Posted on 14 Comments

Bamboolicious

New fabric

I never showed you this fabric that arrived a few weeks ago. I got a fantastic deal on the three colors of jersey and the Irish linen on the bottom. $2/yard or less, if I remember correctly. It made the $16/yard price tag on the top fabric much easier to swallow.

That top fabric is bamboo. I’ve been wanting to try bamboo ever since I found out they can make fabric from it. As at turns out, all of these fabrics are entirely wrong for the projects I had imagined them for – one of the risks of ordering online, I guess. Luckily they told me what they did want to become once I had them in my hands.

New shirt

And the bamboo said it wanted to be a shirt. I’ve heard it has excellent “moisture-wicking” properties, which makes it the perfect material for another Simplicity 4589 tank top. This fabric is so soft, wonderfully drapey, and yet, easy to sew with. Not all soft fabrics want to stay where you press them, but this stuff does. It seems perfect in every way.

Too bad I don’t like the shirt much. This look appeals to me in theory – roomy, fluid, summery. But in practice, I always feel quite self-conscious, as if the shirt makes me look like I’ve something to hide stomach-wise. I feel like there’s a maternity-esque vibe to roomy clothes that I can’t get away with. Skinny people can pull off that look and still be perceived as skinny underneath it all. Not me, though.

That said, I think the effect wouldn’t be so strong in a darker, more slimming color. I’m not particularly enamored with this shade of green anyway, so it’s probably only a matter of time before I’m dipping this shirt in a vat of black/brown dye. I’ll reserve my final verdict on it until then.

Drawing on canvas

I am still making my way through The Creative Family book. I don’t think I’ve reached the halfway mark yet, and I’ve had it since April, I think! That’s not to say I’m finding it a difficult read. Not at all! In fact, if that were the case, I’d have taken it off of my reading list by now. No, it’s just that I want to actually read the words and not just flip through the projects, and that takes more time than I usually set aside for books these days.

Anyway, there was a lot of bickering yesterday between the boys, and I spent all morning trying to shove a huge batch of book orders out the door, and it just seemed that we could use some together time or something once my work was done.

We started with a game of Sorry! outside on the patio, and then we changed the water in the kiddie pool. And as I dunked my feet, I started reading The Creative Family where I’d left off more than a month ago. I didn’t get very far before something caught my eye – a project we could do, with materials we had on-hand. I turned to Eamonn, showed him the page, and said “would you like to make your own pillow, with your own drawing on it?

First stitches First stitches

Well, yes he would! And so would Aidan. So I gathered the supplies, they drew their pictures, and then I taught them to sew around the edges. It went pretty well for the first edge, but then boredom and complications struck, and they didn’t really feel like finishing the sewing. I vacillated for a moment between setting aside the projects until they were in the mood to finish, and just helping them with the sewing part, before I opted to just help them finish it up.

Finished pillow Finished pillow

They put in the stuffing, I closed up the holes for them, and voila! Handmade pillows in an afternoon. And the bickering ceased, for at least a few hours.

One of the things Amanda talks about in her book is the idea of having a spot that is well-stocked with art supplies so that kids can get creative whenever the mood strikes.  I can definitely see the benefit of that.  Who wants to drive to Michael’s every time you get a whim to make something new?  It was so nice to see that we had everything we needed right here on-hand for these pillows.  If we hadn’t had the supplies, I’d have just kept reading, and we probably would have played in the back yard for the rest of the afternoon.  Which isn’t bad, really.  It just wouldn’t have been as interesting or creative.

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Posted on 14 Comments

14 thoughts on “Bamboolicious

  1. Love the new shirt. I don’t think it gives a pregnancy vibe at all.

  2. those pillows are too cool! And I also love the new shirt – it looks so nice and airy (not pregnant!)

    See what Jen has been blogging about: It’s a BOY (shocking!)

  3. I love that green Lisa…and the shirt. I would wear it in a heartbeat. Those pillows are wonderful. what a great way to spend the afternoon!

    See what Kathi has been blogging about: Commission windows update

  4. I actually wondered, when seeing the shirt picture, if you’d lost weight, and maybe you have. It doesn’t look pregnant. And I think jeans is the way to go with a loose shirt like that (rather than a flowier skirt, for example).

    Also, I love very much that one of your children now owns a pillow proclaiming his love for his cousins.

    See what L. has been blogging about: In which I compare my family to a wide receiver

    1. No, I haven’t lost weight, but I suddenly have a desire to wear that shirt every day now, LOL!

      And, yeah, they’re both feeling the “cousin love” a lot this summer. It’s sweet.

  5. I think the shirt just needs a tuck in the back. That would stop the feeling of hiding a tummy(which bty it does not look like).

    I LOVE when I have all the supplies for a craft project and it goes well. It is so nice not having to listen to “crabby kid” for a couple of hours;)

    See what zoe has been blogging about: What an Honor

  6. You are too funny…I think that shirt is perfect. It is very flattering and from what I can see on my computer, the color looks great on you! Keep wearing it, it is a keeper!

    I love watching your kids art…very nice!

    See what Teresa has been blogging about: Quietly Meditating

  7. I feel the same way about shirts like that.

    What a great idea for a crafty afternoon! I can’t wait for my little guy to be big enough to make things.

  8. The shirt looks good on you. If you don’t like it baggy, how about attaching a “belt” to each side, and tying it in back..to kind of show a few curves. That seems to be the style nowdays.

  9. I know *just* what you mean about the flowy shirt thing. It’s also hard to go shopping without feeling like you’re in the maternity section. But I have to say, this shirt looks stunning on you. It fits wonderfully, and doesn’t at *all* make you look like you’re hiding anything. Very well done!

  10. I think you’re being way too hard on yourself, I adore your new top!!! It looks super on you!

  11. […] Drawing on canvas Image by lisaclarke Trying a project from Amanda Soule’s "The Creative Family," where you make pillows out of designs you color onto canvas with fabric markers. Blogged here. […]

  12. […] New shirt Image by lisaclarke Simplicity 4589, made with bamboo fabric. This fabric is so soft and drapey, and surprisingly easy to sew with. Not sure if I like the shirt, though. I think I’d be happier if it were darker. Blogged here. […]

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