Baby Boy’s Blanket

This is the story of old meets new: a new baby boy, a wonderful old fabric store, a new blanket (well, quilt) and my vintage sewing machine.

   The newest addition to our family was born earlier this month. My younger sister gave birth to her third son, my darling new nephew. Babies are born every minute, of course, but I always see it as a bit of a miracle. I’m so happy for my sister and her family.

Last weekend I got to meet my new nephew. He’s such a gift. I love babies. I love their feel, their soft hair, their tiny toes, the miniature hands, and that newborn baby smell. I marveled at the doll-sized socks and diapers the size of a postage stamp. How can such a tiny person be simultaneously so fragile and so strong? Our middle kiddo and I kept arguing about whose turn it was to hold him. Welcome to our family, little guy. We love you so much!

The baby’s arrival meant it was time to break out my vintage sewing machine again. It had been a while since I’d sewn but my nephew’s birth was just the occasion to get out my fabric and thread. I decided to sew him a twin-sized quilt rather than a crib-sized one so that he can use it for years, if he wants to. I love practical gifts, and this one is pretty to look at and will keep his body cozy. It’s like a fabric hug. There will be lots of real hugs, too, of course. They will have to pry him out of my arms.

The story of how I found my sewing machine is serendipitous. I found it in an alley, seventeen years ago, while I was riding my bike and exploring the neighborhood. Alleys fascinate me more than regular streets. They are the residential equivalent to the backstage—more interesting to me than the stage itself. Anyway, in the alley I spotted something that looked like a sewing machine cover. It was a beige plastic rectangle that looked a lot like my mom’s sewing machine case from long ago. I stopped the bike, opened the cover and saw a sewing machine! We were on a very tight budget at the time, and while I was interested in sewing, I couldn’t justify the expense of a machine. I had no idea why the machine was there, but I was thrilled. The neighborhood I was cycling through was one with a lot of older residents and I wondered if the machine had belonged to someone’s mom who had passed away. It was a Kenmore in immaculate shape. I raced home on my bike and drove back to the alley within thirty minutes. It was still there, so I brought it home and promptly put it in the closet. For years. I was excited to learn to sew but I was intimidated. I wish I’d pushed myself to experiment with it but I waited years before dipping my toe into the world of sewing. I’m happy to say that in the last ten years or so I’ve sewed many things, so I’ve made up for lost time. Eventually I Googled the model number and learned that it was made in the late 70s. Built to last!

The quilt I sewed for my nephew is the fifth quilt I’ve made. I’m far from an expert but I am proud of how it turned out. I chose to freestyle my own pattern, but there can be drawbacks to this approach. It has some mistakes, but unlike the old me, the new Sarah is okay with that. I’m okay with confessing that I accidentally sewed something upside down and this led to my changing the design. The result is that the zigzags make diamonds instead of being a quilt of chevrons. And I like the effect even better than the original design.

Most of the fabric in this quilt is from the Yardage Town fabric store near our house. I’m sad to say that it’s closing in a few weeks after being in its location for decades. But it makes me happy to know that my nephew’s quilt has pieces of fabric from that wonderful store, a place that reminds me of the fabric stores I visited with my mom when I was a kid.  

It’s bittersweet to say goodbye to Yardage Town, but I accept that change happens. Besides, I’ve got a sweet new nephew to love. I’ll focus on that, and on all the magic that is to come. Times change, and that can be hard to digest. But the flip side is that change can bring a lot of joy, too, like the arrival of a baby. My other nephews adore their new brother, so it’s a happy new chapter in their family’s life. Welcome, little guy. May you and all the babies experience the wonder of this world…. 

Wacky Wednesday #96: Sunflowers

Oh, it’s been ages since my last WW (nine months). But during the school year I teach art on Wednesdays so the chances to dress up in my handmade creations are few and far between. (I’m still determined to complete 100, but it’s taking a while!) This summer I had big plans to do at least several WWs. But the weeks have raced by. I’ve had a good summer, hanging out with the kiddos and the hubby, plus dirt-shoveling, weed-pulling, painting, gardening and reading. I also taught two weeks of art camp, so some of my Wednesdays were accounted for already. Still, I’m beyond overdue for another wacky creation!

Why sunflowers? A few months ago I noticed a lot of very tall, beautiful sunflowers in San Diego. Immediately I knew that this would be a super fun Wacky Wednesday theme. Sunflowers are cheerful, colorful summer flowers, and I love the variety in their heights and bright blooms.

I call this a hat but it’s not like it provides protection from the sun or rain, so maybe it’s a head ornament. Either way, it was my favorite part of this costume. I made it with pipe cleaners, felt, hot glue and a plastic knife. Yes, you read that right. I needed something lightweight but rigid to keep the flower from flopping over. 

