May the Force be with you

And also with you.

Micah is WAY into Star Wars right now. And if you asked him why at first, he'd respond with, "Because Colin likes it." Yep. My son was basing his likes and dislikes on what his peers approve of. And he's 4. At first we were really hesitant about it, wondering when he'd move on to whatever the next craze is, but the more he learns about Star Wars, the more he seems to like it...and now he'll list of a whole bunch of reasons of why HE thinks it's great.

He asked me to sew him a Yoda costume weeks ago...when we were in the middle of packing up our entire house and every free moment was filled with boxes. So I did what any parent would do and pushed it off, saying, "Sure thing...as soon as we get to Nana and Grandpa's." The SECOND we pulled into Nana and Grandpa's house, he asked me about it and continued to harass me daily until I finally bought the fabric.

Here's the thing about my history with sewing. I'm a bit of a perfectionist. And so if I don't immediately succeed at something, I give up entirely. I would rather just say I can't do it, than try and fail. So this past spring, I decided I needed to get over my perfectionist tendencies and give sewing another shot. It doesn't have to be award winning. I don't have to be the best at it. But I can't walk away from something simply because I don't excel at it.

And as it turns out, I really love to sew! I've made two dresses, a tank top and capri outfit, a quilt, a toy organizer and now....a Yoda costume.

Micah LOVES it! Yesterday, he ran all over the house asking everyone "Who wants to hug Yoda???" Our nieces weren't so sure about it, but Liliana thought it was a hoot!

Here he is using "the force."

The fabric was the $1.50 kind from Wal-Mart. The Wal-Mart here has a REALLY good selection compared to other ones I've seen. I didn't have a pattern, so I just held it up to Micah and traced around him with a sharpie. And I didn't bother pinning, I just folded the hem over as I went. I wasn't all that concerned about how finished it looked, since the "rugged" look kind of works for Star Wars. We made the head piece by hand stitching fabric onto an old hat, and then sewing on ears made from a pool noodle. I say "we" because by this point, I had reached my frustration level and Jeremy had to help me get the ears on.

What a GREAT husband/dad he is!

I'm glad I stepped outside my comfort zone and gave sewing another try. I've learned that you don't have to do something perfectly to still enjoy doing it. And I'm thankful to be able to pass that lesson onto my children and encourage them to try new things as well.