DIY: 1-2-3-no-lace-shoes!

Hello! I’m a bit late posting… time is falling on me!

I‘ve been am sick with a chest infection (courtesy from the children) and I was not able to prepare the post I wanted to publish lately. It’s still being edited but in the meantime I’d love to show you a quick DIY project.

Hana doesn’t know how to tie her shoes yet, so we always look for velcro or other easy ways as such. She liked these shoes but had laces on so we decided to add our own touch and make her life easier. The photos speak for themselves but feel free to contact me for any questions by leaving a comment.

All you need is some 5mm elastic, 4 buttons, needle, thread and scissors.

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Hola! el temps se’m cau a sobre!

He estat Estic malalta, amb una infeccio de pit (per gentilesa de els nens) i no he pogut publicar el post que volia tot i que encara l’estic  preparant. El que si que us vull ensenyar es un projecte superfacil.

La Hana encara no sap cordar-se les sabates i sempre intentem comprar sabates amb velcro o alguna tanca facil. Li agradaven aquestes pero tenien cordons, aixi que ens hem sol.lucionat el problema en pocs minuts. Les fotos ja demostren les passes a seguir pero si teniu dubtes nomes cal escriure’l en un comentari i us dono un cop de ma.

Nomes necessiteu goma elastica de 5mm, 4 botons, fil, agulla i tisores.

About notions, useful or useless?

How often do you buy notions? Are there any that you’ve bought thinking  they would be very useful and you still haven’t used? I often wonder how essential some notions and sewing gadgets are… I suppose it depends on what you do more, if it’s quilting or garment making, embroidery, etc…

I started making patchwork with almost nothing. Just my mum’s sewing basket. Scissors, thread, pins and needles. I never used a thimble for hand sewing because it bothered me and it got in the way. I couldn’t hold the needle properly with it. (Now I always use it). I remember designing a pattern on graph paper, cutting the templates, using a pencil to trace them onto the fabric and hand sewing the pieces because I wouldn’t have a clue how to use a sewing machine.

Now I love my cutting mat, rotary cutter and ruler and my sewing machine (or machines I should say, about which I’ll dedicate another post). I don’t think I would even attempt to make any big patchwork project without them. Well, I would if there wasn’t really anything else. I’d say it’s like when you get a dishwasher for the first time. Once you have the dishwasher, it’s kind of hard to go back without one…You’ll wash the odd plate, that’s all.

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Compreu sovint estris per cosir? Heu comprat alguna vegada algun estri que pensaveu que us serviria molt i encara no l’heu utilitzat? Suposo que depen del que feu n’hi ha que us faran mes servei que d’altres… vaig començar a fer patchwork amb quasi res, nomes amb el que hi havia al cistell de cosir de la meva mare. Tisores, agulles, fil i para de comptar. Cosia a ma perque no tenia ni idea de cosir a maquina. Ara no crec que pogues fer-ho sense el regle, el cutter “talla-pizzes” i l’estora de tallar… Es com quan de cop tens un rentaplats, costaria tornar als temps quan no el tenies… (i si no el tens no passa res perque vas fent). Amb el temps he anat comprant mes eines que creia que em farien servei. Algunes ho han fet i d’altres no tant… Com que ultimament m’interessa cosir roba, m’he adonat que les tisores que tenia eren una perdua de temps. Per fi em vaig comprar unes SUPER TISORES de modista com aquestes: 

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Over time, I have bought a few other bits and bobs. There is one tool I have been taking for granted and because I’ve become more interested in garment making, I realised I hadn’t paid  attention to it. I now own a REALLY GOOD pair of dressmaker scissors like these ones:

I also love my shear scissors and embroidery ones too. I think investing in good scissors is really important, no matter whether  you are only into patchwork or a more varied sewing life. My good scissors ONLY live in my sewing room, they’re not allowed to leave the room or be used for anything else.  You don’t want to know the amount of scissors that have been kidnapped and never worked properly when I saw them again. Sigh. Something tells me I’m not alone here…

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Tambe m’encanten les meves tisores de zig-zag i les de brodar. Ara nomes viuen a l’habitacio de cosir i no surten d’alla per a res. La quantitat de tisores que m’han desaparegut i han tornat fetes malbe… Ai… Hi ha una cosa que vaig comrar i que encara no l’he fet servir, estic tant acostumada a fer la meva veta que no li trobo el que per fer-ho servir. Una maquineta de fer vetes:

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I do have a little thingy that I still haven’t used, just because I’m so used to not using it that I actually wonder is it any use at all!

