Send a Bit of Home to School with your Scholar!

Back to school is right around the corner. I remember sending my children to their first day of school with tears in my eyes---I just didn't want to let them go. There's still time to stitch a little bit of home for your child to take with them to school. We have bunches of patterns and ideas to help you complete that school supply list for that first day of school. And many of the projects can be made by beginning sewers. Here are just a few ideas:

1. A craft apron for all those messy art projects or simply take an old shirt and embellish it with your child's input. Add a name and some embroidery or decorative stitches. Make it a special cover up that shows your child's personality off---a real masterpiece to create masterpieces in.
2. At the sewing center we love to make change purses in the hoop. These great little purses are so easy and fun to make and come in a wide variety of styles to fit your child's personality. They are large enough to accommodate a bit of change and a lunch card. Pin an important phone number or other information inside. They are so easy to make you'll be stitching up several for tiny friends!
   
3. And speaking of embroidery machines, they are perfect for stitching handy labels for all those belongings. Whether it's a coat or a book bag--- a personal, stitched label shows just how special your child is to you.
4. Be sure to take a class on zippered pouches at the sewing center. The pouches are great beginning sewing projects and are absolutely perfect for gadget cases, pencil cases, and all sorts of school supplies. Use your decorative stitches and make sure to stitch a name with that built in alphabet if one came with your machine to personalize this project.
5. Pre-school and some kindergarten students still take naps and you might need to send nap time linens with your child. We have patterns and plans at the sewing center that make quilts in as little as an afternoon and  teach beginning sewing skills. Stop by the center because we are always starting up quilting classes---for embroidery and regular sewing machines---from beginner to advanced. Make something very special for your child---a piece of home to help transition from home to the excitement of the school year.

It's Back to School Sewing Time

We're in the last days of summer and heading toward the back to school rush. With money being tight for most families, more and more moms (and dads) are dusting off that sewing machine and creating back to school clothing, supplies, and totes. The best thing about sewing your own (besides the more reasonable price for a designer piece) is that your child and you can be creative and get exactly what you want in color, size, and material.

At the sewing center we have literally thousands of embroidery designs that are suitable for kindergartners on up through college; designs to suit any hobby or interest.

We also carry 5D Software that allows you to digitize your own designs from a piece of clip art or a school logo. How cool is that? And it is simpler than you might think---we even have classes to show you how!

So here to get your creative juices going are some projects scoured from across the internet:

• Laptop tote/messanger bag with free instructions from Coats and Clark. We carry an assortment of Coats and Clark threads in the Sewing Center to help out with your projects.
• Also from Coats and Clark is a handy wall organizer. I'm thinking of attaching magnets to the back for an organized  locker. The best part of this project is that it recycles jeans---bet you have plenty of worn out jeans if you have school age children. Use store bought embellishments or grab that embroidery machine and use some of those designs. Come see us if you can't find exactly the right thing for your child. We've got plenty of designs!
• When you have school, you have lots of books. With books you need bookends. Such a simple project is this one for fabric bookends. This is a real beginner project and I'm thinking you could add any trim or embellishment that you can find that makes you happy.
• And with all those kids getting together, you'll need tissues and plenty of them. Here's the plans for a handy tissue cover. So easy to make and won't your child feel special!  
• And finally when all the kids get together for homework after school, they'll need some drinks. And how do you keep whose drink is whose straight? With cup cozies of course! Made right on your sewing machine. This project would be perfect for that embroidery machine but also is within reach of a regular machine. Find the instructions on the Better Homes and Gardens site here.   

And remember, we have all sorts of sewing machines, threads, designs, software, and notions and know how. So stop by and see us---we're here to help.