On Saturday, Finn experienced his first fresh-water dip in the Eno River. How did he like it? The face says it all.

Um, guys? This water is NOT bath water. And despite my many rolls of chub, I don't have sufficient insulation. Please get me a wet suit, not a birthday suit, next time you try this.

Your slightly unhappy son,

Finn

On Sunday, we went to a free concert in the Duke Gardens. Finn was much more appreciative of the wonderful harmonies of Sweet Honey in the Rock, a female a cappella group par excellence. They sung him to sleep - the highest compliment that a musical group can receive.

It was lovely to see the gardens abloom with people.

What did you do this weekend?

I remember Crayola markers. I remember them well - I think I must have sighed in exasperation many-a-time while using them. "That green? Again?" Even for an eight year-old, the colors were meh. But I used them - I used them a lot. Didn't we all?

Since I am no longer a child (by most traditional definitions), and since I needed a nice set of illustration markers to draw the diagrams for my patterns, I opted for a set of grown-up markers. Why did I wait so long? These things are dreamy.

"But wait!" the Montessori teacher in me says. "Your children deserve a nice set of markers, too!" Did you see what Amy's girls do with their Mommy-only-stinky-markers? (Mine aren't stinky by the way ... and they cost way less than Copics.) I think every child who is past the drawing-on-the-wall phase should have nice markers. Giving children quality art materials really says something - not only does it help them produce art with less frustration, it tells them that we value their work.

I can't believe I'm saying this ... but I have to go, I need to get back to work. The pens in the corner over there are whispering my name ...

Happy Monday! Grab yourself a cup-o-somethin' and head on over to Amy's space at Progressive Pioneer for a little interview about my home, family life, etc. 

See you there!

Finn's Forest, by Melissa Crowe at Little Pink House ... perhaps my favorite bit of handmade in the baby's room. The hoop has yet to find a permanent home on a wall because I love putting it in front of Finn while he plays on his tummy. He will stare at it for quite a long time.

Notice the two cats? Those are wool felt versions of our Amelie and Timoun. 

Gotta love that Melissa. The other forest friends are equally endearing - and I can't get over that fawn, with her wagging ear ...

If you would like to give wool felt applique a go, check out Melissa's sachet tutorial.

Thank you, my dear, for making us a cherished heirloom.

Reading lots of books. Finn's favorites, which elicit squeals of joy and abundant limb flailing:

Mama's Milk/Mama Me Alimenta

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes

Grasping his ring toy while making laughably loud grunting noises. His wooden grasping toy is from Pink House Handworks, and we've hung it above his changing area from a plant hanger.

Did you know that sewing can be a sweat-producing workout? It most certainly can.

When you make three beach blankets-to-go from Handmade Home in one day between the hours of nine a.m. and six p.m., you will burn a marathon's worth of calories. I kid you not. That, plus I didn't realize that the air conditioning vent in my studio was closed until well into the workout. Duh. Impromptu sauna.

The weddings made me do it. Two of them in one week, and a real desire to give handmade gifts.

Plus, how could I not make one for our own little family?  When you start sewing large projects like this, I think it best to take a tip from Henry Ford and go at it assembly-line style. It totally works - it's so much easier to do everything at once. These blankets even have handmade double-fold binding ... it's just as easy to make 24 yards as it is to make 8. Bada-bing, bada-boom.

And I LOVE them.

Our blanket's opening day ...

I used a combination of thrifted fabric, vintage sheets, and stash fabric to make the blanket top. The backing consists of some heavy-weight upholstery fabric that I bought for pennies last year when a local fabric store closed its doors. I love how the weight of the backing fabric makes the blanket so much more sturdy (and it has the added benefit of keeping it on the ground in the wind).

Three blankets at no cost, and three oh-so-useful handmade treasures. I can't wait to get ours really dirty. Like Amanda said, I'm sure it will be the backdrop of so many family adventures (and photos!)  Where will it visit - the beach? the gardens? national parks? How many family meals will it host? How many sets of little toes will it welcome?

A blanket like this isn't just handmade - it's a maker of memories.

"Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art."

~Charlie Parker

But there is a beginning ...

But yes, the Moby rocked. So did Finn. He really dealt with everything quite well, and was up for anything as long as he could snuggle up with Daddy when he'd had enough.

He met the gorgeous bride and the dapper groom.

Let me introduce you to Emily - my good friend from high school and the mama behind Lullaby Slings! Emily and I lived a short distance from each other growing up in the mountains, but our paths didn't cross until high school when we took many of the same classes and sung together in choir. She's a genuine, deep-thinking individual who I'm happy to be in touch with all these years later. (I tried to find a picture of us in our dorky choir outfits, but it must still be in the picture chest in my parents' house. Too bad - we looked really dorky, if I recall! Not that we were dorky ... ahem ... it was just the 90's dresses that did it to us.) ;)

Emily blogs about her life with three boys here and sells her hand-sewn goods at her Etsy store.

Emily is going to give away a baby snuggle blanket (example pictured above) to a randomly chosen commenter, and is offering 15% off of items already in her store and 10% off custom orders. Just enter "sewliberated" in the notes to the seller over at Etsy and the discount will be refunded via PayPal. Comments will close in one week, and the sale for Sew Liberated readers will continue through Tuesday, August 18.

Finn marks three months today! What a three-month period it has been for him - already well loved and well traveled. (The only bump in the road of the journey was him peeing on us when we tried to change his diaper on our seats in the airplane ... but we all thought it was hilarious, him included! More on our travels tomorrow.)

In the past week, Finn has become a master of his hands. It is such a joy to watch his concentration (and personality) blossom as he tries to touch and experience all that comes within reach. These pictures say more than words ...

The human hand allows the mind to reveal itself.

~Maria Montessori

And in case you were wondering ... yes, the fork did end up on the floor!