Sock-cess!

Today I finally taught my first Workshop day for Frontiers Club - the Saturday club that J. goes to.  They offer courses to children on the schools' Gifted and Talented student register, to give them a bit of extra value/ interest beyond the school syllabus. 

I taught an all-day workshop about making Sock Creatures.   Regular visitors will know of my fondness for sock pets.  Like Bella the Monkey, my cute little White Puppy, the Apres Ski Bunny and Snowman I made at Christmas, the Easter Bunnies from last Easter time,

the Three Sock Amigos....

But today it was others making the creatures and me busy all day, showing techniques, discussing ideas, encouraging ideas, choices and decisions, helping, demonstrating, rescuing, sewing, rushing around a bit... It was a busy, busy day; but I felt that it was generally a success. 

There were 11 students and all but one went home with a creature that was either finished, or very nearly so.  The last girl was a bit unhappy about her creature; she opted to try a dog, made with 2 socks, like this one:

It's the simplest 2-sock creature I have made - for a reasonably ok sewer, it is easy; for a 10 or 11-year-old who doesn't sew well, it's not simple...  As she said (rather too late to do anything about it) "I should have made a bunny too!".  Poor lass.  She took home a body and two legs that were stitched and stuffed, with the extra sock to make the head, arms & ears, plus spare stuffing, buttons etc. to decorate it.  Apparently her dad has sewn some sock pets before, so he would help her.  Some good news for her at any rate.   

We had a number of rabbits - all made to the same design, but all very different.  There was a beautiful bee - designed and stitched by the student with only a little help deciding which bits of sock to use for which part of the bee - it was fabulous!

There was a great octopus; a white cat with button eyes and a felt bow on its head; two "Funny-foot" creatures, with fat bodies, knotted ears and fun features; a weird and wonderful something-or-other; finally, a "Thingummy-whatsit" - an alien-like creature with long atennae/ears and fat little legs.  This one had odd-button eyes, patches stitched on, a ribbon on its ear and a general air of surprise about it.   They were all fabulous!

The wonderful collection of Sock Creatures made by my students today!

So you see, today was a great Sock-cess!