Treasure pocket

(Lucy and I looking for treasure at the pier in Bar Harbor, Maine.)

I finally made something crafty again...and I've been dying to show you! But we're on vacation with a lousy internet connection so it had to wait until today.

Lucy takes after me when it comes to picking up "treasures" on her journeys. Both of us stop frequently to pick up a special stone, an acorn, a feather, a stick... And just recently, Lucy discovered pockets. What a wonderful thing--a place to keep your treasures! But most of her clothes don't have any pockets. So I wanted to sew her a "pocket" she could wear at the beach (I knew we'd be doing lots of beach combing!)

Two days before we left--when I should have been packing or cleaning before our trip--I quickly sewed her a pocket. I used recycled linens for the bag (pinky-red ticking for the outside; orange and pink paisley for the lining) and a scrap of lace from an old pillowcase for the edging. The luckiest accident was the strap; I'd wanted something wide so the weight wouldn't dig into her shoulder, and when I sewed on this wide twill tape to this tiny bag, it made the bag stay open when hanging on her shoulder--perfect for a little hand to reach in easily.


Lucy loves it! Now if I ask her "do you want to look for treasures on the beach?" She says "Yeah. Poc" (pocket) and puts her hand down where her pocket should be.

(The best picture I got of the inside, as she's always on the go!)

(Looking for the perfect rock.)

(Tucking something into her pocket for safekeeping.)

(A collection of her treasures.)

I really can't imagine anything quite so wonderful as sharing this passion of mine with my equally passionate daughter. Now...what am I doing writing?? There's beachcombing to be done!

Small projects=instant gratification

Sometimes, you just need a little instant gratification.  When I've had a moment to slip away this week, I've squeezed in some little projects for that quick satisfaction of something--anything!--completed.

My latest favorite quick project is these 10-minute headbands:

I made these using vintage sheets (recognize the bottom one, which matches Lucy's dress?).  The pattern is from a tutorial at Blue Bird Studio, and it really does only take 10 minutes.  I love them--they're comfy, and stay pretty well in my fine-as-a-toddler's hair.  A scrap of fabric, a few minutes, and a hair elastic, and I've got a springy new accessory.  Next time, I'm going to try two layers of fabric--suede on the bottom to give it better grip in my hair, and a printed fabric on top.

An even easier project, but one that gave me great satisfaction, was adding the ribbons to these washcloths and hand towels:

We don't use many disposables in this house, so in the early-childhood program I run from my home, all the children have a washcloth for each day and a hand towel for the week, marked with their own color of ribbon.  I made this new batch for our daughter, Lucy, who's now officially one of the group.