Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Leprechaun Anxiety


Ahnalin is afraid of Leprechauns.

Last year, she had a few nightmares about them 
around St. Patrick's Day, 
but then didn't talk about them

She worried a few times that India would be hurt or kidnapped
by leprechauns and did not believe us when we told her
it would not happen. 

India came home safe, bearing gifts, and Ahnalin was so relieved!

Yesterday, when we were discussing what she would wear today
to kindergarten, I showed her the dress I was cutting 
out for her.

She told me her dress had to be solid green or
"The leprechauns will take my clothes off!!"

Huh?

Thankfully, her teacher sent her a message that
leprechauns LIKE prints so they will not
bother her.

Still, she panicked!!

Even after I informed her that (GASP!) 
leprechauns are NOT real, she cried.

"Why would my teacher LIE to me Mama???"

 EY YI YI!

I told her that she did not really lie, it was more like a fun story.

OH MY!!

So, we had to pray that Jesus would help her anxiety to go away 
so that she could enjoy kindergarten to day. 

She still is concerned, but I hope she is having fun.


Ok, I KNOW this does not have shamrocks, 
or look even remotely Irish.

But I am serious about sewing out of my stash right now.

And I had purchased this a year ago,
and true to form,
had "let it age".
I am not sure how old the rick rack is but you can 
see that whoever bought it, paid 45 cents for it.

I am sure it was given to me by someone years ago.

I have a "thing" for vintage rick rack.

I love it so much, but sometimes, 
I have a hard time using it because 
I love those little packages so much.

Yes, just another weird thing about me.

The selvage is from the fabric.
It is called "Monaluna"
for Robert Kaufman. 

I only had 1 1/2 yards so I used nearly every inch!


I just noticed that Ahnalin is not wearing shoes and
her hair is still wet in these pictures.

Yet another "bad mama" moment for me. 

But hey, I was up until 2:00 AM sewing this for her, 
so what do you expect from a crazy woman? 


And let's just be honest here, ok?

Do I really do this for her? 

Do I really just sew so my children will 
have pretty clothes? 

They definitely enjoy the clothes.

They like to look pretty.

It makes them feel special, secure,
 and loved.

But it is also,

VERY MUCH,
  
for me.

Sewing lovely clothing, 

for my children, and for others,

gives me great joy.

When I can go into my stash,
pull out some yardage and trim, 
and "create" something wearable from almost nothing,
I feel such a sense of accomplishment.

It is something little that I can do well.

I can feel just a teeny touch
of the creativity
that God felt
when He created the Heavens and the Earth.

And I can say, just like He did,

"It is good."

I pray you have a special day.
I pray that you do not experience 
"leprechaun anxiety" or any other kind.

And I pray that you feel a sense of accomplishment today.

Happy Sewing.

17 comments:

hollym. said...

Oh, Siv!! Baby Girls dress is darling!! And so is India's!! You are so talented. :) Wish we lived close to one another, BUT I DO hold you and your family close to my heart.:)

love,hollym.

Mrs. Bianca said...

I do love that dress. I think that fabric is like the one I used to make Mari's dress. Right quick, what do you use for the lining? I realize I don't really have a lining fabric, but growing up, I remember my favorite pieces were always lined with something lightweight and soft. Muslin maybe or just cotton? I wish you would post a tutorial on how to sew on rick rack. I just can't seem to sew it on properly. LOL

Lu said...

I love the print Sivje! What are they, little chickens?(not too into shamrocks, myself!). And sewing for your children does make a difference, especially to the ones who feel loved through acts of service, and time. My girls remember that I sewed for them when they were little, and they remember those dresses fondly!

Anonymous said...

What a super-cute dress! I like that it's not all Irish themed so she can wear it during the rest of the year too. That print is adorable.

Poor little Ahnalin! I wonder if leprechauns have a Chinese equivalent? It may be tied to her PTSD in some way. Then again, children get funny notions that we can't trace all the time. I was deathly afraid of vampires when I was little, but the other monsters didn't bother me at all!

Sewconsult said...

I love the dress. The rick rack is perfect for the fabric & the pattern.
Beckie in Brentwood, TN

julia said...

An adorable dress! I know how you feel about the sewing being as much for you as for the girls. It is such a satisfying feeling to see them in your creations and seeing those smiles on their faces.

Tabitha said...

You sound so much like me...have a special thing for that ric rac packaging but I do open and use them with a sigh.....and I too am not fond of leprechauns they are just annoying!

Lori said...

Darling dress. Poor girl, so worried about the leprechauns. You could tell her it's like Santa Claus.

Martha said...

So cute. And that vintage rick rack is very sought after. It is still cotton. Rick rack you buy now isn't. I love her dress and the fact that she looks so pleased with it. Good job momma!!!!

seamsgreat said...

Only a daughter of a Mom that sews would even be concerned about the difference between a print dress and a solid green. :-)

In a few years she is going to tell you it needs to be a pima cotton or a brushed twill.

Laurie said...

I LOVED that story - it's just tooo cute! The dress is darling and I can see she's one happy little girl! Hope today went well!

Joanne Lendaro said...

You are such a wonderful Mom!! The dress is adorable, so adorable IF there were any questionable leprechans out there they would simply adore how cute little Ahnalin is in her dress. I love the picture where she is checking out the twirl factor of her new dress. Thanks for sharing, you are a very special Mommy!

ShirleyC said...

I love that dress, and the fabric is just the cutest! The pics are darling, and I can tell she loves the dress. Thanks for following my blog.

reimaginedtreasures.blogspot.com said...

Sivje, I love what you said about feeling connected to the Creator while doing these sewing creations. I, too, feel that...pure joy at times! I guess that is why I keep making little girl things even though I don't have little ones. And sewing from the stash....well, you know I love that...vintage rick rack...oh YEAH! Kathi

donna said...

The dress is beautiful! I love the material. I sew out of my stash a lot. There's so much joy to be found when you discover a piece of material you had totally forgotten you had. Thanks for the pictures. Take care and God bless.

Mary said...

I feel the same way when I do something creative! It's like we're little children holding something homemade up to our Daddy and saying, "Look what I did Papa!" And He smiles and looks all proud as He pins it to the refrigerator. It just makes sense that we would feel the most right with ourselves when we are walking in our Father's footsteps, being creative as He is the Great Creator!

GardenOfDaisies said...

This is the most adorable little dress!!! Love it!