Dream Pillow

The dream pillow project is for homeschool and Chickadee's first time to hand sew! She chose the same fabric she chose for the beanbags we made for homeschool in the fall: hot pink with white polka dots. I sewed down the side I'd leave open for her to fill and sew shut. Then I folded it in half and sewed the other two sides together. We picked some calming dried herbs from my stash: chamomile, lavender, rose petals, and lemon balm.


Then I pinned it closed, and tucked the ends into the fabric. I threaded the needle and knotted it so that she wouldn't lose the needle from the thread for her first sewing project. I will say the negative is that mistakes are more difficult to fix, because you can't simply pull out the thread to the point of the mistake. She didn't quite understand the pulling the thread all the way through on each stitch before starting the next stitch.


She was so excited to start the sewing part of the project, because she felt it was a big deal to be able to hand sew on her own.


I let her do it on her own while I stayed nearby to help with struggles. She used the overcast stitch as advised in the curriculum. She was really proud when she reached the end of the line.


I feel like she did well for her first time hand sewing.


We needed to go back and close the gaps so the herbs would stay in the pillow. It took a couple of tries for her to figure out what was needed. We sat right next to each other and took turns doing the stitches. It was hard for her to coordinate just where the needle should go on the closer stitches. Once she slowed down and figured out what was needed, she was so proud of herself!


Being able to switch gears from letting her have some independence to try her hand at sewing to snuggling up on the couch and working through the details together is one thing I love about homeschooling! I also switched gears on the needle and thread to give her that experience, and in the end, I think it made things easier. She actually only pulled the needle off the thread a couple of times near the end.


Now she's ready for sweet dreams.

Sewing Gifts for the Cats

On December 16, the fairies asked us to make gifts for the cats. We took some fabric scraps and fat quarters and cut them into rectangles that were approximately 3" by 6". Our girlie picked out one fabric for each of our cats. She had a friend over that day who also has cats and joined in the fun by helping make some for her cats too.

I folded each rectangle in half and sewed up the two long sides, leaving the top open for stuffing.





We used polyester stuffing (I know, it's not very Waldorf of me! 😉) and catnip to fill each little pouch. Then, I simply turned in the end and sewed it closed with the sewing machine. Super easy, and no hidden stitches. Still time consuming though!






The girls were super pleased with their gifts for the cats. The cats found our prototype and loved on it (drooled on it) immediately! They were happy to receive their gifts on Christmas, too.

Farmgirl Winter Mug Rug Swap

I recently participated in a very enjoyable swap on the MaryJanesFarm Farmgirl Connection. Our task was to make a winter themed mug rug for a partner and send it away in the mail. It was an excellent challenge, because it was my first quilting project. The mug rug concept kept the project manageable and fun. I feel very accomplished at having completed it.
Here are a couple of pictures of the mug rug that I quilted:

Here's the back of the mug rug, where my lifelong struggle with sewing straight lines is evident. At least it adds character.

The front of the mug rug.

The front of the mug rug in a different light.

I also included a winter themed bookmark that I crocheted:

The bookmark is on the right side of the mug rug.

I had a wonderful swap partner who made a beautiful mug rug that felt perfect for me right out of the box. She also cross stitched a little bib for my expected daughter. Here are a couple of pictures of the mug rug package that I received from my partner:

Jak enjoying a photo op in the top right corner.

As you can see, we love including goodies in our swap packages.