On Monday, we prepared our own Thanksgiving Feast.
We measured,
grated,
chopped,
and pulled
throughout the day to prepare a very special meal together.
Wishing you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving!
With the leaves falling all around us in beautiful yellows, reds, and browns, we had to make a special bag to go out collecting. 
We made the bags during 2, 15 minute Workshop times. Most kids finished completely during this time, but extra time was given throughout the week.
Next, we took the bags out and walked around the neighborhood collecting all manner of nature's fallen treasures.
As you can tell, the bag illustrations ranged from Star Wars to hearts and flowers to Thanksgiving turkeys.
Part of me wanted to keep the bags at school for future walks, but the kids couldn't stand it and begged to take them home. I think they were very proud of their work and wanted to collect in their own yards.
Besides having our Stuffed Animal Clinic, we also had a little party on the last day of Sewing Club. A highlight is watching a slide show of all the pictures taken during the course of the semester. Plus, there's always a sewing-themed treat from Mrs. Shannon. This year was button cookies.
The kids enjoyed "sewing" their cookies with icing. Some got more carried away than others....
If you want to make your own button cookies, Mrs. Shannon recommends using a basic sugar cookie recipe (even a bag mix will work). Cut the cookies into circles and bake. When the cookies are almost done, take them out and use a straw to make 4 holes. Let cool and then add icing. She added food coloring to the mix and made orange and purple buttons, too.
I covered little cardboard animal carriers with cute fabric and directions for easy drop-off. The carriers were spread around the school. Then, students could just fill out a tag, attach it to the animal and place it in the box. Teachers were happy because it was easy for them!
This little doggie lost an ear! A new ear was carefully made out of felt and reattached. (I need to remember to get some fake fur for next year's clinic.)
During the hour, we re-stuffed a snake, put new eyes on a boston terrier, and sewed up many a torn animal.
One of the best parts was that we paired up younger and older students. It's nice for the kids to see how useful their new sewing skills can be while helping out their friends.
Turkey purse by Rachel, 1st grade.
Leaf pillow by Eva Claire & Maxine, 1st grade.
Turkey hand by Hope, kindergarten.
Modern Pilgrim hat by Hallie, 1st grade.
Oh, look, now the hat's an apron. She also modeled it as a cape. So multi-functional!
It only took about 20 minutes to wrap a straw wreath form with a skein of Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool -- and I felt like a cat batting around a yarn ball while doing it! Next, I whipped up a bird using my sewing machine, a free pattern from Spool and fabric scraps from Alexander Henry's Laurel Canyon line. Originally, I was going for a modern crafty look, but I ended up tying more scraps around the wreath for detail. 
Recently, everyone had fun making an individual serving of lemon-limeade in the "Bug Cafe." While we made it as part of our letter L study, it's good anytime!
Step 1: Squeeze 1/2 lemon and 1/2 lime. We tried out 2 different kinds of juicers - the classic glass and a wooden reamer. If I had time, I would have gotten this one. This is a great motor activity. I love the look of concentration on their faces!
Step 2: Put juice in cup. Add 1 Tablespoon of sugar.
Step 3: Fill cup with cool water.
Step 5: Drink and enjoy! Makes you miss summer...
Making leaf rubbings is fun, but painting them is even more fun. I made a little leaf table runner. Other ideas are printing on bags, a skirt, or place mats.
Step 1: Paint the backside, or veiny side, of the leaf. Be sure to get the stem too. This can be a little tricky. For kids, I would have them put the leaf on a paper plate and then paint.
Step 2: Place the painted leaf, paint side down, on fabric.
Step 3: Roll the brayer over the leaf several times. 
Step 4: Carefully lift up the leaf and see the print!
I found that it was fun to mix colors on the leaves and overlap them a little.
Frankie found his favorite. 
This would also be fun to do on paper and make some simple Thanksgiving cards. Happy Fall!
While the proper name of this hat is "meathead," I prefer to call it the "elf." I originally knitted up this hat for Frankie, but he informed me that he was not interested in wearing hats, so Phoebe claimed it. As a novice knitter at best, I found the pattern to be easy, quick, and so satisfying. Plus, the yarn used is quite affordable. I plan on making myself one in heather gray. Find the pattern here. It's the Knitalong pattern.
I made this little car mat for a friend's 2nd birthday. His name is embroidered on the little pocket "garage" in the corner. Frankie tried it out and had a good time. I'm going to have to make one for him too.
Here is a detail of the buildings. The mat was very easy and fun to make while watching bad TV. I used felt scraps and just cut and sewed.
The little trees are stuffed for some texture. To finish, I backed the whole thing with red gingham and called it a day. Very easy. The mat can be folded and stashed anywhere. 
Phoebe was a beaver and Frankie was a Philadelphia Flyers hockey player.
