It has been so long since I have updated my blog. It is amazing how time can get away from you. I was working at the Fabricland in Oshawa for a few years before the location I was working at ended up closing. After working opposite shifts with my husband for years and not seeing him or my kids as much as I would like during the school year as I was working mostly evenings and weekends, it has been nice to get to spend some time with my family. It has also given me the time and drive to start up a business that I have wanted to start for years now! Rather than just being a blog Sarah’s Sewing Space will actually be selling things that I have made. I am still working out all the specifics on how it will work but to start I will be a vendor at the John M James Spring Sale on May 29th from 4:30pm-7:30pm at John M James Public School in Bowmanville, ON. After the Spring Sale is done I will be setting up some kind of online store to be able to continue selling my products.
For the Spring Sale I will be focusing mostly on Sensory and Fidget toys as well as some small zippered bags, heat/ cold packs and other small items. The focus on Sensory and Fidget toys has actually come from pretty close to home. My two girls are both in school now and struggle with sitting still and paying attention. My eldest daughter has ADHD and my youngest has Autism and other special needs. Over the years I have made things to try and help fill their sensory needs and other things to help them function more easily in the world. I designed zipper pulls for my youngest when she was expected to be able to undo her zippers to open her back pack by herself but her tiny fingers didn’t have the fine motor control to be able to grip a standard zipper pull. They would also be great for anyone with arthritis or other conditions that impair fine motor function in their hands. They are also a cute fashion accessory for zippers on coats or bags.
I had heard that weighted toys were great for wiggly kids to help them sit still in class, reduce anxiety and help manage sensory overload. Since both of my kids have trouble sitting still I decided to try making my own weighted toys. After some experimentation I decided on a soft washable cover over a water resistant bag of 2.5 lbs of rice (what kid doesn’t get their toys dirty and you don’t want to be throwing a rice filled bag in the washing machine.) My daughter loves hers and apparently her classmates also love the ones that I donated to her classroom and her sister’s classroom.
I have had fun designing different animals for weighted toys. I will post some different animals later once I have had time to take some more pictures and come up with a few more designs.
I have a few more products that I have been making but I’m going to save them for another post. Don’t worry, my blog won’t just be for showcasing the products that I’m selling. I will keep coming back with more sewing tips and pattern reviews too.
Sarah’s Sewing Space 