website, a great resource for those interested in different types of hand-made homes across the world. (Oddly enough, it is also a great resource for people interested in stretching.) The pattern for the Plains Indian Teepee is available to download for free, including decorations and a step-by-step design plan. Unfortunately, I did not read closely enough, so we only cut 8 bamboo stalks and the directions call for at least 12 sticks. It looks like we will have to return to the jungle for a few more stalks...

But in the meantime, I want to cut all the leaves from the bamboo and prepare them according to plan (which means cutting them to a height of about 18 feet for a 15-ft tall teepee.

Pl-67 Here are the instructions and corresponding diagrams from Wildwood Wisdom:

The tepee of the Plains Indians is a fine dwelling, where poles are available and a permanent camp is in order. It is a roomy structure in which a fire may be built, and is comfortable in extremes of heat or cold. The pattern of the tepee (Plate 67) is cut in the shape of a halfcircle (A), twice as long as it is wide, with 2 smoke flaps (B) near the center of the pattern. Fifteen by 30 feet is a good size. If the tepee is smaller, it is difficult to keep it free of smoke. Eight-ounce canvas is satisfactory for the cover.

When the tepee is erected, it forms a *cone shape; and the straight edges, where the smoke flaps are sewed, overlap and are held together with wooden pins. It is here that this detail should.be noted. If you follow the drawing closely, you will see that one side of the straight edge has an extra strip of canvas sewed to it for this overlap (C). A double row of holes is punched along the straight edge at (C) and (D). The edge at (D) will be under the overlapping (C) edge, and the row of holes will be a trifle wider apart than (C). These holes should be reinforced with a buttonhole stitch or metal grommets inserted.

A half-circle door opening (E) is cut at both ends so that when the edges are brought together a complete circular door opening will result. The door itself is. made of a round piece of canvas with additions to be turned in and hemmed (F). When the hem is completed, a flexible willow stick is inserted, making a firm door (G). A rope-loop is tied to the top of the willow stick, and is hung upon the pin just above the door and forms the hinge (H).

Little pockets are made of three-cornered pieces of canvas and sewed to the tips of the smoke flaps (B). Reinforcing pieces of canvas (X) should be sewed to parts where extra strain is expected, especially around the smoke flaps and the center of the cover, which is lashed to the top of the poles (l).

A rope is hemmed around the circular base, and rope loops for pegging down the tepee are equally spaced around it (J). A rope is attached at (I) which lashes the cover to the poles.

Pl-68 Twelve or more poles are needed for the tepee framework (Plate 68). These should be straight and smooth, and at least 3 feet longer than the width of the cover. If the tepee is 15 feet wide, the poles should be at least 18 feet long.

Three of the strongest poles are made into a tripod (K), tied together a little higher than the height of the cover. The rest of the poles are then placed against the tripod, forming the cone-sbaped frame for the canvas cover. These are lashed together at the top with rope (L) . The last pole to be placed has the tepee cover fastened”to it, and should be placed opposite to where the door is to be (M).

The cover is then pulled around the pole framework and fastened together at the overlap with wooden pins about a foot long, tapering at both ends (N) (Plate 67). The bottom is pegged down, and the poles inside are spread to stretch the cover (0). Two additional light poles are needed for the smoke flaps, and these are inserted into the pockets of the flaps (P). The poles can be moved about to change the position of the smoke flaps so the smoke can be drawn from the tepee. The drawing (Q) shows how the air comes in at the base of the tepee and is drawn out at the smoke hole. The flaps act as a sort of chimney, creating a draught.

One of the annoyances of a tepee type of dwelling is that water may run down inside on the poles during a heavy rain. One way of preventing this is to use a “bull boat,” a circular piece of canvas placed on top of the poles (Plate 68).

Another method was shown me by Dr. L. B. Sharp of Life Camps. He fastens a long cord on each pole just under the top of the cover, tied so that the cord leads from the underside of the pole. About halfway down, these cords are gathered together with one leading to a tin can. Rain coming down the poles is stopped by the cords and led down into the tin instead of continuing down the poles and eventually onto your bed.

