TESSA

the photo my niece took for her MySpace page

I took a week off from camps so my niece Tessa could come for her summer visit. She is 13 now and I was looking forward to all the cute clothes we were going to make. Tess had different ideas. She wanted to make a dog bed for her stepdad's Boxer and chose McCall's pattern 5287. We called her brothers to get some measurements; it was clear we were going to have to make the large size.

Off to the fabric store to find the perfect goods! Tessa chose a Waverly decorator cotton, yellow with screened flowers, and pink piping. It wasn't lost on me that it coordinated with the duvet cover she made last year. Tess explained the bed was her way to lure the dog into her room, of course it had to go with the decor!

 

After the bed was constructed Tessa made a giant tube and a large square pillow out of muslin and filled them with fiberfill (twenty pounds of it) prior to inserting them in the bed cover. Should make laundry a snap!

 
My niece with the giant tube of stuffing prior to inserting it in the bed
Tessa and Beau in his new collar and leash.
 Feeling guilty for making a floral bed for the "macho pup", one of her secondary projects became the creation of a black leather dog collar with smooth silver studs and a western buckle and keeper. She also fashioned a matching leash. We went to Stormcloud Trading for all the right hardware and dyed the cut edges of the leather black, giving it a very professional look.
Tessa was also inspired by button jewelry and accessories in the Summer '07 issue of Adorn magazine. She decorated a purse for one of her cousins. I didn't get a picture but Tessa has promised to send me some photos as soon as she finds her camera. In the meantime, I wonder how many z's the dog is catching in his bed . . .
Tessa takes a nap in the (ahem!) dogbed.

ELIZABETH

My niece Elizabeth poses with my 15 pound cat Luciano

Elizabeth is also 13. She and her mother and brother came for two and a half days at the end of August. In that short time I had to share her with a grandma, aunts, uncles and cousins. Elizabeth has a way with animals and bonded with my fifteen pound cat Luciano. Here she is, giving him some loving!

Saturday morning Elizabeth selected beads for friendship bracelets she planned to make for her friends. Although each one had a different color scheme she chose two beads to be her constants, putting them into each bracelet to signify the unity of the group. When we got home from my brother's house Saturday evening she began stringing. She quickly worked out a system and completed five bracelets before going to bed that night.
Elizabeth making friendship bracelets for her friends back in Washington
The five bracelets Elizabeth made for herself and friends.

The finished bracelets were lovely and Elizabeth reported that each one fit it's recipient perfectly!

Now I'm trying to convince her parents to send her for a week next summer. Given a little more time there is no telling what we could come up with!

 

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