paisley and lace: Sewing with Kids

I love to sew.

By nature I love to teach.

And since my kids are growing up, I want to take the time, let the house get messy and use my talents to give them a love for sewing before they jump the coop. And while I'm at it, and since

I'll let you watch over my shoulder so you, too, can teach your kiddos - or yourself - to enjoy sewing.

And, please, please...

If something doesn't make sense, or if it seems I skipped a step, do let me know. Any questions are absolutely welcome! If you are still intimidated by such a feat and you are local, give me a call. Maybe we can get a group together to do a class in my home.

Also, I divided it out in days. This is pretty much how Caleb and I did it. Making this all in different chunks helps the project remain a fun endeavor for all. Each step ends with good results keeping them begging for more. Sort of like how great books tempt you to read on by ending each chapter with a hint of what morsel of adventure is to come.

Day 1

To begin, I sat a while with pencil and paper and came up with this basic pattern. I wanted to incorporate rows of printed fabric, and rows of solid fabric. Using solid colors as much as possible helps to both keep the cost down and create interesting design.

Day 2

Then we went to the fabric store. I have to say I didn't let him choose just anything. After deciding on one or two favorite prints in colors I could enjoy around the house (no cartoon characters or tacky stuff, please) I showed him how to take that bolt of fabric and walk around holding it up to other fabrics in order to find similar color families. It definately took guidance from me. And alot of time. Try to go when it can just be the two of you and when you are not in a rush. Make a 'date' of it. For this quilt, we used 8 quarter yard strips of prints. (*You will need to be able to cut atleast 42 5"x9" blocks out of a mix of fabrics if you are using scraps) At home, we left them stacked neatly on the table till we were ready for our next sewing adventure...

Day 3

A few days later we cut all the blocks. Here Caleb is making the edge of our first strip even.

Here we are cutting it in 5" increments on a strip that is 9" wide making blocks 5"x9". Notice I am helping to hold the ruler while he cuts. It has a tendency to slip leading to crooked lines. Plus, I just plain old feel better being there when a razor blade is being used. It's that mom thing. I didn't walk away to pick up around the house during this step!

Here he is with a beautiful stack of blocks. We only needed 50 5"x9" blocks, but we cut a few extra to help when we lay it all out. But that is for another day!