I am getting emails for recommendations on what projects you should do next. First, don't forget to be using those Idea Notebooks. But when the notebooks are full of projects that your child isn't quite ready for, or if they are having a difficult time finding projects they want to do, here is a great solution, that we have used often.

Theme Sewing

What this means is that you use things that you and your kids enjoy doing and you incorporate sewing.

For example, we love to bake, especially homemade bread. We have planned in advance for a big baking day. In the meantime we prepared by sewing aprons, cooking mittens, and hot pads. Then we celebrated by wearing and using our stuff while we baked.

My youngest daughter loves to garden so we have made gardening belts, and have then spent the next day, planting seeds and working in the garden wearing our belts.

Painting aprons for painting. Car organizer for a family vacation. Sew games for a day of fun, and headbands for an afternoon of dress up. Make hats for hiking. Notebook covers for a special time of journaling, scrap booking, or drawing...

Another great way to use theme sewing is with books. We read a lot as a family. During or after reading a book, we have been inspired to sew bonnets, aprons, handkerchiefs, potpourri bags, tea bags, capes, quivers, marble sacks, coin pouches, eye patches, Indian moccasins, gloves, blankets, shawls. We have actually sewn a very interesting teepee, and the list goes on...

Theme sewing not only helps answer the question "what next?", it also makes sewing more fun by making something that has meaning, that you have read about, and that you can use and enjoy soon after!

So study your children, and plan for a special day of celebrating their accomplishment, OR spend time reading the classics and bring the story to life, through sewing.