Sewing!

Blogging is something that I do to expend some creative energy, and spend a little time doing something predominantly for *me*.
Lately I started doing something else just for *me*, and as it turned out, it rather consumed me, and left no time or energy for blogging...
So what have I been doing?
Sewing!
I started by sewing this jacket

Which turned out rather well... this was the first thing I sewed with a pleat in the back, and I didn't fully comprehend the instructions. It worked, however I am not sure that it is "correct".

K(6) thought it was marvellous, and is now keen to have me sew something just for him... he would like an army jacket. I am going to have to do a little bit of research with him beside me to determine exactly what he perceives to be an army jacket, and then find or create a pattern.

T(8) decided that he would like to have a go making himself something to wear. We found a shirt in his closet that is a roomy fit, and used that to create a paper pattern. He cut this pattern out himself.

The paper pattern was then carefully pinned to the material. I showed him how with the first one, and then he did the next one himself.

 He may not yet be reading or writing, however I get a little excited inside when he willingly takes on projects like these which strengthen the underlying neuro-connections and physical dexterity for reading... these things bring him one little step closer to that penultimate goal of reading (It's the first question anyone asks when I tell people who don't comprehend the homeschooling / learning process that we home school "When did he learn to read?")

Standing still (more or less)

Meanwhile I continued with a more personal ambition. My boys recent interest in reading Astrix, reminded me of a skirt style that I had been dreaming of having since I was 71/2 - 8 years old. When I asked my mother to make me one, I was told "You don't want that" and of course I believed her. deep in my soul however, the desire was still there. I always look in the skirts dept of clothing stores for something like the style I wanted, however with my height, I never found anything suitable. I often looked in pattern books for a styles I like, secretly nourishing the hope that I would find something similar. To no avail. suddenly it occurred tome that I had a pretty good idea of what the final shape would look like, and I 'd seen enough clothes over the years, and looked at the shapes of the material pieces that went together, to work out how to make one myself.

Look! It twirls out beautifully.

So Pleased with it !

T is still working on his, and I am planning my next project. I have several to choose from.
I will need to find an opportunity to sit with K and work out what he wants too...


Exciting times. I love that the boys are getting older and I can engage in some longer term projects, which in turn stimulate their interest in new projects and extend their knowledge of the wider world, how shapes fits together for various projects, how the properties of different types of materials will affect how those shapes work together, and understanding the effort and the work that goes into creating some of the things we use every day.