Linen Perpetual Calendar, Giveaway of Books, and WIPs
October seems like a fine time to …
- get organized for the rest of the school year with a calendar (better late than never)
- inspire with free books
- share ideas in the form of WIPs
Getting Organized with a Calendar
The family calendar on the fridge did not work—no one looked at it. Maybe it was too low (slipping down the fridge with its heaviness) or too ugly (when we tried to use light paper computer printouts). Here is a possible solution: a simple perpetual calendar made from linen, embroidered with a grid and letters for the days of the week, and numbered with magnets.
What you need:
- linen—larger than 15 inches x 13 inches, in your colour choice
- embroidery floss—1-3 colours that complement the linen
- magnets—2 large and 31 medium or small
- white or light grey stones OR beach glass—31 pieces, each about the size of a medium button
- small sticky/post-it notes
- ruler
- tailor’s chalk or disappearing-ink marker
- embroidery needle
- scissors
- marker—black fine-tipped Sharpie
- glue—white glue or crazy glue, whatever will work for the strength of the magnets and weight of the stones or beach glass
- Cut the linen (15 x 13 inches) so that it aligns with the weave of the fabric.
- On each side, pull threads to create a fringe of no more than ½ inch. The result should be 14 inches wide x 12 inches deep, plus fringe.
- With the chalk or disappearing ink marker, measure and draw a grid on the fabric:
- 7 columns x each 2 inches wide
- 6 rows x each 2 inches deep - With embroidery thread, embroider the inner lines of the grid with a running stitch. (Don’t embroider the outer edges; it is not necessary.)
- In the first row of the columns, draw (with chalk or disappearing ink marker) a letter in each column, one for each day of the week: S (Sunday), M (Monday), T (Tuesday), etc.
- Embroider the letters.
- Hang your calendar on the fridge with the 2 large magnets.
- For the numbers, mark the stones or beach glass with numbers 1 to 31.
- Glue the numbered stones or beach glass to 31 magnets.
10. At the beginning of each month, arrange the numbers in the day-of-the-week columns.
11. Use the number magnets to pin reminders written on sticky/post-it notes. Over time, you might decide to create and add magnets for special days: stars for birthdays, moon magnets for the full moon, music notes for music lessons, etc.
WIP or Work in Progress
WIP means “Work in Progress.” Presenting a WIP is a way to connect with like-minded people, get feedback or quick tips, maybe inspire others, and perhaps explain why dinner was burned. If you have a crafty Work in Progress, tell your friends, tell parents of children in your child’s class—tell everyone. Share the inspiration!
Giveaway of Inspiring and How-To Books
Book-buying is habit-forming. A crafty book-buyer hoarding books that she knows—on the 2nd or 17th look—will not ever be used MUST clear out. Plus the bookshelves are groaning again. These bought-and-flipped-but-not-used books are available to the first Waldorf Academy parent who will put them to good use:
- How to Knit: The Definitive Knitting Course Complete with Step-by-Step Techniques, Stitch Libraries, and Projects for Your Home and Family by Debbie Bliss
- The Quilter’s Guide to Amish Quilts by Jan Jefferson and Maggi McCormick Gordon
- Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft, and Design by Faythe Levine and Cortney Heimerl
To claim a book, be the first to contact Jen Deathe or Laura Edlund.
