I may have mentioned before that my parents bought me a sewing machine for Christmas. Every Halloween I call on my mom to bring hers over and handle the non-cardboard-and-hot-glue portions of the costumes, and while I believe that she really loves spending that time crafting with me, she also knew that it would be worthwhile (and fun) for me to learn how to do it myself. 

I hadn’t even opened the box when I saw a two-hour Learn to Sew workshop being offered at a cute local store I’d been meaning to check out for at least a year. Participants were given a choice of a few simple projects, and I thought that an elastic-waist skirt would be perfect for Vivi (plus she might not notice if it ended up full of mistakes). I took Jonah to the fabric store with me (on a night when he needed some one-on-one time) and we sent photos of at least a half-dozen basic cotton patterns to Kristin, and Vivi chose the donuts. The workshop teacher worked at the fabric store so she helped me to gather up all of the necessary supplies and buy the right amount of fabric.

It took longer than anticipated (roughly two hours longer) but I left the workshop with the skirt finished and I was SO proud of myself. The best part: Vivi loves it!

She wore it to school yesterday, and when I changed her into her pajamas at night she made sure to point out to me that she’d kept it clean (I’d honestly expected it to come home covered in marker, which is why I was sure to photograph it beforehand). When I scooped up the day’s clothes to put into the dirty laundry she protested that it was clean and didn’t need to go because she was going to wear it again tomorrow. And she did.

Jonah, who loves machines, was disappointed that he didn’t get to watch me make it, so I promised him that we’d pick out more fabric and make another at home now that I know how. It’s unlikely that I’ll become an avid seamstress, but it’s nice to have one more method of crafting in my back pocket when the need arises.