I love sewing. I remember being fascinated when my mom would (rarely) get out her sewing machine to repair something or to make a Halloween costume. When it came time for me to learn, she sent me to 4-H and I had the most wonderful teacher. When my granddaughter said she was interested in sewing, I knew I’d be giving her some lessons.
We began a few years ago but didn’t see each other often enough. This summer I’ll be staying overnight at her house once a week, so it’s the perfect opportunity. When I borrowed her machine, it had settings all wrong. I noticed a strong dusty smell also, so the first project we tackled was a dust cover.
I chose fleece so there would be no need to hem or hide raw edges. She chose two colors of my scraps and we set out to make her free-form dust cover. She wanted to decorate it with stars. We found a cookie cutter to trace for her pattern, and she decided on 3 stars per side. The first one was a little awkward for her to stitch on, but by the sixth star she was confident.
Next she wanted the foot pedal to stop sliding away. I found a tutorial for a mat made from drawer liner with a stop buffer at the front end. She requested the fabric design and did a great job. I explained each step and taught what she needed along the way.
Next will be our third lesson. She said she remembered we had begun a doll dress and she wanted to finish it. All that is left to do is a hem and snap fasteners.
Each lesson is taking less than 2 hours, which is a great span of time for an 11-year-old. Each is simple enough she can do the steps herself, and she can be proud of the result.
Quilt in Progress 