My daughter was 7 years old in January this year. For her birthday I gave her a sewing kit I had purchased at Mike's last October, when we were in Melbourne for the school holidays. It had the cutest fabric - that's what got me. It also looked really simple. I've learned slowly over the years that when crafting with children simple, happy, done is a really nice combination. Kids like that too, though they also like messy, glitter, glue, drawing on walls....Anyway... Last weekend, instead of dragging myself around all Saturday pretending to do housework, I whipped through the chores and after lunch we sat down at the sewing machine.
Happy. Concentrating. Straight stitches. I made an effort to show her how to thread the machine, make a bobbin, pin the fabric, press the seams, and then I was very proud of how relaxed I felt as I let her sew up all the seams. I wasn't sure if I would panic and feel the need to take over. But I didn't. So that's good. The kit is super cute. It comes with an iron on label that you attach to the outside of the project, embroider on the label are the words "I made it". I loved that. So here's the finished project, being modelled in the back garden, complete with new dressing gown and crocs. As you do.
She took it to Guides on Tuesday night and the leaders signed off one activity against the "Scissors" badge. We had both thumbed through the book of badges and couldn't find the "sewing" badge. It's all so groovy now and relational and you don't do straight out things like "sewing". Anyway, she was pleased - can you tell?
