Despite my best intentions, we often don't get to do as much organised creativity around here at the moment. So I was really pleased that yesterday each child made something (and that it was something that will not end up in the recycling bin but will be kept and used, and looks fantastic!).
I basically have my mum to thank for it though. My dad had tickets to Day 3 of the Sydney test (thanks to a Christmas present) and he kindly invited Dave to come with him on the second ticket. Mum and I thought it might be nice to do something special with the kids while Dave and Dad were at the cricket; we ended up deciding that instead of going somewhere we'd stay at her house for the day and create something. She came up with the idea of appliqueing some cheap t-shirts she'd snapped up at Kmart, and after finding some bargain leggings at a sale the idea shifted to making them into a set of pyjamas. Mum went out in advance and chose the material so it matched the shirts and leggings and the whole ensemble looked good together.
On the day the kids:
- thought about what they'd like to have on the shirts, then drew their designs.
- traced their designs onto visoflex, chose which material to use for each part of their design and then helped (OK, 'helped'!) to iron them on to the t-shirt.
- after mum and I had done some of the machine and hand sewing (we did this on our own to speed things up, but I guess the kids could have done this step as well if we weren't trying to finish it in one day) they then added embellishments, sewing on buttons, making rosettes and doing running stitch to add some detail.
With three kids plus a baby, and with the goal of doing it in one day, it did require my mum and me to work hard for most of the day. I couldn't have helped three of them get them finished in one day on my own, but I'm thinking it could work in a few days if we did it again.
I love that they learned some new skills, got to enjoy designing something unique, and experienced the satisfaction that comes with working hard to create something beautiful.
PS. Jacob wasn't originally meant to do one but he started expressing interest when we said he could design his own - can you work out what he ended up doing?
7 comments:
Absolutely gorgeous! Love it!
Am thinking about revamping the blog for this year with a crazy busy year ahead...shall see how I go!!!
It's a Hogwarts crest! Awesome. They all look really great!
These are great - and such a good memory for yur children when they're grown up ("Do you remember the Christmas when we made our own pjs?")
well done Hannah!
I'll pass on everyones comments about their pjs to the kids - they'll love to hear them.
And Jo, looking forward to reading your revamped blog!
How cute are they! Love the fact that each design reflects the child, and that this was a craft for boys and girls with great results. Well done for all the hard work Mum and Grandma too!
We're off to Grandma's today (ours, not yours:-)) and have a BIG bag packed with material, wool, ribbons, shirts, buttons, patterns and knitting needles. Let's hope we can come up with something great too!
Oooh make sure you share pics of what you come up with Sarah (and have a lovely time at your mums)!
Great project - good work team!! Hope the creations aren't too exciting to sleep in :) xc.
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