One of the things that shocked me when my kids first started school was that as a mother it was expected that I could sew. This became apparent when the request came home to make a simple cow costume for my son for his first nativity. I was horrified. Up to that point I’d only made curtains and cushion covers. The thought of making things that could be worn was quite beyond me.

This is what they don’t tell you when you first become a parent – that you will be tested in every single way. Emotionally, physically and in ways you wouldn’t even have dreamed of…like sewing skills. If there isn’t a family member who can lend a hand then it will be down to you to make all kinds of fancy dress outfits for world book days, school plays, Victorian days and so on and so on.

I’m forever grateful for the in-at-the-deep-end dance outfits I had to make for two of my girls when they used to take part in dance shows in England. I had to learn to sew in order to avoid paying to have someone else make them. I was so pleased when I made my first dress from a pattern. It was a ‘Wendy’ (from Peter Pan) dress for daughter number one.

While I’m no candidate for the ‘Great British Sewing Bee’ I can improvise a bit, as most mothers do, when the need arises. Having kept all the scraps and leftover fabric over the years, I found myself tonight using the same blue stuff I used to make the Wendy dress to make a superhero costume for daughter number three.

The reason. Kidz Club. Another blast from the past. Back in Worthing at Jubilee Community Church we took part in running Kidz Club for a few years. Fast-paced, action-packed, and lots of crazy fun with great praise, worship and teaching too. This weekend we have a group from City Church, Sheffield in the UK visiting to put on a Kidz Club event with the church here. It’s amazing really that all these people would use their holiday time to come over here to do this. I’d forgotten how much fun it all was, but my memory is refreshed, and I wore myself out jumping around doing the actions to the songs.

Simple. Uncomplicated. Child-like joy. As an adult it’s easy to over-complicate and analyze – it’s good to get back to simple basic truth again.

Anyway, the theme is superheroes and the kids are coming dressed up tomorrow hence some of my evening spent with the sewing machine…