Doing stuff for babies

I just love babies. Last year, a friend of ours had a new grandbaby and I spent a couple of happy months sewing for the little feller. This year my husbands nephew and his wife are having their first child in April.

They are so money strapped that they make church mice look wealthy by comparison, so I have stepped up to help out. I have crocheted a couple of blankets, a dress, and a sweater set for little Mollie. I also stopped by the local Goodwill store and picked up some really nice sleepers and onesies for her. I will let all of the baby showers provide most of the clothes because she will wind up with so many 0-3 months outfits that she won't be able to wear them all before she outgrows them. I will actually focus more on clothes for later.

They have done a great job repainting Mollie's room. But they are still lacking a few things. Like a rug for the floor (the carpet in there was just awful, so they pulled it up to show the nice wood floor underneath) and curtains. Those things I can do. Curtains are just stupid expensive. So I found some really adorable fabric that matches the theme and will be getting those made up sometime this week. And I am crocheting a rug for the room. Think of a rag rug in design only made of yarn. I think it will be really cute in there.

I love doing things for people. It not only gives me something to do with my time, I get to help those who can't do for themselves.

It is a good feeling.

Crafting in Arkansas

Well, it has been busy around here again. Between chasing the boy for scouts and marching band, we are also starting to think about the holiday season. And we have started a new learning experience toward self sufficiency. We have started home brewing.

I know it sounds just a bit nuts, but it is one of those things that if they economy really does tank completely, we will have something available that we will not have to buy. The ingredients aren't that expensive and it is more learning the process than having vast quantities of beer and wine around the house. It will get used eventually. And it is kinda fun. Now we just have to see how it turns out.

I have also been trying to use up all of the yarn I have hanging around the house. I have made something like 25 hats in the last few weeks and several scarves to go with them. These will probably be Christmas gifts for friends and family. They didn't cost much, look nice and are actually useful. Much better than giving a gift that will just collect dust or take up space in a closet until a yard sale happens. I still have lots of yarn left, most of them small or partial skeins, so I may just make hats until I run out of yarn and donate them to a homeless shelter or something. At least it gives me something to do and gets rid of some of the "stuff" hanging around the house.

I also recently completed an afghan for my sister-in-law. She was the last one in the family to get one and I felt really bad about it taking so long to get one made for her. So it is an especially nice one. I got some really expensive yarn from a clearance rack for about $1.50 a skein. So I made a $70 (retail price for the yarn) afghan for about $18 dollars. I thought that was a very good deal on a very nice, soft, cuddly blanket.

Being "crafty" gives me a lot of satisfaction. Handmade gifts seem to be appreciated, they are less expensive than the store-bought versions, and it gives me something to do.

Missing craft folk

Every year, we seem to be getting farther and farther away from the arts and crafts that defined us as a nation. The few people who know how to make a quilt anymore only do it to make artwork, not as a means to keep warm. Granted, these quilts are beautiful and are treasured by the recipients, but they are put away or displayed and not used. My grandmothers both made me quilts when I was a kid. One had a very simple butterfly cutout on a white block. My Grandma had me draw the butterfly for the pattern without telling me what it was for. My other grandma gave me the last last quilt that my grandpa helped her to piece together before he died. While they are very special to me, they would lose some of their meaning if I just stored them away. My mother even tried her hand at quilting once. She made me a Dutch Girl quilt made from scrap pieces from my baby clothes. My daughter has slept under it since she first moved out of her crib. She will be going to college in a year or two and has already told me that if it is still holding together she will be taking it with her.

Me, I don't have the patience to quilt. I crochet. I have made afghans for all of my family, my friends, my daughter's friends. I even started one for her first boyfriend. They broke up before I finished it. Oh well.

I tried to teach my daughter to crochet. She wanted to learn. It was a frustrating experience for both of us. She doesn't have the patience to sit still long enough and still pay attention to what she is doing. Where I on the other hand, go into an almost Zen like state and can only teach by showing. She didn't get it. She really wants to, but her talent lies elsewhere. I can watch TV, hold a conversation, and crochet at the same time. She can draw, write and play her viola. But not at the same time.

Yes, I know it is easier to go to your local Megamart and buy a blanket if you are cold, or buy one of the thousands of "throws" available with your favorite sports team, favorite holiday, favorite bible verse, or favorite pet. But where is the love that goes into it? An Army surplus wool blanket can keep you warm, but a hand made quilt or afghan is like a hug every time you use it. And that is what you are giving someone when you give them something you made yourself.