Daar heb je Flipper

It’s hard for me to do something quick. Not in general (I can make rapid decisions and never doubt very much) but I discovered something new about myself: when it comes down to sewing, the perfectionist in me is arising. I’m watching her with amazement, because the last thing I would say about myself is that I’m a perfectionist. No, I’m the mellow type of person who doesn’t fret or fuss. Who goes trough life smoothly and easy-going. Not when it comes down to sewing though. It has to be neat and good-looking. With a good finish and a professional outlook. The downside of this is that I am not quick while I like to do so much. All my fabrics say: “choose me!” but I can’t grand their wishes.
Yesterday evening though I stepped out the box and did something quick: an appliqué on a ready-bought T for Pelle. I cut out some fabric, draw the dolphin from one of the Ottobre magazines on it, ironed it on, sewed the contour and voilà: a pimped up top to match a short I made him. Finally some instant gratification. And I like it.

First day in school

This morning Pelle went to school for the first time. He had a few trials before the holidays, but now it’s official. My little guy is away from home each morning and two afternoons (Tuesday and Thursday). I was looking forward to it, because it means I have so much more time to do my own things. But this morning I felt sad. It was so quiet in and around the house. No asking for chocolate when I make coffee, no eating of fruit or going to the bakery, or playing or reading or making puzzles. No, just vacuuming cleaning, sweeping the floor, doing the dishes. Undisturbed. But with no joy.

You often hear people say that children grow up so fast. But it doesn’t feel that way to me.
I don’t think the past four years living with Pelle went by like a blink of the eye. It just feels like four years. Lovely years, which I enjoyed so much and which I will savor. In which we lived in a slow speed, as a family. A speed suited for a little boy. A speed which allowed us to see and feel so much. To let it all sink in. Thanks for that, big little man!

My own handmade home

Ever since I’ve been following blogs, I’ve been reading the one of Soule Mama . She’s kind of the mother of all blogs, I think. I don’t visit her daily, anymore. But I bought her book about a creative family life and now she’s publishing a new one, Handmade Home.
I love the way her creative juices flow. I think I’m much more restrained to sewing, not to shaping my life. I would love to be a bit more playful and joyful. Maybe that will grow in me, as I learn to let more restrains go. In the meantime, I though it would be nice to show some of my own creative home items. That is to say, handmade items in the rooms of my house.
So here’s the start of a new series.
I just start with the ground floor, namely the utility room. Three bags in wich I keep my plastic shopping bags. The one in the middle I bought on a fair, 2 summers ago. The other ones I made myself.

About dogs and camels

Mark and I rented a beautiful movie recently, "The Cave of the Yellow Dog". As the director said herself in an interview, the story can be told in one single sentence: A little girl finds a dog and wants to keep it, but her father is opposed. The father in the movie is a nomad who lives in the mountains of Mongolia. What makes the movie so wonderful is the whole setting, the gorgeous landscape, the way family life is run in their tent, the vivid and joyfull mind of the little girl. The movie takes time to show it all and has such a warm and lovely spirit. And it made me wonder about the lives of the nomads. How to they value their lives? Do they feel rich or poor? Or don’t they think in those terms. What are their worries? What makes them happy? For the little girl it’s her dog, and she can keep it, in the end.

Because we so loved the movie, Mark and I saw another one of the same director this evening. It’s called "The story of the weeping camel" and is also set in Mongolia. In the family of shepherds there’s a little camel born, but the mother does not want to feed her young. After several tries, the family asks for help from a music teacher. They sing and play the violin for mother and calf in an attempt to reconnect their bond. And that works out fine. Again, we saw the cozy family life of the nomad people and the way the lead their lives in the Gobi dessert. In between the sandstorms and endless horizons. How the little boy wants a television and grandpa doesn’t like these modern things. Like my own would have said.

So if you want a nice evening, slow down, and experience warm feelings that resonate through you, like the songs through the camel, go watch these movies.

Trains and planes and automobiles

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Some weeks ago, I bought a cheap T-shirt with a plane. It was only € 1,= and although I knew it was to small for Pelle, I thought I could make something nice out of it.
And so I did. I kept the image and sewed a new shirt around it. Since I was using a new pattern I struggled with the binding. The one I made from an old T from Mark wasn’t stretchy enough. I tried again but it just didn’t look right. Yesterday I found a store 9by coincidence) where they sold the special knit needed for those necklines (boordstof, in Dutch). I was so pleased! What a joy those finds can be, huh? It makes me feel so fine!
So I took a third shot and now the T’s done and approved of by it’s owner.
Sometimes I would love to be quick in my sewing, but sometimes I just want to go for the best result. Looking at it an enjoying the way things turned out.

Holiday

We had a wonderful holliday. Our tent turned out to be a house with canvas walls. We cooked on a wooden stove and read by lamplight. Pelle enjoyed the life on the farm and loved the donkeys.

We borrowed a special bike so Pelle could ride on his own behind daddies wheels and we could explore the environment.

It was the perfect mix between what we liked (camping and biking) and what was doable and fun for a little boy. I think we will do it again in the fall. How cosy it will be when it is cold outside and the fire is lit inside.