Always room for improvement -for sleep sacks and library set-up!

Who was it that said "practice makes perfect"? It's not an accurate statement. It'd be more true to say "practice and people's pointers make progress". I have a couple of examples, both in and out of the classroom, to support my thesis.

Ernie in one of the sleep sacks I made

Sleep Sacks

I sew. It's a relatively new skill set for me, begun in earnest in 2016 with some tutelage from my mother, followed by a session offered by the Toronto Parks and Recreation department, first with a supply teacher, and then with my wonderful regular teacher, Natalie. I've made a flapper costume for myself, tails and ears for the animals in our school musical, as well as a replica of the outfit Joy wears in the movie, Inside Out. I've hemmed my daughter's prom dress, and attempted to make pajama pants.

My latest sewing project has been sleep sacks for my skinny pig. I used to buy them from someone online for $15 each. My vet told me that I needed to change Ernie's sleep sacks daily so that he would not get another foot infection - he likes to urinate and defecate where he sleeps, which becomes detrimental to his health when he sits in it for too long. I realized that I needed to try my hand at making these sleep sacks, so I would have enough to use. I consulted with Cathy, the lady who sold me my sewing machine, and owns a sewing store. I brought her one of the sacks I had purchased, which had been bitten through, to expose all the different layers. She instructed me on what each type of fabric was (cotton, batting, and a kind of fleece) and showed me the measurements to cut, how to stitch each square together, combine the squares, and sew everything together at the bottom and top. When I went to Fabricland to purchase the materials, which I got for a great deal, Patrine, the salesperson asked me what I was doing. She suggested that I sew all three layers together at once, to avoid having to make a fat connecting stitch at the bottom. I tried out both ways, and each had its drawbacks and benefits. One major snag to both methods was that the material was so bulky that it was hard to fit under the foot of my sewing machine. Still, I was able to manufacture six bags.

Six bags made, photo taken September 12, 2018

I signed up for the fall session of the Toronto Parks and Rec Sewing Class and I brought a couple of bags to stitch. Natalie had some fantastic advice for me.

• stitch the cotton and batting together, and then afterwards stitch the fleece layer on - that way, if I confused the sides, I'd only have one layer to redo
• use a different type of sewing foot - she switched my regular metal one for a see-through plastic foot that did not get caught in the batting
• alter the stitch length, stitch width and something else (at a 4 setting instead of a 1) for bigger stitches to accommodate the fatter material
• snip the ends of the fleece so when it's combined with the other bags, it won't bunch up at the corners

Natalie shows me how the new foot won't get stuck

Snipping edges to make it fit easier (Oct. 13/18)

I got so excited about these improvements to my process that I purchased more fabric to make more bags. My new bags were much better - but they weren't perfect. There were still gaps where the fleece folded over for a ridge opening. One of my fellow students who has been taking class for longer than I have (and whose name, for the life of me, I cannot recall but will add in later) came to look at what I was doing. She had additional suggestions - instead of sewing the fabric all the way up to the top, she said to stop where the batting and cotton ended, and then flip the remaining edges the other way to sew closed. Then, add a tuck and hem for a neater finished look. When I flippantly said that the skinny pig would not care what the edge would look like, R wisely replied that it's better to try to do our best with any project, even if we'd be the only ones to appreciate the effort.

Me flipping the material to sew the ends

No more large gap/hole in the sides

Tucked edge under and then stitched it

The newest bags, made Oct.20/18

So I took Natalie and R's advice and made seven more sleep sacks. They are way better - but they still aren't perfect. I can sometimes see the sewed-together-inner-layers peeking out of the inside of the bag. I'm going to put a hold on making any more bags for now, but I must say making several in a row definitely helped my technique. I've made sixteen sacks so far, including one I sent to a teacher-librarian colleague.

All but 2 of the bags I've made so far

Side, closer view - can you see the gaps & inside lining peeking out?

Library Set-Up and Routines

I have been a teacher-librarian for my entire career (which is 22 years and counting). You'd think that I'd have circulation routines and layouts mastered, but it's never perfect. I have several new teacher-librarians that I'm mentoring this year. One of them came to visit my library before school began. We were chatting about signage and I was reflecting critically (and a bit negatively) on my current shelf signage set-up and shelf labels. I liked how I use old textbooks wrapped in bright paper as section markers (an idea I borrowed from another TL) but disliked my messy and inaccurate tape labels that indicated what specific section of books were on that shelf. He offered a recommendation - why not try Velcro strips? That way, if I weeded or reorganized a section, I could simply rip off the old one and replace it with a new one. Simple, affordable, and brilliant!

I didn't want to make new labels until I had continued my never-ending weeding of the collection. (Pssst - here's a job secret - libraries need to be constantly weeded. I try to pick one section each year and slowly make my way through it.) I shared my plan with my adult volunteer, the amazing Mrs. Pat McNaughton (mother of another teacher-librarian, Kim Davidson). She liked the idea, and had one of her own. The dual language section was getting crowded and cramped. It didn't need weeding as much as it needed a different space. We talked and chose part of the periodicals area, which itself needs serious revamping. 

I also talked with Mrs. McNaughton about something new I'm trying but am struggling with implementing. In the past, when students forgot their library books, they'd be sent back to class to fetch their agendas and receive a "reminder stamp" to encourage them to bring back their books. Why not make bringing agendas just a regular part of the library routine, and increase the positive communication between the school library and home by providing a "thumbs up stamp" to indicate when students have done a great job of returning their books on time? This shift in routine has been bumpy. I'm transferring responsibility to the students by trying to have different groups of students a) check in the books, b) check the status of their classmates and stamp the agendas, and c) check out the books, but depending on the age and ability of the students, this goes slowly or with mistakes. Agendas are sometimes left or lost in the library. My library helpers, who work at recesses and at lunch, are trying to lessen the load by collecting books to check in during their shifts beforehand so the younger students have less to do. It goes more efficiently when Mrs. McNaughton is around to supervise the circulation desk and I can teach the lesson, but I can't monopolize Mrs. McNaughton's time, since I share her with her daughter (and adorable grandson, Henry).  

Generalized Lessons Learned

1) Things will never be perfect. Hubby and I talked about the difference between improvement and change (a common rally cry on election signs we see). I'm going to keep trying to improve and not change for change's sake. At some point I'm going to need to move onto other things that need my attention and accept my efforts as a constant work in progress. 

2) Getting multiple opportunities to try things helps a lot. I've made sixteen bags and still haven't gotten it to the point where I'm 100% satisfied. I guess that's true with sports or music too.

3) "How it's always been done" isn't always how it has to remain. This is great if it's working well, but what might one tweak do to make it even better?

4) Keep the celebration intact while still seeing where improvements can be made. I will try not to get discouraged that the sleep sacks aren't exactly to my specifications, or that the agendas aren't completed within the first 15 minutes of the 40 minute period. That's what makes revising and editing writing sometimes a chore - we forget to congratulate ourselves on what's been accomplished so far and focus instead on the many items that need correcting.

5) Getting advice from others really helps a lot. They provide different perspectives that can revitalize a project or process. I don't always have to accept every piece of advice provided, but listening to different points of view won't do any harm.