Summer Sewing School

My youngest, Addie, has always considered everything in my craft/sewing room to be both hers and mine with the exception of my Bernina QE sewing machine that I bought special just for me. 

I bought Addie a little Singer, so she could sew alongside mom.  She loved it, but noticed that mine had more gizmos and gadgets and felt it was best that we share the Bernina too.  

Kid's got good taste.

Addie gave her Singer to her friend Alia who loves to craft.  Alia's worked with her grandmother on a machine a bit, but needed some tutoring before taking her little baby home.

We made Pillowcase Skirts! 

Alia's mom found the idea on Family Fun.

The original pattern is for NO-SEW skirts, but we sewed in some elastic and made sewn hems on ours for practice.

Super easy to sew and the girls had a blast making them. 

Aren't they cute?!  The skirts...the girls look like dweebs in this pic!

Linking to:

Weekend Wrap-up at Tatertots & Jello

Thursday is workshop day, I guess...

Two cool workshops for you, your kids, or best yet...you and your kiddo.



Wild Olive's Embroidery Basics start today! 

Mollie and her little talking olive are starting with the bare bones--Materials.  I've already worked in embroidery for years and yet I didn't know what flower thread was...now I do.

Image by Wendi Gratz at Shiny Happy World 

And then after you get going on your little embroidered creation you can head over to  Wendi Gratz and see a video on adding color to your design with color crayons.  Beware:  her little design is so adorably cute you'll want it.

On to sewing.
 Sew Basics Series-- We start our pillows today at A Little Knick Knack and/or Twinkle Toes. Great tutorial by Twinkle Toes and pillows are like thneads...everyone, everyone needs a thnead (or pillowcase).

BTW...I'm continuing to follow directions and still diligently working on my art journaling journal.  I've gone a bit off track, but I'm still following the BASIC directions.  The off track thing is just me, I think.

Speaking of kids sewing & creative kids...

A Little Knick Knack & Twinkle Toes must have read the collective minds of Addie & myself

A Beginner's Beginning sewing school. 

Perfect for Addie (ya, ya I'll let her use the Bernina, but none of the good lace)

First project is a pillowcase.  Addie was just telling me that she felt she needed a new pillowcase and I need to destash some fabric...perfect again.  We can sew together.

School is every Thursday for 3 weeks.  At the end everyone can post their pillow pics and be enter to win a $50 CSN Gift Certificate.  Perfect yet again.



Thanks Ladies!

Kids Creating

Look what I found...

Chances are fairly high that Daddy will be secreting one of these dudes to work today.

Addie is attached at the hip when it comes to sewing and crafting.

She is my Crafty Mini-Me.

Little pillow made by Addie with Mom's machine

Every mom's dream, right?  Well, until she has her eye on that same little piece of Irish lace that you do...

~

I used to have my own craft room.

Then it became my room with a craft cupboard for Addie's supplies.

The cupboard got bigger.

Then the cupboard was no longer needed because the distinction between mom's stuff and Addie's became very small (now she settles for having to ask before using really sharp or really hot stuff).

Then she got half the counter space.

Now we just share (Even the Bernina that we both love more than we love each other).

~

I also found this wonderful sewing blog while I was skipping through CraftGossip

photo via Shiny Happy World

Wendi Gratz of Shiny Happy World

She's determined to teach kids to sew  & embroider and has some wonderful videos, patterns, tutorials, and projects that are perfect for kids, tweens, teens and adults.

I'm excited for Addie to see it!  I think she'll really like the monster projects.

Linking To:
Whatever Goes Wednesday #55 at Someday Crafts

Pumpkin Placemat for Beginning Sewers

Look what I found in my Halloween storage box...

I completely forgot that I had Addie make pumpkin placemats last year. 

 They're a great starter, sew-on-the-lines,  project for a beginning sewer. The edges are cut AFTER sewing, so the seams look perfectly positioned, as if an expert sewed them.  Depending on the age and sewing ability of the child, the mats can be hand sewn or done on a machine.  Fusing and cutting can be done my an adult or the child, too.  Have fun!

For each placemat you'll need:

• 15" x 12" pieces of orange and yellow felt
• Scrap black felt
• Air-erase fabric marker
• Double-sided fusible web or fabric glue
• Iron
• Scissors
• Pinking scissors
• Orange thread
• Needle or sewing machine

1. Stack yellow and orange rectangles on top of each other.
2. Draw pumpkin shapes with an air-erase fabric marker or  fabric chalk.
3. Have your child sew right on the lines with a machine or by hand.
4. Cut about 1/4" from the sewn lines around the pumpkin with pinking sheers (straight would work too).

5. If using fusible web,with a pressing cloth to avoid scorching the felt, fuse one side of double-sided fusible web to black felt. 
6. Cut out pumpkin eyes, mouths, noses and other embellishments.

 

1. Fuse or glue face shapes to orange front to create a pumpkin.
2. Be sure to sign and date your wonderful creation!

P.S.  I made the not-nearly-as-cool spider web placemat by painting on a Dollar Store black bamboo mat to go under...

My FINALLY finished chalkboard pumpkin!  Yeah, me!

I will be linking Addie's project to...
Craftzine Halloween Flickr Contest 
Monday Link Party at Craft-O-Maniac
Sunday Showcase Party at Under The Table and Dreaming
Halloween Link Party at Polish the Stars
Weekend Wrap-up Party at Tatertots & Jello
Everything But The Kitchen Sink at A Little Knick Knack