With Father’s Day just a few days passed, I thought I’d share this photo. My husband, Bert, is a great dad. I am immensely thankful for his leadership of our family and for his love and care of our six kids.
This picture was taken at the Vacation Bible School carnival and ending program. In his arms is our youngest son, Ben.
My husband recently signed up to participate in a wellness program through his employer. He brought home, just for me, a little gadget. I believe it’s called a pedometer. I thought, wow, what fun? I decided to wear it attached to my waist band during the course of a regular day. At the end of the day, it read 19,449 steps. Hmm. Wow. Really? On a slower day, it was 2,492.
It has become a bit of a game between my husband and I as to who gets the most steps in during a day. Silly, you think? Well, yes, it’s a silly game. But, it’s fun and it’s proving to be good for our health. Some days, my husband, Bert, rides his bike the 14 miles between our home in Mantorville and his work place and comes home with over 20,000 steps. Other days, we’re both in just a few thousands. We’ve taken lots of walks together, which adds up to lots of steps and many good conversations.
This week is Vacation Bible School for my kids. Maddy, Sam and Rachel are participants, and Hannah and Lydia are youth workers. Ben and I man the nursery together. A few weeks ago, we were asked to help create the name tag bags. It’s a simple little bag with a bias tape strap that finishes the edges and creates a strap that enables the kids to wear them upon their necks (Rachel wears one below). There’s a pouch with a zipper, so they can keep their little daily book with Bible verses. Our friend, Lori, who also operates a Bridal and Prom Dress Shop in Byron, Minnesota, had 300 bags completely cut out, zippers installed, and pinned ready for the bias tape to be attached.
My oldest girls were asked to help with 100 bags. They had a great time with this and managed to finish 99 bags. Just one zipper lost its zipper head during construction, an occupational hazard. It was a simple project, but a good experience for the girls to complete such a task under a tight deadline. A step toward bigger things.
It’s turning into a great summer here. The temperature reached the high 80s today, and we enjoyed the sunshine (after several cold and rainy days). It’s a brand-new kind of summer for Ben. He’s 20 months old now. There are so many new things for him to do. I’m enjoying watching his new abilities, climbing ladders at the children’s park, walking across the play set bridge, sliding down the small slides almost all by himself, learning to throw (or not to throw) things like sand, or a ball. His first useful sentence was “come me now.” His other super cute phrase was something sounding like “how are you?”… “good”.
This summer I’m working on an Aran fisherman’s sweater (or gansey) for six-year-old Sam. With two qualified baby sitters in my house now, I enjoy working on this project while Sam and Rachel attend their weekly piano lessons, or while traveling to Waseca to prepare our previous home for the real estate market. Can you see the “S” for Sam in the picture below? This is really my practice run. My plan is to eventually create one for my husband. However, size 6 seemed like a good first step.
I’ve actually made a little more progress since this picture was taken. I’m up to Sam’s underarms now! The gansey is knitted from the bottom up beginning with a Channel Island cast-on. It is created custom-made, based on the wearer’s measurements, rather than from a standardized pattern. A great feature of the gansey, I’m told, is a gusset at the underarms which makes the sweater fit better and stay in place when the wearer lifts his arms.
I’m working through Beth Brown-Reinsel’s book, Knitting Ganseys and using a 3-ply Aran yarn purchased through the Kerry Woolen Mill. The color is “light Jacob,” reflecting the natural colors of the Jacob sheep from which it came. Knitting Ganseys is a wonderful book which includes a “sampler” gansey that is only about 7 inches in length. It’s a great little lesson in knitting a gansey. Beth walks the reader through all of the characteristics of a gansey, from the Channel Island cast-on, the definition ridge, an underarm gusset, drafting an Aran pattern, and more. I decided to create my sampler just a little bigger so that Sam could enjoy it this winter and so that I could try my hand at creating a custom-made sweater. Ironically, the most difficult part, so far, has been to keep the diamond pattern at the center going well.
We’ve also had some fun creating slacks and capri pants this spring. Rachel created her own pair!
This is what she does during Sam’s piano lesson and my knitting excursion.
Hope you’re enjoying the summer!
this is what I would create for Rachel.
Rachel & I were watching this movie after she had a “scare” from a neighbor dog earlier this Spring. We quickly learned (the hard way) that if a dog is alone within an invisible fence with no master around, don’t try to walk to the front door.
At any rate, we admired this outfit. Of course, it’s Elizabeth Tailor, so of course she’s beautiful, and her clothing is beautiful, but take a close look at the cloth and the cut.
