My daughter is not that skilled yet, but she is quite the budding fashionista. You should see some of her outfits. Today she wore a dress with a shirt and skirt over it. I went to a Mommy and me class where the instructor said, “let them wear what they like. It gives them control and confidence. And luckily, most people will assume that you did not dress her/him.” I am crossing my fingers.

My daughter is too young to pick up needle and thread. But I found Woodkins, which are basically two wooden boards with a doll cut out of the top of one. The bottom one provides the back. It is like a doll sandwich press. Some even have interchangeable heads! The most fun part is that the Woodkins come with little swatches of fabric. The child puts the pieces of fabric between the boards to dress the doll. It is super simple and kind of low-tech in a nice way. And the best thing is that you can get crafty yourself by cutting up old clothing to make new options for the dolls. Now my daughter can make interesting outfits for her doll as well as herself.

* In case you are interested, this is the sewing machine that the family uses. It is pretty tough.

“Surrur” is the sound that a sewing machine makes, if you are in Finland. It is ok if you can’t pronounce it, as 40% of Fins including their President, Tarja Kaarina Halonen, can’t trill their “Rs.” It is also the title of the amazing new “make your own Marimekko” book that I had to have from Crate and Barrel.

Marimekko is known for their bold printed patterns, but it really is more about lifestyle items – fabric, house wares and clothing— that echo the joy of life.

This book celebrates Marimekko’s 60th anniversary with over 60 fun-filled projects. “Surrur” was made by two Marimekko designers Mari Savio and Kati Rapia. They asked seven other Marimekko designers to design “whatever they wanted” (sounds like a fun job, huh?) and then they would then document and explain how to make it. Kati took the photos and did the illustrations while Mari wrote the instructions. The projects the designers made run the gamut from simple to way too complicated for me. Several of the projects involve sewing machines, which I won’t be attempting and come with patterns. Others are more user friendly, if you are like me, and involve fabric, paper, tearing, cutting and weaving.

A few of the projects are fun DIY clothing designs, others are more decorative and a handful are very playful like puppets or a gigantic car-cozy. Some are just silly, like Mika Piirainen’s “bad hair day hat,” which is basically a huge hat with holes for the eyes. It could be an excellent Halloween costume. Tuula Pöyhönen’s “chief collar” can be done by anyone. All it involves is cutting fabric into long strips and tying it into knots on a cord. I did it and it was easy and looks great. I gave it to my Mom and she actually gets compliments when she wears it. I bet that kids can do it too.

The seven designers were photographed in their living space with their kids and their finished designs. After seeing their houses and the décor, it is easier to understand how they could come up with such fun creations. It makes you want to take a sewing class and make something.