A bias tape maker. It’s still in the box… I should try it some of these days. Do you have one? Is it worth having? Is it easy to use? And this other thingy below…

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I que me’n dieu del d’aqui sota? un peu de maquina per a cosir vetes. Vaig interntar fer-lo servir i no me’n vaig sortir. Viu al calaix. Ja ho intentare un altre dia…

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A bias binder foot. Tried to use it. Failed. Lives in the drawer. Maybe I should give it another go…

Now, as I said,  I spend a fair amount of time making clothes and I’ve even taken up some alterations recently (that’s what happen when your neighbours and friends know that you have a sewing machine… but I like the challenge and I’m learning a lot at the same time, and they know I’m not a professional and that I do me besht)

so… in the dressmaking area…

I love my sewing gauge! So much better than using a measuring tape which I kept doing for ages…

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En l’area de fer roba, el que m’agrada molt es aixo, que no tinc ni idea de com se diu en catala… a “gauge” en angles (pronunciat “gueig”, com “lleig'” pero canviant la “ll” per “gu”, ja ho se, jo tampoc ho hagues dit mai…) i la rodeta per marcar patrons (que penso que tambe podria anar be per fer raviolis de pasta fresca).

Hi ha dues coses que vaig comprar fa unes setmanes i les recomano totalment. Una estora per afilar les agulles, tant de maquina com les de ma. Va perfecte! i l’afilador de fulles per al cutter rotatori (o talla pizzes que dic jo), m’encanta! (va venir d’EEUU i faig servir un adaptador, no cal convertidor per un aparell tant petit):

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and my pattern tracing wheel

A few weeks ago I bought 2 things that I’m very happy with and would recommend:

A needle sharpening pad. You can use it for your machine needles, hand sewing needles or pins. It’s great!

And another sharpening tool:

A rotary blade sharpener, after reading some reviews like this one, I decided to purchase it. I sharpened 2 old blades and I’m so happy with the result. I know I’ll save a lot of money…

There are 2 things on my wish list: I desperately need a new self-healing cutting mat which I hope to get soon. The other one will probably take a while to get… I’d love to have a dressmaker’s mannequin. I’m still deciding what would suit me best since I’m a beginner. Should I get an adjustable one or one that is my size? I’ve got a very tight budget, so I still don’t know what to do, but I’m tempted by this…

Hi ha dues coses que tinc a la llista dels desitjos. Necessito immediatament una nova estora per tallar amb el talla pizzes, i espero poder tenir-la aviat. L’altra portara una mica mes de temps… un maniqui de modista. No se que seria millor si comprar un ajustable o un de la meva mida. El pressupost es petitet i aquest d’aqui em tempta…En teniu un les que feu roba? quin em recomanarieu? 

Aixi doncs, quina es la vostra experiencia amb eiens de cosir, quines son les que trobeu imprescindibles i que us agraden molt, i quines creieu que son una perdua de diners?

Have any of you got one? which one would you recommend?

So, after all my ranting, what is your experience with notions? Are there many that you find useless? which ones? Any good found that opened your eyes? what is it?

COUNTING STICKS – COMPTANT PALS

Aquesta es una activitat que es fa a Montessori per ensenyar la relacio entre el numeros i la quantitat. A minimanuals vaig trobar un enllac, del blog on et mostren com fer-te aquesta activitat. Es bastant barat, nomes necessiteu cartro per fer la base (jo l’he tret d’una caixa de bolquers), 10 rotllets de paper higienic, una impresora per imprimir els numeros i branquetes.

Recomanaria fer aquesta activitat quan els nens ja saben el nom dels numeros i reconeixen el seu simbol.

This is an activity from the Montessori method to teach the relation between the numbers and the quantity they refer to. Over at minimanuals I got the link from the blog where it shows you how to make this activity yourself. It’s dead simple, you only need cardboard, toilet rolls, a printer and sticks.


I would recommend doing this activity once the children know the names of the numbers and can recognise their symbol.

