I've been waiting for this day. It's taken everything in me to not push. But the day arrived. I formally sat down with Addison and gave her her first sewing lesson. She's been showing signs of readiness for a while now. She asks to help every time she sees me sewing (either by hand or machine). She is fascinated with pin cushions, and handles them very carefully ( a favorite past-time is transfering all of my pins from one pin cusion to another...odd, I know). And she has expressed interest in doing things like a big girl. In the case of sewing, this means she's tired of cardboard lacing cards and shoe laces. I've found with other things (specifically gardening), when Addison is given real tools, she takes great care to complete tasks. Her attention span is at least double, and she really seems to feel a sense of pride in doing a good job. So I decided to go for it and put some sewing supplies in one of her preschool workboxes today.
I waited patiently all day for her to choose that box, and she finally did after her nap. She coudn't believe her eyes when she opened it and saw REAL sewing supplies.
I kept this "lesson" as simple as I could. I cut a heart out of pink felt, threaded a tapestry needle, and let her go to town making giant stitches all over the heart. There were two goals in my mind today.
1. Don't poke yourself. (We were using a real needle, after all)
2. Get the basic idea of stitching up and down through the fabric without going around and around or making big ol' knots.
Over all, Addison did GREAT.
She concentrated on what she was doing, and understood the concept of making up/down stitches. She didn't stab herself with the needle, and she kept at it far longer than I expected.
As she was working, I asked her if she'd like to make her heart into a pillow for her dollies. Oh boy. WOULD SHE? She helped me stitch her heart to a second one I quickly cut, and she stuffed it full of polyfill. Then I quickly stitched up the rest, and our lesson was done. Proud? I think so.
And maybe a little cheesy too :)
I think sewing projects will become a regular past of our preschool workbox rotation.
-Lindsay
