A sewing month mom hadn't planned on

My girls started taking formal ice skating lessons this year at Portland Ice Arena. They're on their second session of classes and are having a lot of fun with it even though they stand more than a foot taller than most of their beginner counterparts. Yet when an opportunity to participate in PIA's annual holiday skating show came up my girls decided they wanted to participate. Their coach assured them the Victorian skating scene incorporated kids of all levels so everyone can be in the show.

I think the main reason my kids wanted to participate in the skating show was because of the Victorian theme. They have always loved clothing from different time periods and I think the prospect of being in a reenactment (a Deering Oaks Park skating scene from the Victorian era was how the coach explained the number) I think this was the true motivating factor for them.

And because of this interest in clothing, they decided they wanted to make their own costumes for the skating show.

Which meant we had about two weeks to do it.

In December.

Then I realized that if they made these costumes, they could also use them in the annual 4H Fashion Revue sewing contest they do every year in March. We could cover two activities with one project.

So off we went to buy patterns and fabric. There was much ado about the do-ability of a limited number of pattern options (not so many Victorian-era costumes in the do-able range) but each of the girls picked out a different pattern (no convincing them to do the same one) and figured they'd wing it.

We had a sewing marathon (a 12-hour-ish event that left us all brain dead by the end) last Saturday with a couple of machines set up at the kitchen table and each of the girls working through their patterns. I had never made a fancy coat myself, let alone assist the girls make one, so it was a learning curve for all. Basically I stood by the ironing board to flatten seams and help the girls read the pattern. I left it all up to them to figure things out and sew the pieces together... and hoped for the best.

Yeah, there were some frustrating moments but several additional hours beyond the marathon day, a little hand-sewing tuck here and there and some modifications with each pattern and the girls were able to make Victorian-era coats for their skating show that happened last night.

They said they really enjoyed wearing their costumes and had fun being in the show. We all also enjoyed watching all the other very talented skaters perform.

I would have thought that the girls would be tired of sewing after making these costumes. But nope, L. has caught the sewing bug and has been inspired by a new project so I think the sewing machine is going to be parked at the kitchen table for at least another week or more while L. makes her latest pattern idea.

And I have had to have a good sense of humor about all of this 'extra' stuff because it's not like we don't have a ton of other things going on this month related to the holidays in addition to school and regular activities.

My house is a disaster, truly! And I don't anticipate it will be cleaned in any way until Christmas school vacation week when I have a couple of days off from the office. I would bet I'm not the only mom with that assessment of things (crazy family calendar or messy abode) this month.