SORTING SHAPES / CLASSIFICAR FORMES

Aqui teniu una tutorial d’una activitat per fer amb els vostres petits. Tenia molt d’exit amb els meus alumnes quan ensenyava en una aula Montessori. No forma part del material de Montessori pero segueix la mateixa linea d’aillar el concepte que es vol ensenyar, que en aquest cas son tres figures geometriques: cercle, triangle i quadrat.

Es important utilitzar nomes un color per aillar les figures. Si cada figura tingues un color diferent, no sabriem si estan classificant per colors o per figures. Si volguessiu ensenyar els colors, haurieu d’utilitzar nomes una figura i els diferents colors que volgueu ensenyar.

Here’s a tutorial for an activity to do with the little ones. It was very popular with my pupils in a Montessori classroom where I used to teach. It is not part of the Montessori material, but it follows the same method of isolating the concept you want to teach, which in this case are three geometrical shapes: circle, triangle and square.

It is important to use the same colour to isolate the shape. If you used a colour for each shape, you wouldn’t know if the child is sorting it by colour or by shape. If you wanted to teach colours, you would use one shape only and the different colours you want to teach.

Material

5 plats de paper

tisores

llapis

regle

grapadora

cola de barra

cartulina d’un color

plastificadora (o podeu portar-ho a plastificar)

Material

5 paper plates

scissors

pencil

ruler

stapler

glue (bar)

card (one colour)

laminator

Talleu dos plats per la meitat i grapeu una de les meitat sobre un plat sencer amb les cares oposades per formar una mena de butxaca. Feu 3 butxaques, una per cada figura.

Cut 3 plates in half. Staple one of the halves onto a whole plate facing opposite to each other to make a pocket.

 Amb la cartulina, talleu quadrats, triangles i cercles que hi capiguen dins la butxaca.

Enganxeu una figura a cada butxaca. 

Cut triangles, squares and circles out of the card in a size so they fit into the pocket.

Stick one of each shape onto each pocket.

Plastifiqueu la resta de les figures de cartulina.

Laminate the rest of the shapes.

Enganxeu els plats a qualsevol espai de paret que tingueu amb bluetack. ja estan preparats per omplir-los amb les seves figures.

Stick the plates onto any wall surface with blue tack. They’re ready to be filled up with their shapes now.

variacions:

– podeu anar afegint figures a mida que les van aprenent.

– podeu fer servir aquest metode per ensenyar:
colors, 

estampats (amb paper de regal), 

numeros, 

lletres, 

paraules, 

vocabulari amb dibuixos o fotografies de diferents temes
(diferents fotos de gats, gossos, ocells, etc. per animals), roba, aliments, joguines… la llista es infinita!

variations:

– you could add more shapes as they learn.

– you could use this method to teach colours, patterns (with wrapping paper), numbers, letters, words, vocabulary with pictures, e.g. different pictures or even photos of cats, dogs, birds, etc. for animals, or food, clothes, toys… the list is endless!

TUTORIAL: roba per estendre – hanging up the laundry

Aqui teniu un petit joc per fer amb els nens. 

Es per ensenyar vocabulari de roba i dels colors i tambe perque practiquin la dexteritat dels dits amb petites agulles d’estendre. A part, tambe pot servir per decorar l’habitacio quan el deseu…

Here’s a little game to play with young children.

I use it to teach vocabulary (clothes and colours) as well as it gives an opportunity for the child to practise with the pincer grip by using little wee cloth pecks. It will also look nice on the wall of their room when they’re not playing with it…

MATERIALS

feltre de colors

agulles petites 

cordill de canam

paper i llapis

tisores

 i un gat per fer-vos companyia… (opcional)

felt of diffrent colours

mini cloth pecks

hemp string

paper, pencil and scissors

and a cat to keep you company… (optional)

1. Dibuixeu en un paper el perfil de tota la roba que us passi pel cap. Talleu les figures per fer-les servir de patro i taller el feltre.

1. Draw on a paper all the silhouette of all the clothes you can think of. Cut them out to use them as a template to cut the felt.

2. Un cop tallades, podeu decorar la roba amb els diferents punts de brodar que tingui la vostra maquina de cosir. O tambe podeu deixar-los tal com son…

2. You can decorate them by using the different sewing stitches on your sewing machine. Or if you like, you can leave them plain.

3. Talleu un troc, de cordill i esteneu-hi la roba amb les pincetes.

3. Cut the string, as long as you want it to be, and hang the laundry on the line with the little pecks.