Never tell the Kindergarten teacher that you know how to sew

Because sewing projects will be sent home.


Silly me. I filled out the parent volunteer form and checked all the boxes that appealed to my crafty side -- sewing, scrapbooking, cutting stuff up. Since I don't expect to be able to help out in class (infant siblings are quite a distraction), I thought I could do my volunteer stuff at home. Later in the year. After my freelance job is done. I didn't realize that it would be this soon. Oops.


Last week, I was asked to help sew W.E.B. bags. These are book bags that carry the little readers' "Wonderfully Exciting Books," a beginning reading program that the kids use both in the classroom and at home. Each day, the student chooses a book in their reading level (A-J) to practice reading themselves, and a storybook that they read with an adult. These books, along with a reading journal that that parents and teachers use to track the minutes read, go in the W.E.B. bags back and forth to school.


On the supply lists, the teacher asked for 1/2 yard of fabric. Eight pieces of fabric were sent home in my kid's backpack, along with instructions for the bags. I just finished them tonight. They are very simple, and stitched up quickly. The bags are held closed with velcro strips and feature a nameplate on the front (I'm gonna let the teacher use her pretty handwriting to put their names on -- I am not to be trusted with a Sharpie).


So, I took a needed break from the freelancing to get this sewing done. I think they came out fine. I hope the kids like them!

(NB: the Hannah Montana bag does not belong to my child. Although I did hide it from her while I was working on it, because she would want it for herself!)

Sewing lessons and clothespins capers

Thank goodness for that rare, long baby nap!

Yesterday, while Baby C was taking one of his long naps to recover from an outing (after we had a shopping misadventure at the children's resale shop... more on that later), I decided to sew up a clothespin bag for my outdoor clothesline. Desperate times call for crafty solutions, and I had scored the last package of clothespins at the 99-Cent Store (there was a run on the clothespins while we were there, with three other customers and two employees involved, racing around the store to find them--who got to them first? My smart but rambling grandmother-in-law!)

Anyways, with Grandma watching intently, I got out some fabric, and tried to wing it through a clothespin bag, which I immediately screwed up. She asked, "What are you trying to make?" I told her, then she quietly came over and showed me how.

Man, I love her!

Crafty Thrifty Tea Party

Mix-and-match tea set from Goodwill: $2.99.

Strawberry fabric on sale after Christmas at Joann's: $1.99/yard.

Fried egg scrap fabric from Joann's remnant bin: $1.

Two little girls playing tea party all day: Priceless.

Spot the Flaw

A gold star to anyone who can see my mistake in the following project photo:

This was a last minute Christmas gift for my second-grader's best friend. I was crazily stitching it up before delivering at the end of the last day of school before Winter Break. I didn't realize the mistake until I was laying it out for the photo! (That's a clue.)

So I ripped out a few inches of sewing, fixed the problem, re-sewed and wrapped it, just in time to take it to school. The look on the little girl's face was worth the rush!

I also made one for my daughter, so she and her BFF have matching tote bags. The inspiration was also from the latest craft swap, courtesy KM-S. Thanks, my friend!

(Here's the tote bag pattern, in case you like it.)

Sassy Shirt Shopping Sacks

I promised several people that I would post pictures of this soooo simple craft project when I was done. Well, with all the crafting before Christmas, and the cleanup after, I just got back to my t-shirt project.

My friend Marie introduced me to this idea at our last craft swap (which is such an amazing ritual, I highly recommend it for your group of friends). She used the Martha Stewart pattern, and I found the t-shirts at Goodwill (I love thrifting!).

The project took me about $1.50 and 5 minutes per bag. I liked the sassy tees, but it would also be a lot of fun to use fabric markers or paint and let your kids decorate the bags too!

(Sorry about the photo quality, I am not a photographer! Also, the mini sewing machine on the left is my daughter's. Mine is under the purple tee next to it.)