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This, my friends, is what homeschool is about for me. I can pick an activity that interests us all — learning to sew — and we can spend days and days figuring it out. We got this great book called Sewing School: 21 Sewing Projects Kids Will Love to Make by Amie Plumley and Andria Lisle, which broke things down very well for us beginners. It was very, very satisfying to have the boys learning a running stitch and both saying, excitedly, “I’m doing it! I’m really doing it!”
From there, Henry has been methodically working his way through the book (needle book, pillow, superhero cuff), while Eli is making up his own stuff (sleeping bag for Soup, backpack for his stuffed animal Puppy). When we went to the fabric store to get supplies, I suddenly heard Zuzu gasp, and there was a bolt of the same fabric that her sleepy bunny is made out of. So of course we had to get some, and are working on making sleepy bunnies for her dollies.
Love it, I’m going to have to get this after the holidays!
Ooo – can we please see a photo of the sleepy bunny fabric?
Sewing projects led my DD to request a loom – a full scale LOOM which costs $$$$. Also, there was a terrific weaving exhibit at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire that fueled her fire.
Now searching for a weaver willing to start a class for 8-10 year olds – there MUST be one near Boston!
Happy stitching!
Shannon, you’ll love this book!
Cathy, the sleepy bunny fabric is the one that Zuzu (in the undies) is working on. I’ll see if I can get a closer pic sometime. It’s pink flannel with white polka dots. And I DO have a full-size loom, but I haven’t set it up since Henry was born. I used to love weaving, but it is a big space-taker-upper. Someday I’ll do it again.
Yea! Reading your post, I am so thrilled! This is exactly what I was hoping families would do with Sewing School. I am so excited to see your kids sewing and creating their own projects. Happy sewing!
Amie
Amie, we LOVE this book. I have been recommending it to everyone. Eli actually put “I’m thankful that we started sewing” on his Thanksgiving list.
Can’t wait for the follow-up with pictures of the stuff they sewed! *hint hint*
Ok, Lori! I will! They’re working on a few things right now, and then I’ll post photos!
Julie, I love that photo of your kids…. It makes me dream about how wonderful it must be for your kids to be homeschooled. I think you’re really nurturing their creative side (i also loved your post on the farm you visited) and it seems such a wonderful alternative to more regular school.
Another day in utopia. I want to have sewing instructions while in my underwear with light streaming all around me onto clean wood floors and have someone make me snacks. What do they pay you? Slop Mountain college’ll double it! (You could hardly beat the commute, though I guess you really could, but not by much…)
BTW me thinks me spots our wooden dragon through the window of that photo! How about the children study art conservation and reverse the decay on that culturally significant artifact? (Or at least leave some oranges and rice in its mouth like in the shrines at Thai restaurants?)
Adriane, who would be my semi-naked sewing students at Slop Mountain College? My rate might need to be tripled (though, um, considering what I’m getting now, that would still give me a salary of $0.00).
I totally think that’s your dragon through the window. Maybe we’ll leave him some cookies this week.