Bow Kid joins you in making costumes when you get home. She hasn’t done sewing before, but jumps into it headfirst, keen to be able to make her own costumes for their adventures. It takes a bit of explaining and you have to show her the various tricks, but in no time Bow Kid is trying to make a cat face out of different coloured bits of fabric. She’s going a bit slower than you, but she also wants to get it right. You’re sure she’ll be as speedy as you in no time.
It’s about an hour into making stuff that you realise Bow Kid is missing her most important accessory: her bow .
It takes you no time at all find it in your costume box. Bow Kid sits there patiently as you carefully tug up her hair so the bow acts like a headband. Once you are done, you sit back to admire your handiwork.
“How is it?” she asks.
“You look super cute,” you gush.
Bow Kid blushes slightly at your compliment before your envelope her in a hug. It’s nice and comfortable to cuddle, but soon you’re back to work.
“How does this look?” Bow Kid asks, holding her cat up.
You know there’s a word for a flat sewn image thing, but can’t immediately recall it. It’s not like a teddy bear (or teddy-cat?) as they’re not flat. Oh well.
“That’s really good,” you say honestly.
You know your first attempts at sewing were… bad. It took time for you to get it right, but Bow Kid seems to have done loads better. Mum did tell you not to rush it.
“Really? You think?” she asks uncertainly. Perhaps she is wondering if you are just saying that because she’s your friend?
“It really is.”
Bow Kid still looks really uncertain. You try to think of something to convince her.
“I know!” you say aloud, jumping to your feet. Boy Kid looks at you in confusion, but it will be easier to show.
You go to your wardrobe and start digging through the stuff in the bottom, below the dresses and jackets and things you made hung on coat hangers. Throwing some things out of the wardrobe, you find a dress you had forgotten about from another adventure. You set that aside and then keep digging. Soon you find it .
“Take a look at this,” you say, holding the jumpsuit up for Bow Kid to see.
It was probably too small for you now, but it showed off the flowers you had sewed onto it. The sewing was really bad, but it was also one of the first big things you had made.
“Did you make this?” Bow Kid asked as she inspected it.
“Yep. It was the first thing I did.”
“It’s — um — good.”
You laugh.
“It’s not,” you say good naturedly. “It’s really bad.”
Bow Kid looked conflicted.
“Maybe…” she admits.
“You cat is way better even though it’s the first thing you’ve made with sewing.”
Bow Kid looks down at the cat in her hands a small smile on her lips. You put away the clown costume you’d made for the clown wars adventure you and Moustache Girl had played ages ago.
The pair of you end up in a comfortable rhythm, with Bow Kid making another, different coloured cat.
“Can we make clothes?” Bow Kid asks.
“Yeah,” your reply with a nod. “But we need a sewing pattern.”
“Oh — what’s that?”
You pause as you think about how to explain it.
“It’s like paper with all the bits of fabric you need printed on it. You then cut it out and pin it to the fabric so you know where to cut.”
“Ohhh.” Bow Kid paused. “Do you have any?”
“No,” you reply, shaking your head. “But mum found some online and printed them off for me. Lets go ask.”
You and Bow Kid go looking for your mum. You find her enjoying a book on the couch.
“Having fun?” she asks Bow Kid.
“Uh huh,” Bow Kid replies. “I’ve been making kitties.”
Mum inspects the cat Bow Kid holds up. She smiles widely.
“Wow, that’s very good.”
You look at Bow Kid, quietly saying, “ See?”
“Mum, can we pretty please use the computer to find some patterns. I want to teach Bow Kid how to make things with them.”
Mum silently laughs when you say Bow Kid .
“That bow looks very cute on you.” Bow Kid looks pleasantly embarrassed at the praise. “Alright then, you can use it. Let me go get it.”
