Yesterday my husband told me he was ashamed of me because I haven’t posted since August. I’m assuming for the sake of our relationship that he was at least sort of kidding, but he’s right. I’ve been remiss. I simply wasn’t expecting how hard it would be to have two children in two different schools at two different times as well as two younger children at home. Add that to running a playgroup and attempting to sew, and there hasn’t been any time for blogging.
But, if you’re still interested, here’s an update . . .
I still have not bought anything that wasn’t proven fair-labor. That means, mostly, that in the past six months I haven’t bought any clothing that wasn’t manufactured in the United States. In some ways, it’s been easy. I’ve been hitting consignment stores and websites, and that aspect has certainly been good to my pocketbook. But, in other ways, it’s been hard. I didn’t really go “back to school” shopping with my five-year-old other than to Once Upon a Child and a few other used clothing stores. And sometimes, when I’m feeling my age and the fact that I’ve had four children, I haven’t been able to go out and buy something pretty to make myself feel better. It’s shallow, I know, but sometimes shopping makes it all better, am I right? Plus, about two weeks into school, I experienced a worst-case laundry scenario; brown crayon. Washed with an entire load of school clothes and then dried with them. Twice. Pretty much everything the kids wear to school was in that load, and about half of the items were homemade by yours truly. I was heartbroken. I searched all over the internet for some solution and found one with the following ingredients: 1/2 cup each of borax, white vinegar, Shout, high-efficiency laundry detergent, and baking soda all stirred into a scalding hot bathtub. The mixture actually fizzed, which made me a bit nervous, but hey, the clothes were already ruined so there wasn’t any point in holding back. Miraculously, after stirring the clothes in the tub all night and then washing them three times on hot the next day, the stains came out of all but three garments. Unfortunately, all three of those garments were dresses I had made for my little girl. And at that moment, all I wanted to do was go out and by her a fantastic new outfit. But I realized that it wouldn’t be the same. The thrill of shopping at the mall for items made by women and children for pennies in horrible working conditions is a hollow thrill. And the pleasure of dressing a child in something homemade is unbelievably fulfilling. So, I resisted the urge. But I still get sad every time I think of those little dresses. *sniff* But, that is the way of children’s clothes. In only it hadn’t been BROWN crayon I might have been able to pass it off. 
Well, anyway, I haven’t been blogging. But I HAVE been sewing. Here’s a quick recap of my sewing escapades over the last few months:
"Popover" Bibs
OSU baby set for a friend
Minky Baby Set
"Sunburst" Tunic -- later ruined in the great crayon incident of 2010.
"Insa" skirt from "Sewing Clothes Kids Love"
"Imke" shirt from "Sewing Clothes Kids Love"
More Girl Apron Sets (Available in my etsy store, http://www.sewdarla.etsy.com)
More Boy Apron Sets (Available in my etsy store, http://www.sewdarla.etsy.com)
There’s been more, but it’s mostly Halloween, and that’s a post for another day.
It’s about time. Lord knows you have nothing better to do than spend time on the computer
You have a very busy life, but I was hoping to find you had posted again! Sorry about your crayon tragedy–very frustrating to miss the one item in a pocket that can ruin everything. I made lots of clothes for my girls when they were younger and those that didn’t get completely worn out I have saved in a box. Speaking of sewing, have you heard of the Connecting Threads online store (they may also have a physical store)? They sell fabric made in the USA and it is very reasonably priced. Their medleys are gorgeous. Check it out.