Pirates!

It's been a while since I've posted. This was a rough summer to say the least. Full of loss, injury, and illness. There was just too much going on with our families for me to take the time to blog. It seemed like just when we got through one thing, another would pop up to take it's place. I really hope that trend is behind us now!

But it wasn't all doom and gloom. There were bright spots this summer too...

Like when my husband and sister built my nephew a swing set. My nephew was so excited he could hardly wait to get down his new slide!

He was also thrilled to have his "own house". And the first thing he asked to have for it was a pirate flag.

Which thrilled this auntie to no end! Maybe that means we'll have another Halloween lover in the family (or maybe he's just a three year old boy who thinks pirates are cool). Either way he's a boy after my own heart so a pirate he was going to have!

But with everything that's been going on, and since I also lack all but the most basic of sewing skills (which are shaky at best), I've just finished the flag.

It's not that it was difficult to make. I think it mostly took me so long because:

A. I procrastinated. I was intimidated about sewing nylon and unsure how to create my own miniature flag pole to fit on the house.

And B. I sewed the entire thing by hand. Which is another story entirely, involving a broken sewing machine.

Once I actually got started though, it moved along steadily. First I drew a design onto paper, then cutout the pieces to use as my pattern.

I sealed the edges of the nylon using fray stop (which was still visible on the nylon once it dried but wasn't too noticeable).

Then hand stitched all the parts together.

I used a dowel with a wooden bead glued on the end for the flag pole. And my husband bent a standard sized metal flag pole bracket, into something that would fit this miniature design.

 I also made him this quick little pirate hat out of craft foam.

Once it was hung on the playhouse all that was left was to watch-out for roving bands of backyard pirates and their wild dogs.