Itch to Stitch

Last night, after Toddler was bathed, Sister finished homework, and while Husband continued to work through our taxes, I got the itch. The itch to stitch.

I don't get that itch too often, amazingly enough, more frequently only recently. Don't know why. I've always found fabric interesting, and have enjoyed seeing the groupings of fabric by color scheme, print theme, manufacturer, season, or remnant status whenever I've gone into craft or fabric stores. As a teacher, I can always convince myself to buy bundles of fat quarters, though I doubt I'll ever move up to major-fabric-purchaser status like some of my friends (uh, Shannon!). Fabric is wonderful for pretend play in my classroom, decor, games, artwork, and I love quilts or quilted fabric home decor items when it comes to sprucing up my family's personal spaces. The desire to purchase fabric in its own raw, unfinished-product form and then try to morph it into something pleasing is new for me.

The itch ended up inspiring me to dig up my felt remnants (felt storyboards and story retelling shapes are essentials for my kindergarten class) and cut out bunny, carrot, and butterfly shapes.





Did I actually do any stitching last night though? No, it was all snipping. And adding decorative brads. And pinning. Stitching will happen later today.

Because I've still got that urge to scratch.

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Tidbits:

*Goodbye Polaroid. I'm bummed. Some of my favorite high school photos were taken with a Polaroid camera, and I use my own on the first day of school each year, snapping a photo of each of my students with which to make "center" tags. The photos don't have to be laminated, (I just add a hook-n-loop dot on the back so the photo can be moved from tag to tag) and last all year long. When my Super Stars are ready for summer vacation, the photos go home to parents as a keepsake reminder of their child's first day of kindergarten. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that some other manufacturer picks up the stuff.

*The Wild World of...Macrame! The Thrift Shop Romantic had me rolling with this "crafting catastrophe of the 70's!"

*While it's not too chilly here in the Bordertown, it is very windy- VERY windy this month. The family is spending a lot of time indoors and has been enjoying some comfort food, much to our diet's dismay! One more splurge, methinks, with help from Laura Rebecca's Kitchen: Baked Spaghetti Romanoff

*As always, Doug is a good read, and I'm happy to recommend The Right Way to Teach to my younger colleagues who are struggling with the drill and kill mandates as they examine their daily school experiences which are shaping their own teaching philosophies.

*Oh, how I would love to go shopping in Martha's Prop Room!

*Di at Designer's Block UK discovered the cutest cupcakes- ones decorated with the tea set would be what I would order for my mother's birthday, while the flip flops on grass would be perfect in any teachers' lounge on the last workday of the year!