Did you know that sunflowers symbolize adoration, loyalty and longevity? 

And who knew that the yellow petals and brown centers are actually individual flowers? There are as many as 2,000 flowers in a single sunflower bloom (and up to 2,000 seeds).

The tallest sunflower on record was over 30 feet tall, grown in Germany.

Let’s talk numbers. I always challenge myself to create a costume for as little money as possible.

Tank top and skirt (already had):               $    0

Artificial flowers (99 Cent Store):               $ .99

Felt for flowers and leaves:                       $4.00    

Pipe cleaners for hat:                                $1.00

Total cost:                                                  $5.99

It was such fun to wear my cheery costume all over San Diego today. People kept telling me how much it made them smile, and hey—that’s really a big part of what Wacky Wednesday is about for me.

I hope you enjoyed this costume and that you are having a peaceful summer.

Til next time, this is Wacky Sarah, signing off. If you need me I’ll be outside playing in the dirt…

Peacock Garden Mosaic

There’s a peacock in our yard! Okay, I’ll be honest. It’s not alive. It’s mosaic. There are parts of San Diego county where you can have live peafowl on your property but our neighborhood isn’t zoned for that. This may be a blessing—have you heard their shrieks? 

This mosaic piece is actually part of a bigger project: our backyard refresh. The rest of the yard isn’t complete (this may take months) but I couldn’t wait to share some photos of the peacock. So I’m posting today as Part One of a multi-part yard makeover. More on that below, but for now, about the bird:

He is three feet tall and five feet wide. I designed him in four sections because I thought installing him would be really hard (heavy) if he were in one single piece. A smaller mosaic I did two summers ago was very heavy, and I wanted to avoid Installation Irritation (it’s a thing. Look it up.). It turns out that he wasn’t as heavy as I predicted because part way into the project I opted not to cover him completely with mosaic pieces. Half of him is painted. 

The idea came to me earlier this summer. I did a sketch of a mosaic peacock in front of a mosaic/cement block planter. I do plan to build the planter soon but for now let’s focus on the bird.

Initial sketch.

I’ve had a mishmash of mosaic pieces I’ve kept for more than a decade. There’s always leftovers after projects, and keeping them for other designs makes sense (and also makes clutter—but hey, you can’t have it both ways!). So some of my mosaic pieces I already had. Others were given to me in June. My friend Tom offered a big collection of mosaic tiles his uncle Bill no longer needed. Bill has created many beautiful mosaic pieces over the years but he recently created his final piece and had loads of leftover pieces. Did I want them? Of course. (Thanks, Bill and Tom!)

The photos below will show how I started this piece. I used poster board to sketch out the layout. Then I cut the cement board into a semi-circle and then into four pieces. (This was not easy but it is doable.)

A simple set up works (a folding table outdoors or in a corner of your living room).

To help attach the mosaic to the fence I repurposed boards I wasn't using anymore.

My design is not completely symmetrical. I semi-measured (yes, it’s a term—well, maybe) to make sure the feathers were mostly symmetrical but there are places where they are not. The old me would have Freaked Out about this and berated myself. The new me says, “Hey, it doesn’t have to be perfectly symmetrical. I’m not building a piano. It’s okay to be human!” Once I’d drawn my design onto the cement board, I began to place marbles and tiles. I cut myself often with sharp tile and I even pinched my palm with tile nippers (I don’t recommend that—very painful). Eventually I decided I wanted to paint part of the design and I like how it turned out. I don’t own a tile cutting saw so everything I cut was with tile nippers. You end up with some jagged, irregular pieces, which I find rustic and charming. 

My sweet friend Roxie gave me the idea to paint our fence (thanks, Rox!). She painted hers a few years ago and I love how her flowers pop against the dark paint. I am so glad I am painting the fence because a shiny mosaic art piece would highlight how weathered the fence looked. It’s a sturdy fence but it needed paint.

I like to share how inexpensive it can be to create beautiful art—in part to encourage anyone out there to try their hand at mosaic. You don’t need fancy tools to make mosaic pieces. You can get tile nippers for $10-$15 (or simply break tile or plates using gravity). Your design does not have to be the most complex design ever. Give it a try!

Supplies for this project:

Cement board (base for peacock):                         $13

Mortar (I already had a partial bucket):                   $ 0

Glass marbles, ceramic plates (Dollar Tree):          $24

Tile pieces from Bill, plus ones I had already:         $ 0

Paint (you can use inexpensive acrylic)                  $10

Total:                                                                        $47

There are so many directions you could take if you want to give your yard (or a room) a makeover. My overall plan is to keep adding plants, finish painting the fence, and paint an existing low brick wall we have. You’ll see this when I post Part 2 of our yard makeover.

