I’m never one to say no. Especially to the sweet teacher who will spend a total of eight years teaching (like a mother) one of my girls in her 3-6 year old classroom. This year will be the fifth striaght year I’ll have a daughter in her class. And when she moves on to lower elementary, my toddler will join the class, from 2013-2016. Eight years, one teacher and one assistant.
SO, how can I say no? I can’t.
That’s why I volunteered to sew 18 children’s aprons plus three matching teacher aprons, before school starts – which is next Monday. I’ve had the fabric (provided by the school) since the end of last school year. But I can’t seem to do anything, ever, without a deadline. So, here I am, the day before I said I would return the finished aprons, done – just in the nick of time.
If you were wondering where I was last week, this was it, sewing, along with some pesto making, slowing down (em, sort of) and taking a little cyber break. I did take photos and I’ll have lots more to share within the next few days, with a handful of posts already in the works.
But can we all please take a moment, and agree to say that’s a lot of darn sewing! Whooooo (picture me wiping the fake sweet off my brow).
It was impossible for me to get a photo that did all those cute little aprons justice. The children’s aprons were sewn from the Sew Liberated pattern. The teacher aprons I made by copying the size of an painting apron I had on hand. One of the teachers at school picked out the fabric, so I can’t take credit for that either.
That project is done. But my sewing machine is staying out, with lots more planned in the near future. I’m attending a busy bag swap party for my toddler on Friday, for which I’ll be sewing 17 bags, each filled with 10 fabric strips with velcro to make fabric chains. And then there is my goal of sewing each girl a new dress for the first day of school, in seven days. I should add, I have never in my life sewn any of them a dress – ever! But I know I can do it. I WILL do it. Especially since I’ve now told you about it, I must do it.
After that, while the my toddler spends her phase in week at school from 9-noon, before the school nap begins – I’ll be sewing her a new nap quilt to take to school. And then I’ll move to the upstairs with sewing a new comforter for my oldest daughter who will be getting her first ever own room. Plus curtains for two rooms, with a total of 16 windows, and the bathroom windows too.
And then, maybe, I’ll be sewed out. At least for a while.
I love when my sewing sparks my girls to start sewing too, like this moment where my daughter made a pillow for her dolls. Yes, she’s been on a doll pillow kick.
My middle daughter picked up the weaving loom for the first time, and was quite proud of her work.
I do love when they understand the work and love that goes into homemade items made for them. I know they feel it too. Like when my middle girl took her finished pot holder and promptly wrapped it up as a present for daddy to use on his weekend biscuit making mornings. That’s when I know they get it.
And I keep saying yes.
Wow, that’s a lot of sewing! If you don’t have dress patterns picked out yet, I suggest you look at the Lucy pattern from Children’s Corner. It is an A-line jumper: 2 pattern pieces. It’s fully lined, but I usually cheat and make a front facing and back facing instead. Gina’s Bernina carries Children’s Corner patterns. My other favorite FAST dress is to take a teeshirt, cut it off to waist length and then attach a skirt to it. No pattern necessary! It’s pretty self-explanatory, but I did put up a tutorial a few years back to help a friend out long-distance who had never sewn a dress before. http://sewalongwithkaty.blogspot.com/search/label/teeshirt%20dress%20tutorial
Thanks Katy. That’s exactly the kind of dress I had in mind. Nice tutorial. Thanks for sharing!
Sew sweet…you are a saint!
Thanks Anne. I’m taking a sewing break for now.