Sewing for School

This is a long time coming: Started July 2021 when I realized I wanted some very specific items to keep students at their desks (covid protocols will be in place for the foreseeable future due to the age of my students). It is now November 2022. I did NONE of these tasks. Some of them would definitely have helped last year! But I was exhausted, overwhelmed, and toward the middle and end of the year very ill. I kept teaching, but should have taken several weeks if not a couple of months, off.

Items for Students:

  • Chair Pockets I like this online pattern from SewCanShebut will make some changes to suit my needs (September 2021; need 20+)
  • Lap quilts (simple hand-tied quilts with one side corduroy or flannel the other a patterned calico, about 3×3.5 feet for students if it’s cold in the room) (Oct-Nov 2021)

Items for Teacher/classroom:

  • New vests/light jackets/aprons to make it easy to carry pens/post-its/small tissue packs/glue sticks/tape/markers/pencils… (ongoing – seasonal vests needed – minimum 6 (have 1) to maximum… 40?)
  • Wheelchair pocket similar to the chair pockets for the students (Sept 2021)
  • “curtains” or flaps to cover cubby storage (Sept 2021)
  • cleaning bucket pockets to hold small spray bottles (one for plain water, one for vinegar), extra towels/cloths/sponges (Sept 2021)

This post would have been updated as I completed projects. LAST school year.

But we have established THAT did not happen…

THIS year (2022) I am less exhausted, the class functions better as a group than last year’s (individually the kids last year were great; but it was NOT a great combination personality-wise!), AND I am also healthier since I have a wheelchair that suits me a lot better so I am neither completely exhausted nor in extra pain at the end of every day. However, I am still exhausted by the end of the week, and sometimes in enough pain that I need to use the footrests on the wheelchair instead of “walking” while in the chair. This means that I have limited ability to think, let alone create, on a regular basis. Again.

So, what’s a teacher to do? With the changing political climate and increasing requirements to keep doors and windows closed for “security” I don’t really need lap quilts for the students. The students are using chairs right now, but I brought the IKEA stools back into the room so chair pockets don’t make sense. I still had enough curtains from “the before times” to cover the most-distracting storage areas. We no longer are expected to wipe everything down several times a day so additional cleaning supplies are not needed.

I do still want some vests for myself, but the new wheelchair has made it so much easier to get around that it’s less an issue. However, I think I do want to improve the “onboard” storage as the built-in pocket in the new chair is too shallow to hold much more than a pair of traction gloves and sunglasses. I also let it support a small purse that holds emergency/necessary items such as epi-pens, car keys, and a spare pair of glasses.

So. Sewing for school?

A great idea, a wonderful aspirational goal. But, not likely to happen any time soon.

What WILL happen? I am actually starting to drape/draft my first mockup for a generic “shift” which was the primary undergarment worn by people for over a thousand years. And then a supportive kirtle, I think… and then a corded (not boned) corset that will be comfortable for full-time sitting. And finally a short cape/capelet that is more elegant than a jacket and easy to use in a wheelchair. I want something that allows me to history-bound as well as look more in-period if/when I ever manage to get out to a period event such as renfair, camlann, or SCA, which are always mostly outdoors and rain is always a possibility!

Why am I putting this in as the end to a post about sewing for school? Because after all this time I realized that if I don’t do what is fun and energizing for me during the school year I won’t have anything left for my students. Just as with flying with a child when those oxygen masks drop, or parenting a recalcitrant toddler 24/7, if I don’t take care of my own needs I cannot be available for the children when they really need me to be there.

Are you parenting? Teaching? Caregiving in some way? You DO need to make and TAKE TIME for your “self” whether that is a few minutes in the morning enjoying the sunrise, a quiet moment reading in between high-demand tasks, or just daydreaming/napping.

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