It begins...

A friend recently forwarded an email to me titled "The Invisible Mother," a short essay comparing the tireless and often thankless job of a mother to the builders of Europe's great cathedrals. Both give their whole lives for a work they will never see finished, both make sacrifices and expect no credit, and both are fueled in their passion by the faith that the eyes of God see every detail. The writer of the essay was inspired by the thought that our endless efforts in motherhood, invisible as they may seem, are worth it and can make an enriching life.


For many of us, the way we choose to hold our invisibility at bay is by creating something tangible. For me, my days often end with knitting - my love of fiber and the need to do something relaxing end up producing something I can hold and look at. Nobody will know how many times I swept under the high chair that day, or how many toys I picked up, or how many times I tried to coax a "please" or "more" or "sorry" out of my 5 year old. But a darling, handmade infant hat? That you can see.


I start new projects every day, and my 10 year old does the same. In this process of creating (and yes, often not finishing our projects!) we connect with each other and a bigger picture of ourselves in the process. My plan for this blog is to share the projects that excite me and bring some accessible proof of my existence in this invisible world of mothering!


So, this blog is dedicated to the mothers out there whose days are filled with the minutia of tasks that build our children and our families. I often tell people that I haven't decided what I want to be when I grow up. But for now, I am the builder of a great cathedral. With every shoelace tied, lunch packed, and forehead kissed, I build.


And I can hardly wait to create something new...


Friday, July 15, 2011

A Break From Wool

As much as I am enjoying making a stack of wool kid sweaters to send to Afghanistan, I decided to take a break from wool and tackle a little side project. I pulled out my bin of cotton blends and let Rowan choose the colors she wanted me to use for Bun-Bun's summer dress. She chose a blue and green "Comfy" yarn by Knit Picks. Not sure I love the two colors together, but Rowan is happy!
Using the little pink dress I made for Rowan's knitted doll as a basic pattern (from "Knitted Toys"), I took a stab at widening and lengthening the dress to fit Bun-Bun's funny shape. I got a good chunk done yesterday afternoon.
Today, I have finished the top and woven in most of the ends. I still need to seam the back and give it a vinegar wash (to hold the color, just in case), and we've decided to embellish the bottom row of green seed stitch with some little beaded flowers! I've made one as a sample, but may switch out the green bead for something more subtle.

Tea party craftiness consumed our afternoon today! We decided to make our own chocolate candies from flower and butterfly molds to serve at next week's tea party, with lots of extras to send home as party favors. Rowan did the first few batches, then I got in the groove and kept on going until we ran out of chocolate melting bits. Here's a smattering:
We also got out the cake decorating tips and started practicing flowers for the cake. I thought Rowan would have fun doing that but her hands started to hurt almost right away. I made a bunch, which I may be able to transfer onto the cake when it's frosted next week.
And now that Brynn's awake, I need to pick up the bead project, knitting, and chocolate mess and worry about dinner. It is very rare that I actually skip a meal, but when I get into crafty mode and the hours fly I would forget to eat if not for a hungry family nipping at my heels!
Posted by at

1 comment:

  1. KathyJuly 15, 2011 at 10:57 PM

    Ooooo. Love the frosting flowers. So delicate and darling. The chocolate candies are adorable. However did you learn to do that? I can hardly wait to hear all about the tea party when it's over!

    And, Bun-bun is going to be so sweet in her darling cotton dress with bead flower trim. Makes me want to knit some doll clothes!Love the color and style.

    I'm so glad Rowan and you are enjoying SO much creativity fun together this summer! Memories to last a lifetime, I'm sure.

    xoxox

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)