Crafting for Kids

Most people that "know" me understand I made a decision. I made it a long time a go. Not because I have any issue with them but because my life has never been very friendly towards them. I don't have kids or nor to I plan for them. My husband pretty much feels the same way. His theory is they don't make car seats for motorcycles.

Kids are fun, they have great personalities. I have no aversion to them, I'm not a kid hater. Even though I don't particularly like having the screaming baby around me for long flights - doesn't mean I don't have compassion for it's mother who is worn out and remorseful for the situation. I realize she needs some rest more than I could ever imagine.

So my point being that when I joined the Junior League I had no idea how involved I'd be directly with kids. With my decision (see above), I eventually ended up with friends and other couples that had made a similar decision. So I am rarely around kids - I mean rarely. So I am filling ill equiped for some of the JL activities.

The kids are now intimidating to me. Will I be able to speak "kid speak"?, can I relate, will I be able to engage them? Considering I am an offspring of a lady that was the Pied Piper of Kids, you'd think I have a clue. My mom would have a flock of kids around her in a matter of minutes.

Tomorrow I have my "new member" project for the JL. It's a kids Fall Food Fair at the local homeless shelter. We've got exercise/play stations, healthy snack foods, and then crafts. I obviously took crafts thinking it would easy. Now I'm a stressed out mess of this.

I've made up some great food pyramid handouts, fruit/veggie Bingo cards and two sets of fruit/veggie concentration games. Is this corny? I mean they are "hand made". They are bright and colorful but handmade. Will the kids think I cheaped out on them? I'm not much of a scraper so they look handmade.

I guess I just need to channel my inner kid and just go with it.

Sewing Rituals

I read this over at Ravelly. It's about your sewing rituals. It was one of her older posts about sewing rituals. I thought I'd write about mine.

1.) I always use my angle arm magnifying lamp over my sewing area. Mostly for the extra light and the lense for seam ripping.

2.) I sew barefoot or in socks.

3.) I behave as if I'm working in a sweat shop. Head down, focused and as fast as possible.

4.) I sometimes listen to music but mostly it's just the hum of my machine.

5.) I can't seam to learn that the ironing board is not a good cutting table.

6.) I make a disaster of my craft room and refuse to straighten it up until the project is complete.

7.) I keep my little fiskar fine point scissors at the machine for trimming threads.

8.) I keep all my scissors at my sewing table within easy reach.

9.) I keep my bobbin holder next to my machine in case I need to speed load.

10.) My seam ripper holder is "stuck" to my sewing table with double sided tape so it can't be moved, lost, or otherwise AWOL.

When I take a stretch break I'm usually all bound up in the sewing hunch.

But it's soo much fun.

Am I up for the Challenge?

I bought this pattern. Amy Butler Weekender Bag. I thought I could use it for traveling as I do so much for work. I like how it looks. The size the shape.

But it just sits there giving me the stare down. Then I read blogs like this. Conquering Amy Butler and get more intimidated.

It's a very popular pattern. It has been blogged and blogged about. The most common thing I've seen in the feedback was that everyone that finished it was so proud of them selves for not giving up. From pin scars to using binder clips to get the job done, this bag is gonna take me down.

I have the fabric, I have the machine but do I have what it takes?'

Only thing I have in my favor is that I was able to do this pattern Amy Butler's Chelsea Bag. Fabric is Shopping Girls and Iron Work both by Michael Miller that I got from ShuShuStyle on Ebay.