tuesday's child

Born on a Tuesday in the early evening, on a beautiful Indian Summer's day, Imogen brought a bright vivacity and a tender heart into our family. My dark-haired, home-birthed vbac baby arrived a little late to her own party, but made sure we knew she had finally made it! Such a gentle little soul she has grown into...sometimes a dreamer, sometimes a scamp, but always - always - full of wonder and love for everything around her.

We wish you a very happy fifth birthday,

dear Imogen.

37 times around the sun

sunshine aplenty

Bad blogger! I've been neglecting this space again. But on a positive note, we've had twelve straight days of sunshine - a run not to be sniffed at in this part of the world. We took advantage of the long Easter weekend and went camping with a group of friends at this campsite. What a fantastic time we had! Campfires, sing-songs, a hike up White Horse Hill to admire the breathtaking view and plenty of good eating.

We were blessed with the hottest April weather any of us could remember, and laughed about being woken by the crowing cockerel and singing birds every morning. The ten children in our camp took turns whacking homemade pinatas full of Easter treats, and on Sunday we had a field-sized Easter egg hunt. Truly a magical weekend.

We did miss out on some of our usual Easter traditions, though, being away from home. So we are planning another small family celebration of the season this weekend. We will be dying eggs (naturally, with turmeric, beets, blueberries, onion skins and dandelions), and I'm sure the little ones' Easter baskets - filled with little treasures - will be making an appearance. There won't be as many handmade goodies as last year, but thanks to my Four Seasons Exchange partner, these delightful bunnies will be in the baskets.

Thank you very much, Andreja!

Here is the Spring package we sent Andreja:

A needlefelted bumblebee, knitted eggs and nest from The Purl Bee, a birch card-holder, postcard and a dandelion-dyed playsilk. We really hope she liked it!
Well, the sun is gloriously shining again, this morning, so I need to get out and make the most of it - I have a backlog of seedlings that need attention. Happy day to you!

in honour of love

handmade christmas roundup (finally!)

I've had new-year-procrastinitis. Every day that passes makes it harder to get back on the blogging wagon. And...we had a sad month. Our big family Christmas gift was a Labrador puppy. One that we've known since he was in his mum's tum, who we've visited since he was two weeks old. We brought him home the second week of January, and three days later found out he was very sick with a congenital heart defect. We made the awful decision to return him to his breeder for further investigation, but sadly, he died two days later. It has been a heartbreaking experience, and we don't feel ready to look for another puppy.

The rest of our holiday was joyful, though, and full of handmade goodness.

Lacy baktus for my mom (details on Ravelry)

peppermint bark (using the recipe shared by Soule Mama)

Christmas cookies - we made what seemed like hundreds and gave little parcels of cookies to friends and neighbours in lieu of Christmas cards

Christmas Eve pj bottoms - using Folksy Flannel and Burda 9747

mama-made flopsy doll made with hand-dyed organic bamboo velour

beeswaxed play blocks Daddy made from sawn douglas fir and birch branches

sailboat made by Daddy

rockerboard made by a man from a Waldorf community in New York (thank you Waldorf Mama for sharing his details last Christmas)

playstand made by my friend's incredibly talented 15-year-old son - perfect for building dens

just eight straight lines

About four months ago, I bought some very inexpensive green and red gingham fabric, with the idea of using it to make reusable Christmas gift bags. We have hardly used any wrapping paper in our present-giving throughout this year (except for gifts outside of our family, and that is almost exclusively recycled wrapping nowadays), and though I adore the look of a beautifully-wrapped present, I hate how long it takes to do it. Today, with the deadline for getting my presents wrapped looming, I started making cloth gift bags. Not that I'm prone to procrastination or anything.

I've made a variety of sizes - some with gussets, some with ribbon already attached - and I thought I'd share the how-to bit with you (not that it's at all difficult, but I know by the time we get this close to Christmas, my brain's ability to work anything out for itself is waning quickly, so a photo-tutorial can save a bit of head-scratching). I used French seams on my bags for neatness - you could do without them to save time, but in all honesty they only add about two and a half minutes to each bag.

