Today was costume day @ preschool. For the last two months, all I've heard is "I want a Jessie costume"! We had a perfectly new dragon costume but no, oh no, she's not into dragons anymore.....(Hello Craig's list?!)
I did look at costumes, on line and in stores. I'm not against a store costume, the boys have insisted on being Ninjas and Iron Man. That said, those costumes rarely hold up and often get thrown away. This is sad because my kids don't get that "once Halloween is over the costumes should go away." What?! Huh?! No, costumes are totally in vogue at the Rafter Lazy H; everything from the Darth Vader and Optimus Prime head gear to the Clone from Star Wars to Ninjas, cowboys, football players, pirates and the all time favorite.....gunslingers!
My thought was to create a costume that "Jessie" could wear long after the trick-or-treating is over. Enter the sewing machine! I should explain that the last time I fired one of these deals up, on my own, was in high school Home-Ec. To make a long story short, I ditched the class after a semester and headed for shop. It's not that I didn't like to sew, I HATED it. There were way too many steps and details for my energetic little being. I also had a great fear that I would screw up the machine, horribly, beyond recognition and....I had a heck of a time sitting STILL that long!
I've had a couple of Christmas project ideas that required a sewing machine, and being the cre8tive gal I am, I enlisted the assistance of gifted pals! I can soar in the department of avoidance.
I inherited this machine a little over a year ago. It belonged to my Grandma Ruth. Grandma was quite the seamstress. I remember wanting a Cabbage Patch Doll badly. She bought a kit and made me one in a weekend, complete with little outfits. I named her Patience Ranae (probably because I had NONE and....I was into "Colonial" names!) I was in awe of how fluid she was, the machine seemed to be a natural extention of her creative ideas. She made it LOOK easy to run! I discovered otherwise....
I figured I'd learn to use it "when I had time" which would be like?????? I was happy to welcome it into my craft room though. It reminds me of Grandma every time I walk in. It brings a smile to my heart to know how many hours she sat with it. Plus, it's totally "retro", and that supports my love of old relics! Remember this was about "looks" I wasn't itching to learn how to use it, just content to have it present.
A couple of weeks ago I began piecing together a Cowgirl Jessie outfit. I found a white shirt, yellow fabric, red t-shirt paint, milk cow print fabric and a snappy yellow ribbon!
On Pake's birthday celebration, my mother-in-law joined me in the craft room. She put a whip stitch on the red hat (contributed my our friends Shelley and Paige!). I started cutting and applying fabric glue.....easy peasy. I then moved on to the milk cow fabric. At this point, Judy read the label of the glue bottle and we discovered that it likely would not hold up in a wash machine (*sad face*) (*sigh*) (*double sigh*) and then the suggestion....should we sew the chaps on?
"Sure I said," if you want to! Of coarse I was open to learning how so I watched. I observed and asked questions that any beginner would, "Where is the power button? How do you make it go?" The costume began to take shape and it was very exciting.
I came back the next day to work on another shirt. I had made two so BS would wear one for play and save one for Halloween. I also figured I'd need some practice. In a very brave moment of total surrender, I "fired up" the sewing machine and began to fasten the yellow fabric. SUCCESS! I'm happy to report I did not wreck the machine and thank goodness the bobbin didn't run out, I don't remember how in the world to rethread it!
I managed to sew on yellow cuffs too.
While I don't consider myself capable or confident in the world of sewing, I did feel a burst of excitement (and 1,000,000 questions forming)! I want to learn more for sure. I can see this will be a beneficial skill. I'm not "hooked or addicted" to sewing, as I am to knitting" but I do want to continue. I don't see myself sewing prom dresses but I sure would like to make aprons, blouses and skirts. The question right now is when. Time is a precious commodity!
Do you sew? What is your favorite homemaking skill, you know, one that you enjoy and don't look at it as "work"? I'll knit for as long as my eyes and fingers work. I'm still undecided about sewing but at least I've taken the first step and I have one very happy little cowgirl! Yee Haw!!!!!
Happy Halloween!
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