I'm not sure how my husband will feel about a fire-friendly teepee for a five-year-old, so we might have to make rules about the kinds of fires that can be set inside the teepee. For example, one good rule of thumb might be: The only way you are allowed to start a fire inside the teepee is by rubbing two sticks together. Knowing the Maxer, however, he might just rub long enough...

February 17, 2009 | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Heads, fingers, knees, and toes: a list of favorites that touches those.

Scandinavian embroidery with history, images, art, and techniques in a lovely little PDF format.

Twenty chocolate valentines that you can make. And then eat.

Mixed media shadow boxes to explore the question, "Who are our heroes"? Always a good question to ask oneself in the wake of the twentieth century's political destructiveness.

Make Hoffspace your space.

The Costumer's Manifesto for the coolest patterns and theatrics.

Smoky Mountain Storytellers' storytelling resources. Because stories make the world go round and rounder.

Alabama Interstate #59 from Cuba, Alabama to the Georgia state line, as traveled at MilebyMile.com. I love reading through the photos and landmarks; can almost taste the truck-stop cappuccinos chugged one upon another. "Driving" the route online, I can google each location online along the way. Try it-- just enter your favorite interstate trip. Or try taking the one you always wanted to take until your baby decided she absolutely would not take any car trips longer than 5 miles.

Documenting the American South homepage at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

Archives of The Alabama Review available online. Because it's too late.

Make your own sandals from recycled tires.

 

February 2, 2009 | | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

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Purty Valentine's day crafts from the purl bee.

Valentinepins-all-done On Sunday, still-slightly-sniffly Max and his unsniffly mommy got out the construction paper, glitter glue pens, photo graphs, hearted tissue paper, elmer's glue, and started making valentines. Max included cards for his favorite cats and dogs. I can't wait for the rain to cease so I can take the cards to the post office.

In the meantime, I found some delicious valentine's crafts and makings (pictured) at the purl bee....

Valentine pins
Valentine's garland
Crocheted valentines
And there are more valentine's projects from the purl bee at this link.

February 2, 2009 | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Parting is such sweet sorrow; 'DUMP POST" number one.

As I push boxes around the house,  I stumble upon knick-knacks and various holiday decorating treasures. My new goal-- to keep it simple-- requires me to toss many of life's trinkets. Likewise, cleaning up my laptop means getting rid of many files I hate to lose. But I have vowed to downsize and resize everything, to do away with the assumption that "bigger is better" or "it's great to have lots of stuff", and revel in the basics.

So I will clean up this laptop, but before I send an item to the Recycle Bin, I will post it right here on this blog in case anyone should be interested. I'll just start calling these my "dump" posts. So if you don't like trash, you can ignore the dump posts (though I think everyone might find something that interests them...) One man's treasure is another man's trash?

WOODSCREW PILOT HOLE GUIDE in PDF format

DADDY DUDE CROSSTITCH PATTERN in PDF format

BIRD PATTERNS FOR EMBROIDERY in PDF format as well

 

Earthworm compost bin 

 

Properpruning

November 19, 2008 | | Comments (0)

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Things you can do this weekend.

Make a horn from a drinking straw.
Learn how to crush a can on your head.
Buy a copy of Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods and celebrate Earth Day by reading it in a hammock in your very own backyard.
Donate a pair of running shoes to the Reuse-A-Shoe program.
Watch the Tuscaloosa Triathlon and see the male and female athlete chosen this weekend to represent our country at the Olympics in China. I, for one, am intrigued by the swimmers in the Black Warrior River.

April 18, 2008 | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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A few peeks at pretty.

Since Micah seems perfectly content to hang around in utero past her due date, I am trying to find ways to distract myself from clary sage and castor oil solutions. Enter inspirations, a few of which I've included below....
Using dish clothes as table-runners.
A recipe for simple crusty bread from The New York Times.
A recycled bathtub chair.
Create your own custom seed packets for spring gifts.
Moroccan-style bedroom decor that makes even the brightest sunlight seem filtered.
A free pattern for a summer bag.
Chalkboard walls in the kitchen.
Upholster a chair with unbleached linen.
Make spring-inspired storage baskets.
Use framed paper as art.

March 23, 2008 | | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

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