 Cut your fabric a little more that twice the size you want your finished bag to be. I didn't do any measuring - just made a selection of sizes. If you use a fabric such as gingham, you can just cut along the lines - super speedy!

 Working with one of the short edges, fold over twice, press and pin. Do the same with the other short edge.

 Sew a straight line along the folded edge, ensuring you catch the folded-under bit of fabric. My hems were about 3/8 inch - you could make them as wide or narrow as you please. I didn't bother backstitching at either end - the ends will be caught in the side seams anyway.

 Fold your hemmed fabric in half, hemmed edges together, wrong sides facing. Press along the folded edge.

 If attaching ribbons, tuck 1" of the ribbon in between the layers about 2" down from the hemmed edges. Pin all three layers together. Do the same on the other side. Sew straight lines down each edge, using a 1/4" seam allowance. When you've sewed both sides, you will have a bag that looks as though you've sewed it wrong side out as the raw edges will be on the outside. Your long pieces of ribbons should be on the outside of the bag.

 Now turn your bag inside out. It should look like the above photo, with 1" of ribbon sticking out of the neat edges. Press the sides of your bag so they're nice and flat.

 Sew down each side again with a 3/8" seam allowance - this should ensure that your raw edges are now encased inside the new seams. As you approach the ribbon, check that the long tail is laying flat inside your bag.

 Fold the short tail of ribbon over the fabric, so that as you continue your seam you sew down the tail. This keeps the inside of your bag nice and tidy and should stop the ribbon from fraying.

 Do the same for the other side. This is what the inside of the bag will now look like.

 If you want to add a gusset to the bottom of your bag so that it will stand up, pinch the corners of the bottom of the bag (whilst it's still inside out) and pull out so that you get a point.

 Sew a straight line so that you have a triangle. Use your judgement as to how large your triangle should be - mine were about 1 1/2" wide.

 This is what the bag looks like now, inside out.

 Here's a close-up of the gusset corners.

 Turn your bag right side out and admire your clever handiwork!

 Pop a gift inside, wrap the ribbons round the top edge and tie. Beautiful!

I managed to make eight bags in an hour, using about 1 1/2 yards of fabric. I didn't actually do any measuring or pinning - just pressed my seams and hems. I used bits of ribbon from my stash...you could easily make the bags without ribbons and tie them up as you wrap your gifts. Amanda has instructions for a slightly different way of constructing her bags and attaching the ribbons - her bags certainly look more elegant than mine! I love her red and white theme. And if you like the idea of using cloth to wrap your gifts, but don't have a sewing machine or the time to make bags, have a go at the Japanese art of Furoshiki, as demonstrated by the Lazy Seamstress.

it's been a while

...but we are beginning to feel settled in our new home. And not a moment too soon! With the holidays looming (in the nicest possible way, of course) and a new little one (more on that later) joining our family in the new year, we've hardly stopped for breath. The house is still full of unopened packing boxes, but I've managed to create a little calm in one half of the living room. The Christmas tree is twinkling, there is snow on the ground, and my sewing machine is seeing more action than the vacuum...so all is good in our little house.

on thanksgiving

Today, on this day of Thanksgiving, I have much to be grateful for:

• my family's good health
• a new home, which gives us the stability and security we have been seeking for two years
• secure, family-friendly jobs for both myself and my husband
• a school community that supports us as a family would
• close ties to family, in spite of the great distances that separate us
• friends who have rallied round as we prepare to move house
• and hopefully, good weather for the big move tomorrow.

But mostly, I give thanks for the life of my eldest daughter, who was born six years ago today on another Thanksgiving morning. Her entry into the world was a very traumatic one - one which nearly ended very sadly. But she emerged from her difficult birth perfectly healthy. I have never before and never since been as thankful as I was that day six years ago.

As traumatic as her birth was for both of us, I am also grateful for it. It changed the course of my life, leading me to meet some of the most amazing women I know, leading me to take more responsibility for my own parenting decisions and healthcare choices, leading me to support other women during their journey to motherhood. It made me a stronger person.

Happiest of birthdays to my dear daughter, Eva.