Not shown in this post are the weeds in the rest of the yard. Hey, let’s keep it real. There’s still more yard work to be done. But I hope my message has been clear: you can redo something without spending a million dollars. If you’re willing to put the work in and you don’t mind being covered in dirt at times (!), you can do it yourself. It’s satisfying and you’ll get a boost every time you see it. 

Adventures in Dog Walking

Time flies…when you’re scooping poop.

This is a blunt way to start a blog post, yes. But I do like to keep it real here.

We’ve had our new dog for three months. I’m not a dog expert, by any stretch of the imagination. But we’ve kept her alive and she’s happy, and that counts for something.

We did some training classes through Petco. Six one-hour group sessions. A little bit like preschool for dogs. Socialization. Learning the rules. Rewards for good behavior. And finger/paw painting. (Okay, not really, but that could be a cool teachnique, now that I think about it.)

I thought I’d share a few funny tales from our first three months. Yes, many of them involve doggy poop, so if you’re squeamish, we’ll see you at the next blog post (which will not involve anything gross). But I hope you’ll stick around because doesn’t everyone need a few laughs?

This sign was posted downtown years ago.
I found it hilarious that it referred to the "nuisance."

Speed Walks.

Our dog has two speeds on walks: meander, and race. When she meanders, time spent and distance covered have no relationship to each other. If she needs to sniff every inch of a ten-foot sidewalk, this could take five minutes. On those walks her path looks like this: 

But when she’s in the mood to go fast, she races forward like she’s a caffeinated Husky pulling a dog sled. You’re going on a run, when you really want to go on a walk.

No Sudden Moves.

The dog and I have discussed this before walks. I tell her there are to be no sudden moves and no jerking of the leash. She gazes soulfully into my eyes and pants (which I misinterpret as agreement). And soon after, while on a walk, I glance to the side for a fraction of a second and suddenly my arm is being yanked out of the socket by a very sudden move by the dog. Is she chasing a cat? Another dog? A figment of her imagination? Who cares? Because now I have a sore shoulder!

Now a few tales on the art to picking up dog poop. I’m an artist, yes, but I’m artistically challenged when it comes to the art of the poop scoop.

Poop Chronicles, Part 1: Make sure your bag is actually…a bag.

(This may seem obvious but I promise you, you will thank me.) This lesson was learned one night when I attempted to pick up some dog poop by using the bag as a flat sheet of plastic. (Don’t do this. Please.) In my defense, it wasn’t my first choice of methods. I was using a new type of doggy bag. Our first roll ran out and I was doing a dry run with the new bags. (Wet run, more like it.) At that point I still naively believed that if it was labeled as a bag, there would be an end that opens. (Silly me.)

It wasn’t actually night yet. It was twilight, so I felt I could see what I planned to grab. I didn’t have my phone (with its light) with me because my clothes didn’t have pockets (rant about women’s clothes and the lack of pockets—for a future blog). So, a perfect storm is brewing:

1) It’s almost dark.
2) I don’t have a light.

      3) I have a “bag” that isn’t actually a bag. It’s a plastic red rectangle.

What could go wrong?

Our sweet dog does her business and I’m trying to open the bag with one hand (the other hand being busy gripping the leash of this 77-pound force). I try and try. I must have tried for three or four minutes. I try all sides. The thing won’t open. So I decide that I will simply grab the poo using the plastic sheet as a barrier, similar to how you’d use the blue plastic sheet at the grocery store when getting a Kaiser roll from the bakery box. Sanitary. Straightforward. No problem.

Except that Kaiser rolls do not change shape as you grab them. Doggy poop does. I realize (too late) that I now have my sweet dog’s not-so-sweet poo on my hand. I have to hold the leash with one hand and the ball of poo with the other. (Now, stop worrying. Three fingers got…contaminated. Not the whole hand. But still.) I had about two blocks to walk home with this mess, and I was trying not to get queasy, not to breathe too deeply, and not to think about what was on my hand. Lesson learned: it is not recommended to use a bag as a plastic sheet.

(Side note: I have since learned to pre-open the bags before the walk. Sometimes I have to cut them open. Sure, part of me is a little annoyed that these bags don’t open more easily—if at all—but these are small problems.)

The bag that won't open.
Actually just a rectangle of plastic.

The other kind of bag imposter is actually a tube of plastic with no sealed end.

Poop Chronicles, Part 2: Dog bags are not seaweed.

