As a quilter and crafter, I’ve learned whatever you create is not just art but great gifts that deserve the right home. Every quilt, every bag, every pouch, every project, as much as I love them and would want to hoard them, I know they will be loved by someone else just as much, and part of sewing is also knowing who would truly appreciate your project.
Lately, I’ve taken to sewing book sleeves, in part because of need, in part for the upcoming craft market, in part for practice. I’ve gifted a few to my colleagues, and these book sleeves found appropriate homes, not just because I chose well their recipients but because I chose well the fabric. The prints matched perfectly with my colleagues’ characters.
I started the week off sewing slings and shifted to book sleeves. I’ve always known I’m a fickle crafter. I get bored of doing the same patterns for too long, unless I am mass producing gifts.
Every year, I used to mass sew bookmarks or pouches for my students in my former school, but at my current school I now sew more for my colleagues, especially when testing new patterns. However, I will continue to gift students on special events because all the passport organizers I shared for students and chaperones on the Canada trip were a hit: every last one was taken and used often on the trip according to the French teacher and my principal, two of the chaperones. Sadly, I do not have the bandwidth to sew for ALL my students anymore: the courses I teach leave me with limited time to sew, and I know next year I’m going to be truly challenged with two AP courses.
Sewing gifts is the best way to hone in my skills, and since practice makes perfect, my magnanimity motivates me to perfect patterns. My fickle ways aside, I think I will be able to make considerable improvement and meet my market goals for the Fourth of July weekend—fingers crossed!
Eduspiration 