School Days!

School has begun and I've been  under the spell of nostalgia for those busy, exciting first days of school when everything felt new and bright. The children arrived with eager faces, looking for friends, and sizing up the teacher with apprehension. We teachers, still fresh from summer and filled with energy, studied the new students, too, as we got to know them and familiarized them with the procedures and curriculum of the new year.

Even after eight years of retirement, I've never overcome the "teaching bug" that has settled deep into my bones. I manage to keep myself involved with my former teammates and get my "kid fix", too, by giving monthly book talks to the fifth graders in my former school.

This year, even though I have no classroom or small children in my life,  I've been unable to resist making this little classroom wall hanging. The fabrics called to me. This is actually the first of two wall hangings This one is for pre-school and primary grades, but coming along later will be a wall hanging for upper elementary school grades.

There are mug rugs to go along with it, too. The mug rug patterns are included in the wall hanging pattern, but they are also available as two separate patterns for those who prefer something smaller. One is called "Playmates", the other is "Schoolhouse".

The flag by the schoolhouse might not have been part of the pattern had I not stumbled across a couple of pieces of fabric in my scrap basket. This is why I save those tiny pieces. Of course, if you didn't have the fabrics, it would be fairly easy to add white stripes to a red background fabric and a few white French knots to  a piece of blue.

And there's more for teachers in the works. 

This is the prototype for little case for carrying a cell phone and ID badge. There's a zippered pocket in the back, too. The clip can be attached to a belt or waistband. I'll have another version soon, but I'm waiting for some plastic belt clips to arrive in the mail. My teacher pals were asking if I could make something to keep their ID badge, cell phone, and room keys all together whether they're in the building or on the playground.

I'm going to make myself one, too, but without the see-through window. It would be so perfect for wearing on my pocketless pants whether I'm in the house, walking in the neighborhood, or chasing off to the library.

The first photo shows a change in the strap attached to the D-ring. The webbing is much sturdier than fabric.

I'd love to hear you ideas for improving this for other uses. I could easily come up with two versions.

Right now, I need to clean up the mess down in my sewing room. I won't show a photo! Believe me, it's an embarrassment today!

Have a lovely weekend!

My former school stomping grounds.