celebrating five
This morning I woke up to the sound of Tilly walking down the hall happily singing to herself, "happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me…" I got up laughing.
This girl of ours is full of joy and sunlight and I'm so so happy to be celebrating five years with her today.
I stayed up last night and sewed her a tent.
I didn't have a pattern or even a plan, I'd just seen one made of gingham selling locally for $160 that was pretty and crazy priced, so when I saw gingham on sale a while back I bought some.
I had an old hula hoop which the last tenants left behind and there we have it.
Basically it's a long rectangle with a sleeve at the top which I threaded cotton tape through and gathered up tightly. The top bit, the different fabric, is there because when I held it up it didn't look long enough. It happens that when the hoop is tied in at the join it all looks very deliberate. I'm not actually that clever.
I sewed on pieces of tape that tie up and hold up the hoop.
In the photo above I demonstrate my incredible skillful sewing, so skillful that I managed to accidentally sew the ends of the tapes holding the hoop in, while tacking on the outside lace. I am that talented. And given it was quite late, was also too lazy to unpick the tape out and re-sew the seam. Just snipped it off. As you can see.
Ah, whatever.
She loves it.
It was a fun day of special visitors, craft, cake and homemade pizza for dinner in front of a movie.
This five year old is an awesome kid, a little bit deaf, incredibly noisy, best friends with her big brother, dedicated to all her friends, besotted with expressive dance, and frighteningly adventurous. She is apparently engaged to be married to the next door neighbour (he's 5) and when she grows up she wants to be a ballet teacher, a firefighter and a farmer.
Happy birthday beautiful girl. I hope all your wishes come true.
xxx
Charley
January 9, 2012 at 11:08 pmgorgeous. Laughing at your self described laziness..Father Christmas just paid a horrendous fee for a canvas teepee for my four year old. You should get into the tent business!
Ines Brenneman
January 9, 2012 at 11:32 pmWonderful late night sewing, this is so cute. If I hadn’t spent $170 on a tepee for our daughters 3 rd birthday 2 years ago I’d be whipping this up. She reminds me of my adventurous girl. Ha ha just read above comment, I agree there is a market here.
Melanie @ M&M
January 9, 2012 at 11:54 pmThis lovely, as is Tilly! I love the “mistake” and your lazy solution. I would have felt compelled to do it over and then been tired and grumpy for the birthday. It looks like a wonderful day. Happy birthday, Tilly, and kudos to you : )
JenK
January 10, 2012 at 8:23 amI would have loved a tent like that when I was little.
Bennoss
January 10, 2012 at 10:43 amHAPPY BIRTHDAY TILLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mel
January 10, 2012 at 10:51 amGreat job with the tent. She looks as bright as a button that little one. 🙂
Anny
January 10, 2012 at 1:11 pmJust gorgeous…enjoy every minute because it seems like you blink and they are all grown up. These are the things your children will always remember…you are making great memories!!
miss.cinders
January 10, 2012 at 1:34 pmHappy Birthday Tilly!
And Happy Birthing Day Mumma!!
Love the tent!
innerpickle
January 10, 2012 at 2:32 pmNow if I could just learn to sew properly!!!
innerpickle
January 10, 2012 at 2:34 pmThe idea of grown up babies is at the same time super exciting and terrifying! Wow, unmolested newspaper-reading over morning coffee??! What, you mean you want to move out of home – – ah, NO!!!!
Hazel
January 10, 2012 at 5:47 pmI agree with Amy. My Tilly is on a countdown to her 13th birthday (I suspect she will be awake at the crack of dawn singing ‘Happy Birthday to me’ too) and it doesn’t seem like 5 minutes ago that she was 5.
I love the tent. Top of this Tilly’s birthday list is a Superdry jacket. I still manage to make a fair amount of my children’s presents, but I’m going to have to go shopping for that one…
Stitchybritt
January 10, 2012 at 7:06 pmI think you did a fantastic job of the tent. And I love that frowny baby face – so funny!
innerpickle
January 10, 2012 at 10:39 pmThank you very much. And yes, on the back of that photo I wrote: cheerful on the inside. xx
Cassandra
January 11, 2012 at 8:28 amThat tent is absolutely fantastic! Our little man is just getting into caves and tents at the moment at 20 months old. Happy big five to Tilly. Love her baby photo with a VERY serious frown, so cute.
mom24boys
January 11, 2012 at 1:15 pmI need to make a tent like that for a good friend’s lovely children (mine are 13 and up- they’ll have to make do with visiting and playing with the littles).
Just so I don’t have to re-invent… let me be sure I have the general idea clear.
The tent is a long tube with an open side, gathered at the top with a hanger-loop of some fashion and then a ways down from the top, ties are attached to hold the hula-hoop which keeps the tent expanded. Does that sound right? I can make this very frugally since there is gingham on clearance right now at the local WalMart (just $1.50/yard!)
I wish I had known years ago, in my older kids’ youth, just how easy it is to make childhood enchanting and an adventure. You do a smashing job of it, Fiona.
Blessings
innerpickle
January 13, 2012 at 12:14 amThat’s it. It’s a simple rectangle, join in a ‘tube’ then sew the top half metre closed. Sew a sleeve at the top and thread through a cord and gather. At the bottom of the half metre sew ties to hold in the hula hoop. Awesome you have gingham available so cheap!!