FullOfStitches.com blog.A good laugh leaves me in stitches!

Here’s a shot of all the children (even the one that doesn’t swim):

I had fun with MissC’s swimdress. I raised the waist to empire level and added in a ruffle. The sleeves I widened and added a band to give them a pouf. I accidentally made the skirt shorter than I care for, so I may add a ruffle.

Here’s the changes for the sleeve. I lengthened by about 6″, tapered the side seams out, and curved the hem. For the band, I measured her arm (8″ with pajamas on) and added an inch. To gather, it’s easier than wovens – no basting! Just mark the hem and band in quarters and pin the marks together. Since I stretch to sew knitwear, it was easy to gather just by stretching.

Today I finished the top for MissB’s swimdress. Her favorite colors are purple and green, and I could only find one (1!) purple swim fabric – and it’s not even the good stuff! But it works for swimming, and she likes the pattern on the fabric.

A while ago, I purchased the “Fashionably Modest Patterns – Modest Swimming Suit” pattern. Sadly, it doesn’t seem to be available any more. I sewed some swimdresses for the girls a few years ago – before MissC was big enough to need one! Then they used swim shirts and board shorts the last couple years. Yet, we like the girliness of the skirted things, and the coverage! Redheads plus sun equals sunburn. I don’t want to have to invest in a sunscreen company to cover all that flesh in sun block, we’ll stick to just the normal parts! Anywho…

I took a shirt that fits her (this is actually C’s shirt, the other was put away), and drew a new higher neckline for the suit. Then folded up an equal amount on the front and back pieces (about where the grainline arrow is). I sewed the top together as usual (I think I added 7-8″ to the sleeves for elbow length). This pattern has you sew the skirt to the shorts, but I prefer to connect it to the top – have you seen the floors at public beach/pool restrooms? I simply measured the bottom of the bodice/shirt piece and cut the 2″ wide contrast fabric so it fit around the bodice plus 1/2″ seam allowance, and sewed the short edge, then folded the piece and placed it between bodice and skirt.

I actually ended up making the dress too long at first and had to cut off the waistband, so I think the contrast piece ended up 1- 1 1/2″ wide instead. It looks better this way.

The neckband was done like the waist. Just measure the neck, cut a piece of 2″ wide fabric the neck measurement plus 1/2″ seam. Sew little seam to form circle, fold band in half, then pin to neckband and sew in place.

Then I took the rest of the contrast fabric (I’d purchased about 1/8 yd, I think, it was more like 6″, and had used a 2″ strip so far), straightened the edge (ended with about 3 1/2″) and cut in half (1 3/4″ish), sewed the ends to make a really big circle, and pinned and sewed that to the hem of the skirt. I’ll see how it looks after a swim, I think she’ll like the ruffle.

I’ll get pictures of the girls soon!

Celebrating the hope of new life in Christ this Resurrection Sunday!

We’ve been under the weather most of this winter. The last few weeks have couched us with an awful cough. Little Guy was near lethargic for most of a week, and all he wanted was to have me hold him. I’m very thankful most of us were well by the time the baby arrived.

With all the sitting, I’ve had time to crochet a couple sleep cocoons for the baby. I’m loving these! Whoever came up with the idea – genius! Baby stays warm, no fighting with blankets drooping, not too bulky when siblings are allowed to hold her.

A birth story:

Wednesday morning, I started having mild contractions and losing my plug. I have gone into labor by my due date every time, so I knew this was probably the beginning. Since I didn’t want to overdo it, but had to get the house in order, the children came to my aid and helped me get things ready for my first guest (my Mom was flying in Thursday to help). They’re hardy helpers and get paid in video game time – cant beat that!

Ben came home early from work, just in case, and I let him know that I was in early labor. He started watching me like a hawk. He and the girls picked up dinner, then he and I went for a walk.

I took a warm bath to let myself relax while he put the children to bed. Little Guy (3yo) was fighting sleep, so I suggested Ben help him.

