the night before picture day

With a 12 and 3/4 year old in the house, with a female who's 12 and 3/4 in the house, there's a lot a drama. Especially when this female is ... is ... stubborn, picky, demanding, and smarter than the average mother.

A few weeks ago, Miss Kat found a pattern that she liked at the fabric store. The pattern said it was for beginning sewers, and was designed for "teen" sewers. Looked like a winner to me, and to be honest, I was thrilled that she wanted to sew again. So, we bought fabric and the pattern. Knit fabric. I should have known better. Miss Kat wanted to have the skirt for picture day, and she wanted to wear it on game days. (She's playing Volleyball this year.)

We cut out the pattern over the weekend and were planning to sew on Monday night. But, that didn't happen. So, we planned on sewing on Tuesday night, but Miss Kat decided watching the High School Girls play Volleyball was more important than coming home was. What this meant was we had to sew it last night. The night before we wanted to wear it.

I had taken a brief look at the pattern and had discovered that there were 3 seams. Two side seams for the skirt and the waistband. No hem, No finishing of the edges of the waistband. Which is why it had to be knit, anything else would ravel out. Seems pretty cheesy to me, but whatever. Kat liked it and wanted to make it.

I knew we were in trouble when, while sitting in front of the sewing machine, pinned fabric ready to go, Miss Kat said "I don't remember how to start. What do I do?"

"Where do you think you start sewing?"

"I don't know, help me."

It went downhill from there--because she couldn't even begin to think where to start. No earthly idea. Looking at the machine didn't trigger anything for her either. Hoo boy.

Finally, she got one seam done, and it was nice and straight. The second seam wasn't. So, I found the ripper, and we ripped it out. Correction I ripped it out. Because someone couldn't remember how to do it. She sewed it up again, much better! Then on to placing the waistband. And then to pinning the waistband. Again, I did that and, this "teen" pattern--this "simple to sew" pattern. Wasn't simple. At this point, she lost interest, and I lost my patience. I sewed the waist band on. But, because my mood was rather dark by this point...well, we had lots and lots of tucks and blatant screw ups. Rather than pick out that seam, I said,

"Kat, this isn't going to get done tonight."

And she said, "Ok."

What?

Since when does this child be reasonable? No arguing, no pouting, no stomping of feet, no fussing? Nothing.

Instead, she ran downstairs, found some nice dress slacks and tried to find a couple of nice shirts to wear with them.

I've spent a fortune on this kid's clothes this year, got her a nice dress, but no nice dressy blouses. Nothing to wear for picture day that would double for game day. And, this is where I'm closing my tale, because I just can't bear going through it again. And, it mean's that I need to take her shopping again.

We'll concentrate on that positive aspect...where she agreed the skirt wasn't getting done--without throwing a fit. Cause, that's something to celebrate.