First stitches

I was a very proud Mama the last week because A did his first hand sewing. Well not really his first as he did make a place mat for H using shelf liner, coloured wool and a bodkin and he made a felt stocking for baby L (in preparation for Christmas!) by lacing felt .

A - circa 2010

 
But this time he sewed cotton fabric, a sharp needle and sewing cotton.

He used some scraps form a project that I was cutting out and first he made a little pillow for the fairy garden.He stuffed the pillow with cotton wool. Then he wanted to make a beanie hat for the fairy and finally he cut a blanket and then a scarf.

He managed the thread and needle so well. His level of concentration was wonderful and I absolutely loved seeing my boy experience such a sense of pride and achievement in his own handwork.

While he was sewing I taught him the following little poem (from Spindrift by Wynstones Press)

Needle bright,
Thread just right, 
Fingers quick and nimble.
Stitches fine,
In a line,
And always wear a thimble.

so pleased with himself

Apparently the fairy in our fairy garden is now very cosy and ready for Winter . . .

Our Fairy Garden

Each year our children have a little Easter hunt. We do not like them to have too much chocolate so in the past there have been flower bulbs wrapped in colorful cellophane. Its a really lovely tradition because we then plant the bulbs (after reading The Story of the Root Children) and wait for their appearance in the spring. This year however we didn't really need any more daffodils so I thought of an alternative.

 A has recently shown an increasing interest in creating fairy gardens and homes as well as 'bug worlds' and other small worlds. We actually started to make fairy houses together when he was four from bits and pieces that we found in nature but his interest waned until spending time recently with a little friend who showed him the finer points of making a fairy garden.Since then he has been excavating a hole under the roots of the wisteria and making that a fairy home with H joining in finding treasures to add to the fairy home, so I thought I would capatalise on this interest and hide a few fairy garden accessories as part of the Easter hunt.

I made two wooden fairy doors, kind of following a tutorial found at Happy Whimsical Hearts and painted some small stones with Easter motifs.I carved a gourd that I grew two summers ago for the fairy house, some brightly colored aquarium gravel, a few plants and we were good to go.

One of the wooden fairy doors - so much fun to make!

It was a bit of serendipity but two weeks before Easter we borrowed a book called Lily and the Fairy House from the library. The children loved it (and so did I) so much so that it is now on my book wish list. Once we started our garden they wanted to make a swing from a hair ribbon just like in the story.

We made the garden nice and high so that it would be a comfortable height for the children and also dog and baby proof once baby L is mobile.

I love that over time we can add to the garden. who knows where it may take us

Fairy door at the base of the Wisteria