I called my midwife to let her know i was in early labor and would call when the contractions were closer. I waited for the next one (10 minutes) and since I started nodding a bit, I lay down on the couch to sleep as much as I could.

About 12:30, I woke to a long strong contraction. I went back to the bathroom and warmed the bath again. I didn’t think to time the contractions, just moved between toilet and bath as I felt I needed to. At one point, I thought about lying down again, but when I stood up, I got another contraction that forced me to squat. I grabbed my phone and texted Ben – lol.

I normally get sick during transition, and this time was the same. I threw up a bit, and the back labor was intense. I called out, “Ben!” and slid back into the tub to wait for him to put counter pressure on my hips. I threw up again and the bag of waters broke. He woke up and started for the couch (last place he’d seen me), and I called him again.

As he walked into the bathroom dialing the midwife, my contractions shifted and I started pushing. I reached down and said, “Tell her the head is out.” he repeated this to her and I heard him say something like, “I don’t know, she’s having contractions, I’m just repeating.” then the baby finished emerging and I rolled to my back with her on my belly. Their phone conversation was about a minute

We put a cloth over the baby and I felt the placenta release, and I pushed it out and set it below her while he got a bowl (“Check the time, she’ll want to know”). Ben came back with the bowl and I plopped the placenta in, checked the gender, and he took the baby and wrapped her in a towel.

I rinsed and got out, shaking with the adrenaline and chill, dried and dressed, grabbed a washcloth and went to get postpartum supplies from the other room.

My midwife’s assistant doesn’t live far and made it over pretty quickly. I was nursing the baby and holding the bowl. Ben got a space ready for me in the bed (towels just in case), let the midwife in and cooked me a breakfast sandwich.

We had all been surprised by how quick active labor had been. Then we were surprised again by the baby’s size! I had been measuring small for dates, but she was 8 pounds! Average for my babies, but I figure because she’s the shortest baby at 20″ that she just wasn’t taking up as much room.

It was more like a nice visit than a necessary checkup and the pair left with some of Ben’s home brew to try (haha, shouldn’t they be paid in beer?).

Then Dylan slept on Ben for her first night earth-side, as our babies have traditionally done.

James 1:17

Monday, I started coming down with what I thought was just another headcold. It turns out that it’s a doozy. Yesterday (Th), everything hurt. I napped at least 3 times by lunch.

The children have been helpful and understanding through this. I’m thankful the older two can do basic food prep, though, as I was not up to being in the kitchen.

I was, though, blog reading. I came across ikatbag which has some tutorials and was taken by a cute skirt shown as an example in a pocket tutorial. So, combining the round-top pocket, instead of the triangle she has on the cute skirt, and the instructions for adding a hem band, I came up with this:

I had bought the floral fabric, maybe as a remnant (?), a couple years ago. But it is SO busy! I couldn’t find a coordinating fabric that might tame it.. Until yesterday.

On Wed, the girls inherited a dresser that now is their craft cabinet and they were to sort through the scraps and put them away. Moving almost everything in the sewing area, I came across the brown and set it aside. Then when I felt up to sitting up long enough to sew, it was just waiting for me!

MissA loves it! MissB took it and upset MissA last night. So, it looks like I’m going to have to come up with another shortly.

Reading Brigitte Jordan’s Birth in Four Cultures is beginning to open my eyes. Yes, it’s a suggested reading book for my schooling (midwifery), yet she delves more and deeper into how natural learning occurs than many other books I’ve read. I’m in chapter seven now, where she describes the native midwife teaching her to perform prenatal massage by placing her (midwife’s) hands over hers (student) on the mother’s belly. The midwife’s knowledge is more in her physical body than in her spoken words.

The chapter also references another work: about Liberian tailors and how they apprentice. The apprentice starts off more play than work, allowed to work with the least expensive items – fetching and cleaning, learning what is in the shop, then moves up to sewing the less expensive garments (like previously cut pieces to be sewn together, and I’m guessing his button skills will be well practiced by now) well before he is ever allowed to cut fabric.

So do we when teaching our children.

