Boys’ Club: yes, boys do sew ….
… and the proof was exhibited today in our second meeting of the Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Boys’ Club!
The boys were pretty wired when we first got home, so I let them play a bit of it out on the screened-in porch — seven healthy boys playing soccer: sounded like the earthquake a couple of months ago! After a seasonal snack of caramel-apple-oatmeal bars (the recipe for my version is down below), we started in on our project: making a compact sewing kit with all the essentials.
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- completed kit and covered mint tin
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- felt “book” fits nicely into the tin
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- template glued to manila folder
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- covers cut out of contact paper that looks like wood
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- the first “page” — straight pins and sewing needles
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- second “page”: safety pins
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- third “page”: white and black thread wrapped on card-stock and placed at the end of the book
I was so proud of the boys — not one of them gave up, even after numerous times of pulling the thread out of the needle … pricks from the needles and pins … or even when some finished much quicker and left others at the table. All got their kits finished before leaving! Pretty good, eh?
This kit taught them:
- how to thread (and re-thread … and re-thread) a needle
- how to do an overhand knot to anchor the thread
- how to sew a running stitch to hold the two layers of felt together (to make a “four page book”)
- how to sew on buttons
It was great!
Here’s the recipe for our Caramel Apple Oatmeal Bar
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup peeled, chopped apples
- 1-1/2 cup oatmeal (NOT quick oats)
- 1 cup Kraft caramel bits
Preheat oven to 350; grease 13×9 pan.
Cream butter, honey, brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Mix flour, baking soda and cinnamon together and stir into creamed mixture. Mix apple bits, oatmeal, and caramel bits together in bowl; then stir into batter. Spread in greased pan and bake for 30-40 minutes (until done and a nice golden brown).
Allow to cool completely … bars will be soft and delicious!
BLESSED PIER GIORGIO FRASSATI … please pray for us!