Bridges, Sewing...

When our dear, pleasantly round-bellied friend turned two, we knew we had to make him a little round friend. These babies are small in size, easy for a toddler to hold, about 6" high. So, I did make the little brown one at left, and fashioned him in the image of the boy who would receive him.

Oh and then there was my adventure with making a tunic top out of this raspberry cotton voile. Sleeves, people, are not easy. My first attempt resulted in a wicked fit of frustration that included the destruction of what I had done up to that point. Good thing I over-bought on fabric, right? Here's a link to a very helpful tutorial by Don't Fear the Ripper, which really walked me through the steps, although the author was a little glib about the sleeves. I will have a photo of the finished garment soon. I am a little sad that there is not as much shoulder/arm ease as I would like...but I am not skilled enough to know how to adjust the pattern for future attempts. Harumph. I'll still wear it, but it doesn't fit me as I wish it would.

Then there were the 6th grade bridges. We knew this class was amazing and creative and it certainly showed in their bridges: some designs that had never been tried before in the history of this project! Teams of students work together to create blueprints and a model of a bridge, in addition to each student's business letter responding to the call for bids on a bridge, and their bid price, based on their estimates. It is a math block: lots of record keeping for supplies (toothpicks and glue), check-writing, interest-rate calculations, payments for workers and engineers, healthcare percentages, etc.

Jonas's team, Sky High Engineers, created a suspension bridge. The first!

And then the bridges are tested out to see how much weight they can hold. It's not all about the weight though: they are graded on craftsmanship and beauty as well. A five-gallon bucket is suspended from the center of the bridge and water is added, one yogurt container at a time, as the eager audience counts in anticipation! Lots of excitement.

Do you see in that picture, above, that there is one full bucket already? Crazy, right? Notice the tightly held anchors (the nylon thread), pulled so very taut.

I think they filled TWO buckets....

...Before she finally gave way! (Sky High Engineers were the winners for weight!)