Happy Folk Song Friday! This week I have been sewing up a STORM. I have been on a real kick lately, and it has been so (sew💀) fun! I have always loved sewing but would consider myself an “advanced beginner”. I learned a lot of new skills this week as I sewed my daughter a traditional Swedish National Costume. Maybe you’ve already noticed this, but we have a very Swedish last name. My husband’s family (a few generations back) emigrated from Sweden, and they still celebrate their Swedish heritage. Recently my husband and I made a decision to really lean into Swedish celebrations and traditions. It was pretty special to do research and recreate this important part of her heritage. For this project I learned how to add snaps and how to make my own bias tape (still convinced there’s some amount of witchcraft involved in that).
Here’s the sweet little 12-18 month sized dress! (I made it a little big so itw would fit for a long time) I had to hand embroider all the leaves and that was honestly the most time consuming part. In case you’re curious, I used this pattern for the dress and it worked up so fast. I used this video (roughly) for the apron (I had to adjust the size for a baby, and then add a blue stripe), and then I kind of winged it/made it up as I went along for the little pocket. We’re planning to have her wear it for special occasions and Swedish holidays. She’ll also be a little Swedish Small World Doll for Halloween (my son will be a little tourist in a boat, I’m going to be the building facade, and my husband will be the cute little giraffe topiary out front!). More details on that idea to come. It’s one of my favorite Disneyland rides, because of the absolute icon Mary Blair and her incredible vision for that ride. When I was trying to decide which small world doll she should be, I thought it would be really special to choose Sweden because it celebrates her heritage! There actually isn’t a specifically Swedish doll, but I think it will get the gist across.
And after I sewed up that dress, I made another one from the same pattern with a cute mushroom print, and it worked up so much faster because I didn’t have to hand embroider anything, haha. And then I got fabric to make another dress and…I think I might have a problem🙈
All this to say, I have been sewing a lot lately and so I obviously had to share a sewing-themed folk song for this week! Today I’m sharing Thread Follows Needle, which is a seemingly simple sol-mi song, that is rich with opportunities for children to decode both the solfa (notes), and the rhythm. It also has a super fun game that my first graders LOVED. Make sure to check out the song card for details on how to play. And I’ll have a super fun activity download available on Monday to play along with as you sing.
Click Here to Download the Free 4x6 Song Card
Happy Singing! -Lauren