favourite things

I thought I would share with you some of my favourite sewing things.  Well, two of mine and one of my son's.  My two were both gifts and have proven to be very useful and very well loved.
Firstly is a pincushion that fits on your finger. A friend brought it back from the United States a few years ago. I think it cost her the princely sum of 50cents.  It is made from the lid of a soft drink bottle. So simple, but so useful. It lives with my sewing machine. I showed it to a friend who then made herself a lovely one, covered the bottle cap in felt, it is really pretty.

My next one I recently got for commenting on a friend's blog  Linda's blog. I had never had scissors that i could hang around my neck before and I have found them to be wonderful.  I can sit in my armchair and sew without worrying about the scissors falling down somewhere and being left for the next person to sit on.  They have been wonderful for machine sewing too. I am not sure how I went for so long without being able to keep my scissors safe and close at hand.

This next one belongs to my 12 year old son.  He likes playing around with sewing but we don't make time often enough.  He insisted I buy this on our last shopping outing.  It is a tape measure. Pull on one ear and the tape measure comes out.  Press the button on the back and in it goes again.  I think he is probably a bit too old for this but if it keeps him interested in crafts and using his hands, i will happily indulge it.  He is planning a future of writing computer games so i have no doubt this crafty streak will not last forever.

we did manage to get him onto the sewing machine over these long holidays. He made a cushion cover out of some furry material that he had been given at school.  It wasn't large enough so I added some that I had here. All in all it turned out very well and is nice and soft so is very nice to lie your head on.
He had his first day at High school yesterday, so that was a big step for both of us.  He had a great day but I spent it listless and wandering around, looking for something to do.  He has an older brother there so it is not quite a new and unfamiliar place.  I think he will be growing up now, becoming a teenager.  i am sad to lose my little boy but happy to see the person he is growing into.  Independence is a hard thing; it is something I have always strived to give my kids but it is hard when they then exercise that independence.  He is going to have a great year, as will my older son, who is in year nine and is able to branch out this year with all sorts of elective subjects. 
And while the boys are trying out their independence this year, i will be striving for some of my own, I am determined to get a part time job this year so we will see how the job hunting goes.  Not easy in a small town.