Preschool kittel project for Pesach

boysrus

Sun, Mar 15 2015, 10:22 pm

bocamorah wrote:

Please tell me how to make a kittel from a white shirt for my four yr old boys in school?

Are you sure you want to do that project? I ask becuase personally I hate getting the request for an old white shirt from my kids mmorahs. We just dont have old white shirts, if they are good enough condition, we wear them, if they are in poor condition we have thrown them away already. I feel like we waste a good shirt every time this request comes in, I hate that project. And, when it comes down to it, none of my kids have ever wanted to wear their kittel at all, even at the seder. what a waste of money. there have to be better projcts to do... (sorry for being so opinionated, this is one of those few things in life that really wind me up.)

zaq

Sun, Mar 15 2015, 11:28 pm

I agree with boysrus except we usually have an old white shirt or two in the rag bag if I have not already cut it up into dustcloths. Though chances are it is falling apart, no longer white and generally disreputable, otherwise it would be in the closet, not in the rag bag.

However, to answer your question, I assume you would cut the sleeves down to fit the child's arms, cut the amputated sleeve remnant in a spiral to make a long strip for the gartel, and glue some white lace over the raw edges of the sleeves or stitch them down if you have access to a sewing machine. Also stitch the raw edges of the gartels to prevent disintegration.

bocamorah

Mon, Mar 16 2015, 5:27 am

Thank you for your advice. I don't have to ask the parents for the shirts. I have them. I was just curious about the lace. Thank you again and have a good Yontiv

zaq

Mon, Mar 16 2015, 6:10 pm

If you already have the shirts then it's a wonderful project. If you have enough lace it would be nice to trim the edge of the collar as well.

greenfire

Mon, Mar 16 2015, 6:35 pm

buy a spool of ribbon for the belt ... & use hot glue to embellish the shirt with a spool of lace

sometimes you can find cheaper in the clearance sections of some local stores ~ here are some ideas

http://www.joann.com/offray-sa......html

http://www.joann.com/cosette-c......html

http://www.joann.com/offray-gr.....art=1

BetsyTacy

Mon, Mar 16 2015, 7:17 pm

Do 4 year old boys enjoy wearing lace? The white-shirt kittel was not a project that was enjoyed in my house and was never worn.

animeme

Mon, Mar 16 2015, 7:23 pm

We never had lace. We had the shirt and the boys could decorate it with fabric markers. Stencils were made available- fours cups, etc.

I loved this so much, because it's an instant smock/bib that catches all the stains at the Seder instead of losing clothes on the very first day. I guess my kids always wanted to wear them.

greenfire

Mon, Mar 16 2015, 7:29 pm

BetsyTacy wrote:

Do 4 year old boys enjoy wearing lace? The white-shirt kittel was not a project that was enjoyed in my house and was never worn.

the men wear lace & frills on their kittels ...

mfb

Mon, Mar 16 2015, 7:29 pm

My kids also wore them and I also used them instead of a bib on a child that doesn't want to wear one anymore. No lace just stenciled pictures on the ones I got.

BetsyTacy

Mon, Mar 16 2015, 7:30 pm

If your boys wanted to wear them, I agree it would make a nice bib. No such luck here. This project was not a "keeper". I wonder if the boys who attend a seder where the leader's minhag is not to wear a kittel are still willing to wear them. In my experience, the answer is no.

Notsobusy

Mon, Mar 16 2015, 7:37 pm

My sons wore theirs. They even wore them for a few years after, because they didn't want to get their brand new white shirts dirty, and were too old for bibs. I never forced them, they were always happy to wear it.

2cents

Mon, Mar 16 2015, 7:50 pm

my sons loved theirs! and we're sephardic, so none of the adult men at the table were wearing a kittel, but my sons felt special and really enjoyed it in kindergarten, and wore it in pre1a as well. and, yes, it doubled wonderfully as a "bib".

I will say, however, that I wish the rebbe hadn't painted the pictures of the four cups and the matza's on it. the paint smelled horrible, and it was a pain to wash.

bocamorah

Tue, Mar 17 2015, 5:07 am

Again, thank you all for your input and suggestions. I am looking forward to making these for my students. As the shirts were donated, it's certainly worth a try