I volunteered to host a group of 8th grade students from one of the local schools for a sewing project for a charity that collects pillowcases. The arrangements were made and I was told to expect 40 kids. I convinced myself that I mis-heard and there were 14.

Because the project was occurring during the day, I had trouble finding another co-host for the group. I had misunderstood a volunteer as saying he would do it when he said he could do it. So I never confirmed with him and he made other plans for the day.

As an aside, I’m planning on scheduling an appointment to find out if there’s a problem with my brain that makes me glitch or if it’s just age. Any way, the day arrives and I get everything set up. I had to remove some sewing machines and re-arrange tables. I had brought extra tables in case I needed them and an additional sewing machine. I was supposed to have 10, but the extra one never showed up, so I settled for 9 machines.

Since the maker space requires two members to be present for over 10 non-members attending an event, I asked a member who was there if he could stay, and I’d buy him lunch. That worked out. He got a free sandwich and was able to continue working on his sewing project.

At 12:45, the kids and their chaperones arrived – all 40 students and 5 teachers. The fun began. The school had provided the fabric for the cases, some of which was 1-yard precuts and the other was 2-yard lengths that had to be cut into 1-yard pieces.

Unlike my regular sewing classes, I did not have enough time to do more than set the first 9 students at the sewing machines and show them how to start a seam and how to follow the blue masking tape guide I put on each machine. Chaos ensued.

Some forgot to lower the presser foot even after I showed them. A couple managed to break needles. The seams went all wonky on some of the pillowcases because some forgot half-way down the seam to align to the blue tape. The hemmed edges are passable.

The important thing was this group of kids tried their hardest to do something unfamiliar. They were loud and boisterous in a good natured way. They didn’t wander off and they asked for help when they messed up and couldn’t figure out what happened. We had a good two hours to work in, and while we didn’t make as many pillow cases as we could have, it was a good experience for everyone.

I pointed out to the teachers that I am willing to have another group in from the school for more projects – just fewer students.