Yesterday was another day infused with the joy of fabrics. My younger son's signifigant other and I shopped for fabrics so she could make a baby blanket for her brother and his wife, who are expecting. She quickly developed strong opinions about various materials and I could practically see the ideas forming in her mind. She had clearly thought about it before, so she knew she wanted supersoft flannel and she wanted a furry material for the stuffed dog she was also making. The fabrics she chose were wonderful, and we came back and set to work cutting and sewing. You could see her falling in love with the fun of creating something. In 3 1/2 hours, we went to two fabric stores, she bought material for two blankets and a stuffed dog, and she had completed the blanket/comforter, taking home the material and pattern to cut out the dog. The blanket is gorgeous. The print side is little elephants with mustard colored ears and a gray background. She found just the mustard color to match for the back, then came up with the idea herself for a strip of the print fabric on the back, in the lower third of that side. It is brilliant, and the whole thing looks fresh and modern and so soft. The other material she picked is a soft aqua with bits of gold. It's unusual, and will make a lovely blanket.
My language job was to explain clearly and succinctly and be encouraging. I'm far from a perfectionist, so that helps. It was so pleasant to watch her solve problems, develop strong opinions about what she wanted, but scale back when I said something might be too involved or complicated for a first blanket. We talked about nothing personal the whole time, but I got a better sense of who she is being a witness to her decision making and creative imagination. I feel closer to her, and connected in a way I hadn't before. Before I was happy she was making my son so happy, now I can see why.
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