A Magical Gift

My Dad Is an epically hard man to shop for. His garage is full of tools, his train collection is already brimming with trains, he's not big into clothes, or shoes, or robes or coffee mugs - heck, he doesn't even drink coffee.  I've pretty much given up on trying to get him a gift every Father's Day/Birthday/Christmas, because after many years of acquisition, I have come to suspect my dad likes getting stuff OUT of the house more than he likes having it come in.

But if there's one thing my Dad does love (besides experiences with his wife, kids, and grandkids) It's Harry Potter - not so much the books and movies themselves, but when I first moved halfway across the country, that's how he and I would *connect*; I flew home "for the movies," and with each new book, Dad and I would agree to specific stopping points, and then call each other at regular intervals to discuss what we'd just read. It was a way to have something in common when we were so many miles away.

Sadly, it's been a few years since the last book, and the last movie came out, and while we've certainly found other things to have in common (like the kids/grandkids), we do sometimes miss the magic of  HP-related bonding that was "our thing" and no-one else's. So one day, when I logged into a beloved custom knit site and saw this, I knew it was a chance to recapture that moment again;

Technically, this is a woven (which is good, I don't think my Dad wears knit shirts), but one look at it, with all our favorite characters, and I knew I had to have it. Dad is 6' 2" with a long torso, and he is forever in need of shirts that are long enough. Well, when you're sewing your OWN shirt, you can make it as long as you want to.

My mom assisted me in picking out the pattern, and getting the sizing right - It's a McCall's 2149, and she had me add 4 inches to the bottom. My parents are both retired and around each other most of the time, so we had to be sneaky to communicate.

Or so we thought: We did have one major slip-up, where my daughter grabbed ahold of the phone and announced "Grandpa! Mommy is making you a Harry Potter Quilt!" in that high-pitched voice that only a 4-year-old girl can manage. Fortunately, she said it so fast that my dad *claims* he didn't actually understand her, but "sewing room with doors I can close" just advanced 2-3 spaces on my "things to buy if I ever win the lottery" list. Ah, children.


Anyways, I was actually lucky enough to be able to deliver this gift in person. Work sent me to the area, and I was able to sneak a night in at "home" (aka my parents' house), so If I look tired in the photo below it's because I had worked both night & morning shifts to be off in time for the visit.

But, here I am with my dad, who is modeling my handmade gift of love. It's not *quite* as much fun as a new Harry Potter book, but it definitely brings back memories of one!