The Little Things

November 2014. Photo by Jessica Peterson.

My mom is a brilliant writer. Growing up, she wrote almost all of my late notes to school in verse, often dictating to me on the short drive to school. I was late a lot and I've been begging and urging her for years to publish these, often hilarious, pint-sized poems. In addition to writing, she was a masterful campaign manager. I fully credit her with my junior high treasurer win and give her mad props for writing an actual "Vote This Way" rap for my older brother to perform in High School (to the tune of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way.") His performance in combination with my mom's lyrics led to a landslide victory. My mom pulled me out of school to witness it and I'll never forget it. My mom is magical.

There are lots of amazing moms out there. Moms who are so pro-veggie that their kids eat peppers like apples. Moms whose kids are never late (ever). Musical moms. Artsy moms. Super supportive, cheerleader moms. Zen moms. PTA moms. Moms juggling several kids. Moms juggling work and home. I could go on and on. I'm not exactly the mom that I thought that I'd be before I had kids but I'm not sure that's a bad thing. Experience and my unique circumstances have made me the mom that I am and, sometimes, just the type of mom that my kids need. I don't write poems for my kids but sometimes I do crazy things that I hope that my kids will remember, lately in sewing.

When it's almost midnight and my husband asks if I'm actually going to sew a bonnet for my daughter's Character Day, the idea seems just crazy enough to feel right. I'm making a Laura Ingalls costume and memories.

The month before, I also had the idea to make a zebra print top to match my youngest daughter's zebra habitat. That was another last minute decision and embarrassingly late night but she was so, so proud. 

So, I'm certainly not a perfect mom and I didn't inherit all of my mother's talents but I learned from her how to make my kids feel special . . . and maybe I'll teach them to love vegetables too.

Abby's Birthday Tunic

Some time ago, in a nearby Jo-Ann Fabric Store, my little fabric-shopping sidekick fell in love with a cute and very sweet doll fabric. While I loved the print, the soft blue and pink together weren't my very favorite. Kind of reminded me of baby shower colors. Thus the internal debate began. My daughter's the one that *gets* to wear the clothes I make but I have to stare at it for the duration of an entire project. What to do? Keep shopping. I found another fabric to throw into the mix that pulled out the purple in the print, making both of us happy. A trip to Michael Levine's provided the fun dotted trim and then . . . it sat in my stash for a very, very long time waiting to be turned into something. So long, in fact, that I had to ask my daughter if she still liked the fabric. 

She did and it became a Maggie Mae Tunic just in time for her birthday. I love this pattern. It fits her perfectly and the piping between the skirt and the bottom band gives it very pretty volume. Not too much, just enough. Also, this is my first time making the tunic length and, in combination with a pair of leggings, it was a playground-friendly alternative to the dress. Some tiny bunny buttons are an adorable surprise on the back closure.