Monday (Mom) Made It - Crate seats, seat sacks, and classroom security blinds!

I'm linking up with Fourth Grade Frolics for another Monday Made it! This time I'm doing something a little bit different. Today I'm going to talk about some projects that my Mom was kind enough to do for my new classroom! She is very creative, talented at sewing, and always willing to help out!

Fourth Grade Frolics

Project #1: Crate Seats
I'm not going to go into too much detail here, as there are lots of tutorials for making crate seats. There are a couple of things we did differently though. We used a naugahyde material for the seat covers instead of a cotton print. Although I know that little polka dot seats would have been adorable, I love the simplicity of these and the fact that the seat covers are very easy to clean! Just wipe with a wet cloth and presto, clean!

I also added the white posterboard inside so that I can use them for storage without everyone seeing my mess highly organized storage space!


Project #2: Seat Sacks

When I first started at this school I was given a class set of seat sacks. They were a lifesaver! I didn't have very much storage in the classroom, so they allowed the kids to keep more materials at their seats without having desks overflowing.  I cannot say enough good things about seat sacks! Unfortunately, they were primary blue (which does not go with my colors in the slightest!) and pretty torn up/gross looking by the end of the second year. I looked into buying a new set, but they are pretty expensive! Luckily my Mom volunteered to (attempt to) make me some. She tried a couple of different materials before deciding on duck cloth. Naturally she added some bright pink, green and white accents! I am so in love with these!

Project #3 Classroom Security Blinds

As much as I love my crate seats and my seat sacks, I love this last project even more! My Mom was volunteering in my room last year and saw black paper rolled up above the window on the front door. When I told her that we use it to cover our windows in case of a lockdown she came up with a better idea!

Her blind attaches above the window with Velcro, so it is easy to remove. I love that all I have to do is pull the ribbon and the blind drops and instantly covers the window. I don't have to stand in front of the window in plain sight and waste precious time taping down black paper. She made it flame retardant so that it meets our district's standards for use of fabric in the classroom and it is made with felt so that you can see shape and movement outside if the lights are off in the room, but no one can see in.

She ended up donating 80 to my school after my principal saw them and expressed an interest. She is currently making and sending them out to teachers, schools, and districts all over the U.S.! Contact Cindy at wpm105@yahoo.com for more information! :)

Well, that's it for my (mom's) Monday Made it! Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!

Victoria