In the meantime, here's Genevieve with her patched jeans. I have sequestered old jeans legs and other denim scraps in a bag in my workroom so that I can patch denim with denim. Here I used scraps of railroad-striped denim to make heart patches on the knees. On the inside are flannel rectangles - you can see them outlined with the topstitching.
And Genevieve is holding a Calico Critter. She and Ben pored over a Toys R 'Us Christmas circular and begged and begged to buy these things. I think children thrive best on homemade, open-ended toys, so I said no. They continued to beg, which I took as a sign that Calico Critters were not a passing interest.
So I told them that they could save their money from grandparents and extra chores and only buy the little figures, not their houses or furniture. So they did.
And now they are constantly devising houses out of wood and cardboard. And pestering their father to help them.
Ben's friend, tonight, while eating popcorn: "What's a Calico Critter?"
Ben: "a piece of crap."
That is a true story. I'm afraid Ben was quoting his mother.
I need to marshal my thoughts for a post about the children and money because it's starting to get rather complicated in that area.
16 comments:
"piece of crap" - ha! You teach them well!
Such cute little patches! Did you do them with the machine? How did you get the legs on the machine? I patched a pair a few months ago but had to rip out the inside seams to be able to sew the knees on the machine. Is that normal or is there a better way?
Dianna, yes, I pick the stitches out of a leg seam, whichever seam is just a simple seam (not flat-felled). It's not tedious if I'm watching a movie or yakking on the phone.
Ha. Ah, Ben....that is perfect. I guess you can be certain that he is listening well! And I like the patches a lot. Since reading Mend it Better I've been trying to make my patches a little more creative and cute. Previously I figured if the hole was closed/covered it was all good no matter what it looked like....but I've come to think there is something about the "artistic" patches....
Jada has the cat family Calico critters, a gift from a grandma at Christmas. For a while, she constantly talked about the house that said grandma told her she'd get her for next Christmas. Drove me nuts. I helped her make a cardboard house and grocery store and they have been cluttering up her room ever since. But she does play with them. In the meantime, I'm hoping Grandma forgets what she promised. Ha!
A perfect post.
Thanks for replying!
There is something to be said for children having money of their own, in order to learn from experience which choices pay off and which ones don't. You are right, it's complicated!
Ben's echo of your comment made me smile and smile ... been there. I might just be imagining how it sounded, but it seems he's already developing a wicked sense of humour, too :)
Genevie's Happy Face says it all.. That toy is very special.. Having to work for things they really want, makes them appreciate it.Proud of them both.
Cute jeans.. Great job.
ps I loved Ben's response.. "it is crap"..It is one my regular phrases.ha
Those patches are adorable! I've actually noticed that patches are the latest trend: stores are selling brand new jeans with patches on them. I guess Genevieve is a trendsetter. :-)
Ha! My kid says that too- " oh- those are the crap toys" Learned from us- also heard in our house re: advertisements "they're just trying to sell me crap".
Angela, we say the SAME things about ads, too!
I love these patches! My 10 year old daughter always gets holes in the knees of her pants, which I sew up, but then get a puckered line. These patches would be perfect. Thank-you for the inspiration!
Patches: adorable.
My aunt gave us a huge box of Calico Critters from my cousins that included furniture, a tree house, and about 10 little families. I refuse to buy more, but I do have a soft spot for those little guys.
With birthdays all around Christmas and very indulgent in-laws, the toy scene here is completely oppressive by February. I'm about to consign or give away most of it -- and keep the CCs, The old school Little People sets, and the American Girl dolls that they bought themselves. I hear AG has a short shelf life with kids, so we're stopping. And we only started because I forgot to check the mail and throw away the catalog before my younger daughter caught it.
And don't get me started on the crappy-bling craft sets at Michaeils. I don't know what to do when nice folks and relatives just give it to the kids, who are so happy to have it. Do you have any tips on how to redirect interest when it's so fervent toward stuff like building plastic bracelets? We even have a "no gifts" policy at birthdays, but people give things anyway!
M, I will add a post to the list of posts I need to do: how cheap toys enter our homes and what to do. I have limited ideas on what to do, but I'm counting on my clever readers.
Way long time ago I patched my son's jeans with a heart...then his brother was envious, and I had to patch his perfectly good pair, as well. Ha!
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