Nicole’s Sewing Adventure
August 22nd, 2008 by MornaTuesday evening my eight-year-old niece, Nicole, came to spend the night. After she helped cook dinner she wanted to sew, so we looked through The Best of Sewing Machine Fun for Kids by Nancy Smith and Linda Milligan with Possibilities. Nicole decided she would make scrunchies and a cloth lunch bag for school, which starts next week. She headed off to my fabric stash to select what I thought would be a couple of pieces for the scrunchies. Well, she came back with enough for ten. And that’s what she made. Here she is at the sewing machine.
Her skills have improved since she made her first skirt this spring. She’s more careful about the seam allowance and pays more attention to the project. And, while I cut the fabric, she followed the directions and worked without my guidance after the first few. She made two scrunchies that evening. The next morning shortly after breakfast she said, “I’m bored. Can we sew now?” Do you think she’s after my heart?! So she continued and made eight more. We took a break in the afternoon, went to the movies, out for ice cream and to visit the alpacas at the end of my street. After we got back, she wanted to make the lunch bag. She had picked out fabric for two bags, but we only had time for one. When her mom arrived about 6:15 to pick her up, she had just the top edge to turn and sew to finish the bag. She’s so excited that when people will ask about her bag or scrunchies, she can say, “I made it.” Here she is with the array of scrunchies.
Melicia Evans said:
Very impressive. You may have future quilters there:) I try to teach my children to hand sew first, but they want to get right to the machine. Do you think it’s neccessary to get good at hand sewing first? Right now I just have them do a bit of each.
Morna said:
I think whatever gets and keeps them interested in sewing is the key. I don’t think either of my nieces has done much hand sewing, other than maybe some cross stitch with their mom. Since their time at my house is usually limited, I want them to have a feeling of accomplishment so they’ll be eager to start something new, and that’s probably why I chose the quicker, sewing-machine based projects. As we go along, we’ll probably incorporate some hand sewing.
Lynda Milligan said:
Hi Morna,
What a cutie Nicole is with all her Bunchies fastened around her arm. Tell her that I am so proud of her accomplishment. Yeah for new sewers!
Terry said:
I, too, learned to sew at the age of 8 – at my grandmother’s machine. I am so grateful for her thoughtful lessons and patience; sewing continues to be a source of creativity and accomplishment for me. As a former sewing instructor for Singer, I taught many young girls about the age of Nicole. They were eager to learn this art form; we all need to take the time to pass on this rewarding skill to our young people. My granddaughter is next!