The Koala Vest

Chicken Nugget, the almost 7 year old got this little koala (pictured above) from prize box at school yesterday. He’s and adorable pencil hugging little thing who can also hug your pinky finger, or clip on to the side of your cardigan. Being tiny, and cute, and huggy, he is instantly a favorite thing.

He came with a yellow vest which, given the prize box nature of the toy, was a piece of crap. He wasn't wearing the vest when she got home proudly clipping huggy on to things, and he was naked alllllllll afternoon and evening

Well, it's time to get ready for bed, and always naked koala now must don his vest for bedtime. Chicken nugget goes to put the vest on Mr. Huggy and the armhole rips.

*Insert 13 year old girl my favorite boy band just broke up and is never ever getting back together Taylor Swift drama level tears here*

It was disaster on a catastropic scale. So I tell my little nugget I’ll make her one - thinking this will be a tomorrow thing cause it's bed time and I am exhausted because I got groceries with the peanut in tow and spent the rest of the day organizing my craft stuff and rearranging furniture (keep in mind I have not worked out a lick since I found out I was pregnant with peanut). So my brain wants none of this right now. But as soon as I say I'll make her one she's off to get the stuff. She brings me fabric, fabric scissors, the broken vest and presents them to me with the sweetest and most hopeful look on her face.

"Can you make it NOW" she asks with urgency, and then matter-of-factly states, "cause he’s NAKED and it's kind of inappropriate".

How could I say no to that? Even though he's been naked all damn day as far as I've seen him. But I can't say no, even though I'm tired, and even though the toy doesn't know it's naked. She's asked too nicely and been too proactive and it seems to easy of an opportunity to set myself aside and speak love to my child through action.

So I trace this tiny fucking vest *whispering cusswords under my breath* cause it is SO tiny. I am determined to do it right cause heaven forbid the vest I make her rips and there be more koala drama. So after I get it trace I go around the trace with a 1/4” seam allowance making all the Joe Peschi noises - you know the ones after he gets what's coming to him in Home Alone. I cut two of the damn this out, sew them together, turn them right side out then top stitch it. I figure to use buttonholes for the armholes with a hope and prayer that I picked the right button size.... AND...

She LOVED it. She pranced him around the living room clipping him to everything, declaring him the cutest thing ever and the vest perfection, and even clipped him to my cardigan and declared me the best mom before making Mr. Huggy give me a kiss on the cheek.

It was worth every cuss word.

Tiny sewing is definately not for the weak. I am inspired now to NeVeR make Barbie clothes, or American Girl Doll clothes, or any other tiny thing clothes ever again. Human sizes only!

And that vest better last cause I don't wanna make another one!