Posted on 8 Comments

Collaboration

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I’m not always on the ball teacher-gift-wise, but this year, I managed to get it done with a little help from the kids.  Erin’s coffee cup cozy tutorial is something I’ve been eyeing since she posted it last year, and I finally decided to try it, when I realized that it’s a perfect project for kids and moms to do together.

I don’t normally ask the boys to get involved, to be perfectly honest, because it’s often more trouble than it’s worth.  They are reluctant collaborators.  They do like to make things, but on their own terms, in their own time.  Crafting with Mom usually involves tearing themselves away from whatever screen they are attached to at the moment, and that’s never a popular option.

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Still, I asked for their assistance this time, because I want them to be actual participants in the gift-giving process, and not just the messengers of the finished goods.  There were a few groans here and there, but for the most part, they were accepting of their roles as fabric-choosers, button pickers, and fabric cutters.  I traced the pattern onto the fabrics they picked out, they cut out the shapes, and I sewed the whole thing together according to Erin’s instructions.

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I learned something unexpected from this little project.  If you know me at all, you know I have a tendency toward the matchy-matchy.  So when I asked the boys to pick out fabrics and a button, it was all I could do to keep from twitching as Eamonn revealed his selections.  The main aqua/gold/green/brown fabric, didn’t have much in common with the pink/green/orange button, and neither of them went with the red checked pattern of the lining fabric.  Oy.  But you know what?  Although I would never have chosen to put those colors and patterns together myself, the resulting cozy is my favorite of the three.  All of that stuff really works together.  The lesson here?  I really ought to be more adventurous with color and think like a six-year-old now and then.

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This project used entirely things I had on hand: fabric from my stash, and buttons I made some time ago.  Even the packaging was was scrounged: Sew Mama Sew gift tags I’d printed out last Christmas and hadn’t needed, twine, and small heavy-duty brown bags that at one time carried sandwiches from the bagel shop.  The only brand new components were the coffee shop gift cards I snuck into the bags.

These were fun.  If I didn’t have a million other things to do, I’d make one for myself 🙂  Thanks for the pattern, Erin!

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Posted on 8 Comments

8 thoughts on “Collaboration

  1. These are so cute….great job!
    I love how you got the kids involved 🙂

    1. Thanks! It’s not always easy to get them involved as they get older, so I was glad this worked out.

  2. Those are great! I will be making some myself. I think the boys did an awesome job with the material and buttons. They *do* work…even though one would think they wouldn’t. Merry Christmas to you and yours Lisa 🙂
    .-= See Kathi’s latest blog post: Call for Entries: International Clayers!! =-.

    1. Thanks, Kathi! I hope you do make one. I’ve got one all cut out and ready to sew for myself, but I had to put the machine away to get ready for company 🙂

  3. Lisa, so great.
    I’m so off the ball this year –
    I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year!

    1. Thanks, Sarah, I hope you had a great Christmas, too! See you around town 🙂

  4. We did these for end of year presents in the summer – all the teachers loved them! Ours didn’t even have your gorgeous buttons – so you are guaranteed to be a hit! Happy Christmas 🙂

    1. I do love the touch of the buttons, but then I’m a bit biased… 😀
      I’m glad I did these for Christmas, since I can’t even *think* about coffee in June!

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