Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation

Surrounding Thanksgiving, there always seems to be a big discussion about what the "first Thanksgiving" actually looked like.  While I find all of those stories and research interesting - and worthy of discussion - I also think it's worthwhile for us to look back at the words penned by our Nation's leaders over the years on prior to and after Thanksgiving became an "official holiday".

A few months after the U.S. Constitution was ratified, the first Congress was seated, and George Washington was inaugurated as the 1st President of the United States, Washington issued a proclamation declaring November 26, 1789 to be a day of thanksgiving and prayer.  I highly recommend reading the entirety of this proclamation (it's brief), available from the Heritage Foundation's First Principles Series.

 

The third and final section is poignant.  Note the elements of praise, gratitude, contrition, and supplication (emphasis mine).  I am continually amazed at the character and the humility of our First President - he was most certainly a man "for such a time as this.  As we approach Thanksgiving, let's remember to be thankful for the blessing of our country, to pray for our leaders and future leaders, and to pray that we get back to these "first principles." 

"...And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

 

Go. Washington"

 

 

The DIY Tie-T-Shirt Blanket

This post is about 5 months late, but I hope it will be helpful to the blogosphere!  It would not have been possible had there not been a reason to make a Tie-T-Shirt Blanket.  But there was.  And his name is Stephen - my "baby" brother who recently graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point.  Needless to say, he is pretty awesome.  And handsome! 

Life as a Cadet at West Point is tough.  But there are some sweet moments and memories, too.  The young men and women who make it through this rigorous college and military training deserve A LOT of credit!  If you can't tell by now, I am immensely proud of our 2013 Army Grad! 

 

Stephen's one request for a graduation present was a t-shirt blanket.  You know - we all collect a million and one t-shirts growing up from school, sports teams, camps, etc and they just collect space in your closet, or the bin that they've been thrown into collects dust in the basement.  (Or maybe your parents threw them all away - in that case, sorry!)  The idea is a great one - use all those t-shirts for a product you'll actually use frequently so you can squeeze every last drop of sentimentality out of your childhood memories.

 

Here was the problem though - none of the women in our family, except for our Grandmas who are past their sewing prime, know how to sew.  I'd love to really learn how (if I had the time), but right now it's just not an option.  So we decided to go with the Tie-T-Shirt option.  I'm happy to report - it turned out great! 

 

 

 

The Tie-T-Shirt option is a really great one if you're looking to get by without a sewing machine (I'll explain later that I did sew a little by hand).  However, we struggled a bit through the process as most of the samples and directions I found online were inadequate.  I am hoping this blog post and instructions will make things easier for anyone who attempts this in the future!

These directions come from http://www.ehow.com/how_12066953_make-blanket-out-tshirts-sewing.html#ixzz2eMEVatLi with my edits and additions in RED.

 

1.  Collect old T-shirts from your own wardrobe or those of family members. You will need 16 shirts for a blanket.  The T-shirts can be slightly worn, but they should still be in good quality, without obvious holes in the material. Look for shirts that bring back memories from childhood or special events that might otherwise be forgotten. Wash and dry the shirts before working with them to create a blanket. The bigger the t-shirt the better - if the pattern is very close to the neckline, it will be a little difficult when you go to tie the squares, but not impossible.  If you have lots of different colors, lay out a design for where you want each t-shirt square.
 

 

 

2.  Measure and mark out 18-inch squares in each T-shirt.  Cut out the squares.   Then cut 3-inch squares from the four corners of each of the 18-inch squares.  This can be challenging if the t-shirts are small, which is likely if they are for kids.  Try cutting as close to the neck as possible.

3.  Fringe the 18-inch T-shirt squares along the edges. Simply cut 3-inch slits about every inch or so along each of the four sides of the square.  Be sure to make the same number of fringes on each square - I'd recommend laying them on top of each other.

3.5.  The directions we found on the Internet did not call for this, but we'd highly recommend it - purchase some sort of backing that can be ironed on to the back of the t-shirts (we just asked for recommendations at Michael's.  This will give a little bit more sturdiness to the t-shirt side of the blanket.           

4.  Attach the squares together by tying the fringe along one side of a square to the fringe along the side of another square.  Repeat this process to make four rows of four squares. Then attach the four rows together in the same manner, by tying the fringe together along the edge of each row.  The result will be a four-by-four perfect square. This is the top of your blanket. The tighter the tie the better - it's a bit like putting together a puzzle!

5.  Cut out a piece of fleece measuring 54 inches to make a soft back for your blanket. From each of the four corners of the square of fleece, cut out a 3-inch square. Fringe the edges of the square by cutting a 3-inch slit for every inch along each edge. Lay the t-shirt squares on top, so that you can line up the slits.

6.  Place the T-shirt top on top of the square of fleece. Check to make sure the faces of the T-shirts are showing. Tie the fringed edges of the T-shirt square to the fringed edges of the fleece backing. Once all four sides have been connected your blanket will be complete and ready for a cuddle.

 

7.  Many of the ties will stick out in all different directions - this is a neat look, but I wanted to make ours a little bit more polished.  I pushed the ends behind the t-shirts, and then did some free-hand sewing to keep it all together - in the back (so do before you tie the fleece backing on!) so that you couldn't see my stiches at all.  You can compare the before and after below:

 

 



8.  Lastly, if you have any blank t-shirts, you might want to add a patch or applique.  We found these at an Army store, which I think, added a great touch!



 

 

I hope this is helpful!  Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions!