Scout's top, adapted from a skirt pattern.

Playing around with machine-embroidery on the straps.

Scout (9 at the time) making a top adapted from a skirt pattern. We are using scraps from past projects - different colors, & patterns of light-weight fabric.

Scout is hemming a top that she has worked on for 3 weeks.

Scout's night shirt is finished!

Unicorn pocket on the night shirt :)

Cutting out pattern pieces for a pajama top.

Cushions covered separately, with piping and zippers.

Piping!

More piping.

Rainy day sewing with Scout...

Getting messy while doll-making with Hannah & Lucy...

Making dolls :)

"Esmerelda"

Lola, 7, with her stuffed head. Sewing for the first time! At the Waitsfield library sewing workshop.

Lola is cutting pieces out for her stuffed head's face.

The shell of Lola's stuffed head.

Reese with her small stuffed creature. At the library sewing workshop.

Noah is making a large circular pillow with tiny pink & red stuff hearts sewn to the outside. At the library sewing workshop.

Telulah with her stuffed rabbit. At the library sewing workshop.

Telulah's rabbit is almost finished, just needs a face. And my example stuffed head, with a mouth attached with velcro, that can be either smiling OR frowning. At the library sewing workshop.

Scout (9) made a bear head pillow.

Stuffing the bear head.

Recycled backpack: Cecilia and her mom Susie made this from Cecilia's grandmothers' old wool and leather coats. The main brass zipper is taken from a coat, too!

Zig zag stitch.

Adjustable straps.

Cecilia is installing the main zipper to the top piece of the backpack.

Curved zipper for top of backpack

Mom/daughter sewing

Life size doll's face was stitched on the machine - drawing with thread!

LIFE SIZED DOLL IS FINISHED!

We finished sewing the body of the life size doll, and now to stuff it! All that's left to do is the head and face. (And hair? Accessories? Personality?)

Playing with stuffing before filling the life-size doll

Sewing & cutting out life size doll's body pieces

Practicing with pins

Cutting the head out

Hannah said that sorting pins by size is more fun than it sounds ;)

A doll the size of 6 year old Hannah is on the way...

Emoticon coin purses by Scout

Stitching faces with the machine

Stitching little faces on little heads

Cutting exterior pieces & lining pieces

Tiny face pattern

Scout's fuzzy blanket, a gift for a new baby.

Scout top-stitching her baby blanket.

Lucy's newest doll

Sketch & final product

Cutting out the body

Applying makeup with markers

Scout is making a pencil case. First time sewing on a zipper!

Zipper pouches happening with Cecilia

The top layer of the eyes was a scrap of window screen. Ira loves the rigid materials in the scrap pile - he gets visibly excited about pieces of vinyl or thick foam.

Remember that old red 'view master' toy?

Cutting out the pieces.

Ironing the skirt.

Made a stuffed Olaf.

Pointy carrot nose

Cecilia made a bag for her aunt Kelly

Cecilia pins a strap for her first sewing project - a small bag with a zipper

Embroidering tiny leaves onto the strap

The finished bag

Cecilia & I made a bunch of small zipper pouches. Good practice for sewing zippers & pivoting corners on the machine.

Scout is making a lemur costume for Halloween!

Lemur legs

Sewing a doll-head

Tiny dress for tiny doll

Sheep's wool = doll's hair

Testing out different types of sheep hair

Two denim slip covers with zippers

Playing with embroidery

Lucy drawing a design for her next doll

Sewing a doll's body

Removable cushion covers with piping, for someone's living room window seat

Lucy, 8, hand-sews a tiny doll head

She cuts fabric for the doll's body

Lucy's doll. Coming together, but not done yet.

Lucy has a doll with a missing arm. We make a replacement arm. "A surgery", she says.

She hand-sews the new arm on, after cutting it out, sewing it on the machine, and stuffing it.

Backpack recycled from an old trench coat

Showing Olivia how to guide fabric through the machine. She's 6!

Sewing fabric letters onto a flag

Taking pins out

Working on a flag

Flag for homemade boat

More flags, different design

Zig-zag stitching

Cutting pieces for a large sail, for his homemade sail boat

Made a set of 2 canvas cushion covers, 4" thick, for someone's van.

Replaced torn pockets on someone's corduroy pants

Replaced torn pockets on someone's corduroy pants

I helped Wren, 11, make a backpack with recycled material.

Her second machine-sewn project ever.

The straps. Fabric comes from old pillow covers.

Curved zipper

pillow covers with zippers

Sleeveless fitted dress & drawstring cotton jacket with hood

Draw-string and big pockets with snap closures (sewn on the inside)

Little pillow. Playing around with embroidery...

My first hand-made coat! Heavy-weight cotton-blend, with lots of pockets and a hood.

My first hand-made coat: the details.

My first hand-made coat: the details.

Quilted lining on my first hand-made coat.

I added side pockets to someone's old, favorite coat. Here is the interior lining.

Foam cushions with removable covers for someone's sailboat deck

Foam cushions with removable covers for someone's sailboat deck

Designed to fit perfectly with the deck exterior

I installed heavy-duty zippers so that the covers could be washed

Zipper replacements

A little bag with adjustable strap and zipper

Little people fabric

Hardware

Shoulder bag with pockets inside and outside, made with recycled upholstery fabric.

A little pouch

Zipper on little pouch

Pink-beige leather backpack with adjustable straps

Comfy tunic

Zipper pouch with top-stitching

Zipper pouch

orange & pink

Made a little coin pouch with soft canvas