I admit it. We got behind making the Primary Bee blocks for April and May. Life happens ya know and when the To Do list got too long, something had to give. I don't like being late for anything but it really couldn't be helped. The April blocks were finished in May and have arrived at their destination and the May blocks are done too and have been sent on their way.
First up were the Bento Box blocks in the requested colors of Purple and Yellow. As is typical, Sunshine was willing to spend some time sewing first. Step one was to sew all the various parts together.
She does an excellent job of matching up the pieces just right.
Her grip on the pieces as they feed through the machine is still a bit too strong but we are working on it. I think that once I let them totally sew on their own with a different machine, they will get that part better.
She is really great about removing the pins just before we get to them.
And here she is with the finished Bento Box block for Lisa's daughter. We hope she liked it.
Jammer was ready to go next. We did the same thing, sewed together all the parts and then sewed the parts into bigger parts.
He too still needed some guidance so that the seams come out fairly decent.
Bento Box block number 2 was done.
Over the past weekend we got the blocks done for May. Heather's daughter requested the Pennsylvania block in Turquoise and White. Sunshine went 1st again as usual. Those small hands still have a death grip on the pieces but little by little she is getting better.
Here favorite part is clipping the threads.
She is left handed so I still can't figure out why she insists on using the right hand to cut when we sew together.
All done and one very proud girl itching to sew some more.
After some convincing, Jammer was willing to come up to my studio to get his block done too. That boy some seriously long eyelashes! Unfortunately the mosquitos think he's pretty tasty too.
He asked if he could work the foot petal himself and he actually did it really well, going decently slow so that he could keep control of what he was doing. He even guided the fabric almost completely by himself with much less help from me.
I'm a proud momma. And he is proud that he is doing more without my assistance. I can see him totally sewing on is own before long. He's even getting good at holding the seam in place as he pulls the pins and guides it under the needle.
He was really excited about this accomplishment and I was excited for him.
I think I'm going to figure out where I can move my mom's old Singer Abby to so that the kidlets can sew more on their own. There really isn't any space in my studio but I want to be nearby. The machine in the table is heavy so it isn't something that I can just pick up and move all the time.
Next up are the blocks for June, a Churn and Dash in Purple and Blue.
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12 Comments:
They do a wonderful job - nice matching points! You are a good Mom to share your knowledge. Savor these moments - they will be teens soon, and sewing will probably not be cool.
Hugs
What a great job! I wish my momma was a quilter and taught me the skills when I was a tyke! Is your daughter in school yet? I know that for me, even tho I am a lefty, I prefer to cut with my right hand as well. I'm not sure if it is really a preference or you're just surrounded by right handed scissors in school all day it was just easier to learn to cut with the right instead of searching for left handed scissors or trying to cut lefty with right handed scissors (bent paper and jagged edges are not a good look). Thanks for sharing!
I love the look of concentration on both of their faces! With your guidance, they'll be pros in no time. ;)
They look great! That sew on your own time has been a good encourager for my kids. Especially when I just let them use scraps to make whatever catches their fancy. It takes some serious holding back on my part, but it's been good.
How wonderful that you get to sew together! The kids are doing so well. Beautiful blocks!
Love seeing your beautiful kiddos, Sunshine and Jammer, learning from you how to enjoy creative sewing. Happy 4th to you all! Kate
May I suggest one or two Singer 99s for your young ones to sew on? They come as electri or handcranks and are heavier than plastic wonders but are 3/4 size so are more manageable. Sometimes I just set mine on a wooden tv table. I found mine at a thrift store, ordered the handcrank, and had it installed and working in about ten minutes--despite never having done that before.
It is such a great age to introduce them to the sewing. They will be pros before long.
Your kids are so cute, Michele - and they are doing a great job with their bee blocks! Of course, they've got a great teacher! And another sewing machine you might want to look at for them is the Janome Sew Mini - I bought one for Lilli to use and it is a wonderful little machine! It's main selling point for me was that quilters commented in the reviews that they liked to use it for retreats, as a lightweight piecing machine. It's sturdy, not a toy, but small and light enough for Lilli to handle herself (she's 6 1/2). And it lists for $59. What a bargain!
The kids are amazing. Looks like you've got some quilters on your hands.
thank you for the blocks you made. They look really good and i can't wait to get them. =) Sarah
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