success (rice)

i decided against the zipper pouch. or it decided gainst me. i haven't sewed in a zipper in about 10 years. the last one went fine but now i'm feeling quite intimidated. the zipper package has directions, the pouch pattern has directions and the manual for my sewing machine has directions. they're all a little different and all for the same task. this i do not like.

so i poked around and found inspiration for making a rice pillow at wise craft. (i'm still learning the etiquette that pertains to the blogging world so i hope this is the correct way to go about giving credit where credit is due.) a little ironing and a wrinkly few yards of material that came from who-knows-where resulted in some fabric that i now want to make everything out of. i'm horrible about liking something so much that i don't want to use it. (or is it that i selfishly don't want to use it for someone else but never make things for myself?) i altered the pattern a little, making the outer cover removeable so that it can be thrown in the wash. i was really pleased with the results of this first attempt at making a rice pillow so i went ahead and cut out pieces for three more: one for anna (who also liked the results so much that she slept with the first one i made and requested one of her own as i tucked her in), one for an out-of-town guest who was coming to stay with me for three nights, and one to have on hand for a last minute gift (!).

one of the best parts of this rice-pillow-making experience was how i was able to work while my children were awake and either involved or otherwise being helpful (well, eli wasn't all that involved or helpful). after the pieces were cut out, i wanted to get right to sewing but it was time to feed eli. i put him in his chair and perhaps my longing gaze at the project, all ready to go, inspired anna to offer to feed her baby brother so that i could get back to work. so for a good 10 minutes, i sewed away while she dished out the sweet potatoes and he smiled from ear to ear at the attention he was getting from his big sister. later, after he was cleaned up and in bed, anna sat at my side, asking questions about how the sewing machine works and working the foot pedal for me. only a few stitches here and there were a little out of control. i love my little helper.