Cole and Emily really value nature and being outdoors. As such, they visit a lot of state and national parks with their girls.
They travel all over the country and do a lot of camping and hiking together.
The National Park Service offers a Junior Ranger program that the kids always participate in. It's an educational program about each specific park and offers activities that help kids (and their parents) learn about the park they are visiting.
At the end, the kids are sworn in as Junior Rangers for that park and they are given badges specific to that park.
As many parks as they go to, their collection of badges are growing.
So, when Cole saw my collection of Feast buttons last summer, he asked me if I could make the girls something for their badges as a Christmas gift.
Me? Take on a new sewing project? For my grands?? One that meant pulling out my embroidery machine? Oh, I was all over that!
I found some really nice Junior Ranger patches on Etsy to add to the banners that I found online. I may switch my Feast buttons to banners like these. I really like this look far better than the traditional way Feasters have of hanging them on strips of wool.
And then I began playing experimenting with thread colors and fonts.
I have learned to always, always, ALWAYS experiment, practice, and then test embroidery designs. (Some sewing ones as well.)
And then when I am happy with the colors I've chosen, the font, and how everything is stitching out,
I cut and lay things out to be sure they look as planned. The stitching in embroidery work is so tight and close, it is very, very difficult to clip it out and remove it if you don't like it. (Ask me how I know that.)
I embroidered all their names and then appliquéd the patches at the bottom.
I sent photos of the Junior Ranger banners to Cole and Emily last night.
They were really happy with how they'd turned out. So am I, and I can't wait to give them to the girls at Thanksgiving.
I am going to ask them to send me photos after they get all their badges onto the banners. That way, if it looks like they are full or close to it, I can make them second banners.
By the way, see Susie's hands in the picture above? She is probably the boldest of the family when it comes to the great outdoors and isn't afraid to touch or hold things, living or not.
While they all love critters (to the point of building an annual "bug house" out on my patio table every winter to shelter the bugs during the harsh weather),
Susie takes the "critter cake" when it comes to looking for (and finding) interesting flora and fauna. In this photo, these were "interesting things" that she'd found that she wanted to study. (And keep. And take home from Iowa City to Nashville, Tennessee.) Aunt Sarah did give her a cookie tray to put her interesting things on, but they did not go home to Tennessee.
Emily just sent the family this video from last summer of Susie having a cicada experience. She is totally unafraid and enjoying the insects. Watch it if you wish but be aware that it's a buggy video.
See what I mean? Totally unafraid!
I showed the video to Tim who is an entomologist and he declared Susie destined for greatness and told me to be proud! Maybe I will be after my heart stops beating so fast. Yeesh!!
Don't forget the Give Away! It ends tomorrow (Monday) at 11:59 PM Eastern. The prize this time is a set of Dan Patch mementos straight from Oxford, Indiana!
I'll try to do a second post today if I can; stay 'tooned!
