By Annabel Wrigley
You know the drill; kids get home from school, rush to finish their homework and then run to sports practice on time. Maybe they even have after-school music class or tutoring, too. Sound familiar? It is probably the crazy weekly routine that your grandchildren have. In sports, kids are taught to win, win, win, while in school they are taught to get straight A’s. In music class there is nothing pleasant about hitting the wrong notes. These are just some of the reasons that the encouragement of creativity in a non-pressured, perfection-optional world is so necessary.
Call it therapy if you like, I certainly sometimes think of it that way. Giving children the space where they can sew, create and talk (or in our case sing a little) can change the child’s stress level enormously.
Each week we come up with fun projects that challenge each child whilst also giving them the opportunity to experiment with fabric, color and design thus giving them the fabulous feeling of autonomy and pride. The best part, never do the children feel the pressure to be perfect!
Never was I ever told as a child that imperfections were beautiful little bits of my personality and so sadly, I felt the pressure to constantly perform well in things at which I was honestly not very good. I think that feeling can linger around until adulthood. It is so important that we do not do the same thing to our kids! That dropped stitch is a cute reminder of when you were paying more attention to the words of a Taylor Swift song than your knitting, the wonky stitched line is a reminder of the hilarious laughing fit you had when your sewing buddy told a funny joke and maybe that crazy fabric combo will always be a reminder of you and your crazy, individual personality. And so it goes, imperfection IS a beautiful thing.
A veteran nurse, Annabel Wrigley turned to sewing when she became a mom and it reignited a childhood passion—a past time she enjoyed with her grandmom. Her hobby became a local phenomenon in her hometown of Sydney Australia. Now, a Virginia-resident, Wrigley is the owner of Little Pincushion Studio in Warrenton, VA and a popular sewing instructor on CreativeBug.com. Her new book, the first in a series and published by C&T Publishing, We Love to Sew: 28 Pretty Things to Make, is a delightful, easy-to-use, sewing guide for young, creative beginners. It has been featured in popular sewing magazines in the US, the UK and Italy. Her next book, We Love to Sew: Bedrooms, will be available in March 2014.
Designer, blogger and sewing luminary Annabel Wrigley, the author of the new book, We Love to Sew: 28 Pretty Things to Make. If you’ve had a moment to take a look at it you’ll know that it features a collection of 28 imaginative projects specifically designed for girls 8 and up. Written in language suitable for and readable by young children, parents, caregivers and teachers can read this book to and work together with their children on the trendy new projects—imperfections and uniqueness welcome!
We Love to Sew is available at Amazon.com, at JoAnn Fabric and other fine booksellers.