(What, you need further explanation?) It seems I learned something from the situation described above. One night I brought two bags when walking the dog—just in case. Yes, I was still using the same funky bags (sometimes they open, sometimes they don’t)—hey, I don’t like to waste! And once again, the bag would not open. I had two bags but because neither would open, I had the genius idea to kind of surround the dog poo with bags, one on the left, one on the right. I rolled the whole thing to and fro so as to pick it up without getting stuff on my hands (again). It reminded me a little (not a lot but a little) of the one and only time I attempted to make sushi, rolling the column of rice inside the seaweed wrapper. This technique is not ideal, but unlike using one bag as a sheet of plastic, the two bag rolling method can work in a pinch.

Poop Chronicles, Part 3: Long spring grass.

It’s spring and grass is growing fast. When your dog picks long grass as her preferred pooping location, you have an extra challenge. You must pick it up, because you are a responsible dog owner. You must. But removing poop from long spring grass is like removing spaghetti from pasta sauce. There’s no unmixing it.

Jokes aside, we love having our dog in our lives. We are not sure how we ever survived without her. She gives so much love, and is truly sweet, and so appreciative. She makes us laugh every day, with her Play Dead pose, on her back, paws in the air. Sore shoulders, hair-covered floors and poop bag misadventures don’t take away her shine. We adore her and she is here to stay.

Let There Be...Art!

7th grader

For weeks I’ve been muttering to myself. Muttering names. Muttering numbers. I’ve been putting together the second annual art show at the school where I teach art. It’s been a dizzying mix of excitement, panic and paper. Lots of paper. Counting and recounting. “Why do I only have thirty seven? Let me count. Again.” Eventually I realize that Sammy hasn’t given me his bird portrait, and this is why one is missing. Wish I had remembered that before counting to thirty seven at least eight times. But hey, I’m human.

I saved almost all of the art the students have made since the fall, and this means that there are over one thousand pieces for me to sort through. (Thank heavens for binder clamps.) There is a lot of variety in the show and I’m happy that things have come together. There were moments when I was overwhelmed. But these kids did some wonderful art this year and I’m so proud of them. 

7th grader

8th grader

I wish I could show you the entire collection of almost four hundred pieces of art in the show. But I’m paring it down to a smaller sample for the blog, and I hope you enjoy seeing what the kids made.

We’ve experimented with collage, watercolor painting and weaving paper. We learned about texture, both tactile and visual. The kids practiced drawing birds, fish and food three-dimensionally, using perspective, shadow and highlight. All the students created lily pads inspired by Claude Monet, and the third, fourth, fifth and sixth graders made three-dimensional water lilies and lotus flowers.

3rd grader

7th grader

2nd grader

4th grader

1st grader

textured paper art by a 3rd grader

My youngest students are five (Kindergarteners) and the oldest are fourteen, so there’s a big range in their A) attention span and B) fine motor skills. But they all tried hard and they always make me laugh. The younger kids are so earnest in what they say. And their questions aren’t limited to art. One little girl approached me with a concerned face and asked, “Mrs. Sarah, do boys have cooties?” A male classmate overheard and his little face took on an indignant look. “No, of course they don’t,” I told her. This, of course, had nothing to do with the art lesson we were doing, but these Life Questions pop into their minds and (obviously) require answers. Hey, that’s what I’m here for. I open paint. I help draw bird beaks. And I address concerns about cooties. Next question?

paper collage fish by a 1st grader

6th grader

7th grader

8th grader. This student always draws with a lot of visual texture.

8th grader

 

6th grader

7th grader

7th grader

5th grader. I love how much attention he gave to the sesame seeds on the crust.

5th grader

Kindergartener

1st grader

8th grader

3rd grader

4th grader

5th grader

Printmaking by a 7th grader

Printmaking by an 8th grader

Printmaking by an 8th grader

Watercolor weaving by a 6th grader

Watercolor weaving by a 5th grader

I’m no expert in teaching at this point, but I do feel like I learn a lot every single time I teach. Sometimes it’s really frustrating. At times the intentional messes are unbelievable. Sometimes I get hot glue burns, paper cuts, and sore shoulders. I always have tired feet. But every day I’m with the kids there are wonderful moments. One day a first grade boy cut a heart and gave it to me. Other days the students hug me or thank me for my help. At times the second graders insist on sweeping up the mess from the class before theirs—and they argue over who gets to use the broom. I love their innocent faces. I’m amazed at the different ways they interpret projects. I marvel at how much pride some of them have in their work. Some are true artists. I’m exhausted when I stagger home after a day of teaching but I always feel so grateful to be doing it. It’s art, it’s kids, there are laughs, there is imagination. I’m so lucky.