They play with the bubbles as we clean the dishes. They sweep up little piles with the dustpan and brush while we’re sweeping the larger floor. They play with dough while I’m making bread. These activities teach them responsibility, importance, and hospitality.

Christ is known to talk in parables, but how did He teach His disciples to be mighty men of God? (Men who when with Him were recorded mainly as squabbling over who would be the greatest!) These men witnessed His humility – taking the time early each day to pray and align His desires with His Father’s, associating with and healing those that most of His people felt were undeserving..

How frustrating can it be to be the only (thinking/able/rational/fill-in-the-blank) person in the vicinity? Homeschooling, no, Parenting can be a huge lesson (for us!) in humility, patience. They need to play, yes, but they also need direction. If there is a child, there is learning, but what would be the cost of constant play? To move a family from poverty takes a parent willing to read to the children. To motivate a child takes interaction. To continue to live learning takes mastery of the basics and advancing challenges.

My challenge this weekend: prepare for the schoolyear. What “schedule” will we have? What materials are still in want? Prepare!

MissB’s up late after a nosebleed.. So, she gets to be the first to try out the play-dough. I read a great blurb over at Sew Liberated that inspired me to make some again -finally! The recipe she links to is like my Mom’s recipe that she used to make us play-dough. I said to Ben that I was cooking up scents from my youth, and he said the smell seemed oddly familiar. I’ll have to ask his Mom if she ever made his play-dough!

Ben went a little overboard and bought 4 pounds of cabbage. But, he loves sauerkraut, so I used a widemouthed mason jar for the extra.

Sauerkraut is so easy to make!

For one mason jar worth of sauerkraut:
One medium head of cabbage
Sea salt or pickling salt
Knife or shredder
Bowl
Jar with lid
Cloths: towel or bag, one to set it on, one to cover the jar

-I like to put the cabbage through my shredder, but slicing it with a knife works just as well. If you don’t have a weight, save an outer leaf to keep on top of the kraut.

-Next, I add salt to the cabbage. The ratio 1 1/2Tbsp per 3 pound, let this sit while cleaning up to start the juices extruding.

-Last, in a clean mason jar (or crock, depends on how much you’re making), add a small amount at a time, press down each addition. This minimizes the air bubbles that can push the liquids up and out of the jar as it ferments.

Leave about an inch or so at the top.

Place the weight or leaf on top, pressing so the juices rise over it.
The lid is set on loosely so the gases can escape. I’ve got kids, so I screw it on about 1/4 turn.

-Set it on a cloth on the counter in a moderate temperature area (I put it on the fridge in the winter for warmth, but in the corner of my counter in summer). Cover with a cloth and check every couple days to make sure the liquid isn’t escaping.

You can leave it for a week to 10 days (sooner in the summer, longer in winter).

Sometimes, a yeast grows on top of the leaf that I use to protect the kraut -that’s why the leaf! Smell the kraut if you’re unsure. If it doesn’t smell worse than fresh sauerkraut then it should be fine. Pull the leaf out, wipe any yeast off the jar side and enjoy.

Crafting overtook the game table set up in the corner of the living room. Then fabric filled some of the laundry baskets and were piled onto the coffee table. I considered building cabinets along the wall. I prayed for a cabinet to organize this chaos.

Last Friday, I was visiting a friend whose children have nearly all been potty-trained. She asked if I knew anyone who is expecting and needs a changing table. I drew a blank. Is anyone I know in the area expecting right now? She showed me the unit and my corner of piled baskets of fabric came to mind.. If she didn’t find anyone in need, may I have it? Apparently, she’d had it on offer for a couple weeks without takers and was more than happy to give it to me!

My cutting mat fits on the lower side of the table, where the changing pad belongs. This disturbs Ben a little.. Now, the bottom drawer has scraps and fabric the children have requested, the middle drawer has my projects, and I’m working on organizing the top drawer.

LX fits in the cabinet, so I’ll move in there more slowly. Otherwise, he dumps out what I put in there, or claims it as his own.