'Tapestree' Table

Those who appreciate sewing might gasp at the fact that this beautiful Tapestree Table has been sitting in my attic, unused for three years (Gasp! I know!).   The truth is, I bought it that many years ago with full intentions of introducing it to the students in my classroom as a fun, interactive/social sewing activity.  But then, it became one of those, "I never got around to it," type of things and it sat, still in the box, sadly collecting dust for two years.  When I finally got around to opening it, I discovered some mismatched parts and could not get the legs to attach properly.  To make matters worse, a call to the seller revealed the table is no longer made and a replacement could not be sent.  Again, the beauty sat for another summer and almost another school year...until, in a last attempt to fix the problem, I turned to my school's parent community:  "Does anyone have any carpentry skills to lend?"  Ahh, that's all I had to do!  Thankfully, one of the dads of my students offered to help and knew just what was needed.  Now, after three years, our Tapestree Table is officially part of the classroom:

Tapestree Table with supply basket underneath.

The basket holds yarn, scissors, and small box with two needles (so the children may work in pairs).   Depending on interest, I may add another needle...

There has been a lot of prep work leading up to this activity.  Early in the year, learning to thread a needle was introduced, followed by many opportunities to practice sewing on burlap.  I look forward to the children's collaborative work with the Tapestree Table and have plans to add decorative beads to the basket so they may thread them in with their sewing.

What a perfect way to spend the last weeks of the school year together!  Happy sewing! :)