I asked eight-year-old Rachel what she thought, whether she’d wear something like that… She said, “Oh, yes……. but I would want the skirt just a little longer.”
I recently read an online post encouraging small business owners to find out what “moms” desire to buy and go after it, since they are the decision makers. I laughed….. So, there you go. I haven’t seen this type of clothing in any RTW stores, not even Brooks Brothers.
Add to that trousers with Iron Knees for the boys.
My kids attended their summer recital with their new piano teacher on Monday evening. Due to a variety of circumstances, it was held in the home of our piano teacher, around her grand piano. It was a casual affair compared with most recitals held in a church. They were told to wear what they’re comfortable in. Lydia and Rachel chose to wear batiste smocked blouses created years ago from Maja’s Heirlooms Larkin pattern. Lydia’s also wearing linen capris, and Rachel is wearing a ready-to-wear hand-me-down skirt. Madeline was most comfortable in her capri pants we made this Spring from a Kwik Sew pattern and navy super fine twill along with her 2012 Deo Cantamus t-shirt. Sam always loves a button-down shirt (this one is a RTW by Gymboree), and he also is wearing super fine twill on his trousers. Hannah made her own peasant-style top and combined it with her hand-made jean capris.
I love my kids. I love their piano recitals. I love to hear them play. They each played well. Sam began (enthusiastically) taking lessons just four weeks ago. He played a little song called “Leaves” involving Middle C and Neighbor D!
Today was the Smocking meeting in Richfield. I drove 1 1/2 hours to meet with 20 some ladies who share a common interest; sewing for children. It is a great time, every time. There were two ladies (Kathy M. and Maria L.) who completed the adorable organdy and linen dress following the Wendy Schoen workshop, held in April this year. The rest of us were in awe. I will share pictures when they become available.
After the meeting, everyone skedaddled quickly. I had hopes of going to lunch with someone, but that was okay. I decided to drive to the Oxboro Library and check out the Smocking display that was organized by Lynn S. It is a wonderful selection of Smocking and Heirloom Sewing samples; some finished items and some in progress. There are also several books on the subject on display as well. If you have time and are in proximity to the Oxboro Library in the next few weeks of May, I highly recommend you stop by: 8801 Portland Ave S Bloomington, MN 55420
It’s a challenge to capture the detail of these items, but here are a few pictures I captured today.
Stop by, take your time, enjoy the beauty of the needle arts. Notice the ribbon embroidery, lattice smocking, heirloom sewing techniques, picture and geometric smocking.
Knowing that my family would be delayed in getting home from their Spring work day at a youth camp, I took my time during my drive back home. Ironically, it was a 1 1/2 hour drive to the meeting, but a 3 hour drive home (figure that!). A friend mentioned a fabric store in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, called Fourth & Main, located on my way home. Also in Cannon Falls is a great yarn shop, What in Yarnation. Both are worth the stop. I found quality buttons at the yarn shop, not to mentioned lots of beautiful yarn and inspiring samples of knitted goods. The fabric store carries lots of quilting fabrics; AND, they have a small section of Pima batiste and a few woolens from B. Blacks & Sons. Both stores are within a block from each other. Cannon Falls is a sweet town.
It’s gorgeous in Minnesota right now. My drive from the Cities takes me through rolling Minnesota farm country and then back into the Zumbro River Valley. All the farmers are preparing the fields and working to get the seed in the ground. It’s that time of the year.
My friend, Patty, created this hand smocked sundress and diaper cover as a gift for the baby daughter of a friend/coworker.
It is from Creations by Michie pattern #132 using Fabric Finders’ floral pique for the dress, and white pique for the diaper cover.
It’s just adorable and a perfect picture of Spring.
We’re sure it’s Spring-time in Minnesota now. Our “historic” snow in May is nearly all melted. This is a picture from Saturday.
By Tuesday the snow was gone, with only a few snow piles holding on.
The roller blades are out, the bikes are ready to go (with helmets), and the bike trail is becoming a beaten path for the Perry Family. We live in the Zumbro River Valley. It’s really a pretty area with rolling hills (and challenging bike trails). This morning the youngest three of my children and I walked to the Mantorville Riverside Park.
We moved to Mantorville in February. We’re finding our way around, making good new friends, and seeing new opportunities for our kids. Mantorville has a sweet historic downtown that includes the Hubbell House, a Chocolate Shoppe and an Opera House. A job change (loss and job search) can be a stressful time for a family. We have many things to be thankful for; a good job for my husband, a safe place for our family, and the move is behind us! We are very thankful for the place where we “landed”.
