Sew I Say, Sure We Can

Daddy, can we please sew a purse this morning? 

Sure, I said. Let's do it...later. How about this evening?

Fine, she said. I will draw a pattern. But...will you please put it on the calendar so we don't forget?

That's it, I said. I dropped the dishes and swept her up. 

We are going to sew now. 

We sketched out some pictures of what she wanted to make. Made a little pattern, which we very much did not follow. Picked out some fabric. Cut, snipped, pinned, hemmed, and covered up a hole on one side with a Beatles album cover. One of the things I love about sewing is the great conversations you can have during the process. There is a high degree of patience involved - particularly with a little hand snuggled on top of mine, helping guide fabric through - that makes it difficult to do anything except concentrate on the undulating needle and converse about...stuff.

We spoke of tennis, baking, painting, and her upcoming birthday. She also informed me that she forgot to brush her teeth this morning, so she should probably have some gum instead so her breath wouldn't smell bad.

The purse turned out decent. It now holds her markers and a small drawing pad. Fun, simple project. Magdelana handles all the backstitching, loose thread snipping, pin gathering, presser foot maneuvering, and helps out carefully with the actual sewing portion.

If you have any simple sewing projects that are "all-ages friendly," I would love to hear!