There’s this “thing” out there. Before you have a child, you should have a dog for a couple of years. If you can take care of it and manage not to do anything irreversibly stupid, chances are you’re ready for a kid. Some logic here, I suppose! Well, I didn’t do dogs, I did plants, but same premise… sort of. But when I was in college, my plants were my babies. It started innocently enough. I moved into my first dorm room with a James Taylor album in one hand and a little pilea cadierei, better known as an aluminum plant, in the other. As the year went on, I kept picking up new plants. Back then I could literally spend hours picking out a single plant. God love him for putting up with me, but that’s how my boyfriend and I often spent Saturday evenings! And I bought tiny plants, that was all the I could afford. But with excessive care and nurturing, they grew and flourished, and by the time I graduated I had over 40 plants that I schlepped around with me. Kids would be a breeze!

Not only did I meet my plants’ nutritional needs, making home brewed concoctions for them, I also believed in nurturing their souls. I stroked them and played music for them. I monitored their sun intake, rotating them throughout the day. I made sure I didn’t show favoritism. I also dressed them. I made macrame hangers and an assortment of pots. One of my favorite pots was a patchwork pot similar to the one above. Although not fashionable amongst my friends, I was already a crafter. I was making afghans and quilts in college. I always had a scrap box and one day I got this scathingly brilliant idea to make a patchwork pot out of the fabric orts I had been squirreling away.

I did a few things wrong with the first few patchwork pots I made. First, I didn’t seal the terracotta pots, and after watering the plants a few times, the water began to seep through the pot discoloring the fabric and finally causing it to separate from the pot. Then, I wrapped the cloth over the top rim and a couple of inches into the pot. Another mistake since the fabric was touching the dirt and always damp, and the moisture leeched up the fabric, discoloring it. Finally, I had allowed the pot to sit on a dish, thus keeping the fabric on the bottom of the plant always damp. I started growing mold… not the look I was going after!

But after some tweaks and modifications, I got to a design that was beautiful and mostly functional! They are easy and lots of fun the make, and with a little help, even young children can make them. Bug, Fairy and Pixie will be making them for a Mother’s Day gift. Watch for their pots sometime in the next few days. In the mean time, if you’d like to make your own Patchwork Pot, check out the directions here. Enjoy!