Yesterday was "field day" for baseball, a meet and greet with coaches and families. Kids got uniforms; first games are tomorrow (Mon, 5/3). When we went up to the head coach, he said to Connor, "We have a hat for you, but not a shirt ... because of the late registration." Connor's response was, "Oh, OK, so how will I get my shirt before the first game?" The look on the coaches' faces was very telling - there would not be a shirt, ever. As I tried to smooth it over for Connor, the coaches started saying things like, "Well we have an extra coach's shirt, but it's an Adult XL." I quickly jumped on the opportunity and said something like, "I'm sure we could do something with that." Hmmm .... what did I say?! But there was no way Connor was going to play this whole season without a team shirt (or something close). Plus, Connor's faith in me was absolute ... "Oh, yeah, Mom - you can just cut it down to my size and fix it up ... great!"
So my weekend has been spent tailoring an Adult XL t-shirt into a Youth Small t-shirt ... mostly by hand! Have there been mistakes? Yes - in fact at one point I realized I'd sewn a sleeve on inside out ... oops! Is it of Olivia Walton standard? Not even close - there are places where the white thread (only thing I had) shows through, the hem is uneven, even though I cut off 3-4 inches the shoulders are still a little too big ... etc etc. Will it work? Yes - and Connor has enjoyed following my progress all weekend and he loves the shirt.
I do not sew. I can't remember the last time I used a sewing machine, and the only thing I've done by hand is patch up some stuffed animals here and there. So, I just relied on common sense and whatever was left over from the days of learning how to use Mom's sewing machine as a young girl ... perhaps I even earned a sewing badge in Girl Scouts way back when!! I cut the shirt apart and cut it down, then sewed it back together. Then Connor and I made our own stencils for the numbers, which are glued on with fabric glue. Finally, I borrowed a sewing machine from a friend (already set up with dark thread) and stitched the hem as best I could.
The best part (well, other than Connor's enthusiasm and complete support!!) was sitting and sewing while watching "The Waltons" with the kids on Saturday night.
Now, let's see how my creation holds up to 2 games a week for 6 weeks ... and the washing that will require!!
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