Tuesday, July 04, 2006

A quiet holiday weekend for us....

This has been a fairly quiet holiday weekend for us. We usually have more going on for the Fourth. Quiet is nice for a change....I guess. My granddaughter spent Sunday night with us. As soon as her folks and younger brother left she asked if we could do some sewing. She likes using my machine. I figured that I'd sneak in a little instruction, so I showed her how to lay out a pattern (she's 8 and wasn't too interested in that part, but you never know what sinks in) then we cut out some shorts and up to the machine. I would show her the directions, pin the pieces together and she would sew. In a couple of hours from start to finish, she was wearing the very first garment she ever made! Now I had bought the pattern when she started wanting to use my machine, but the fabric came straight from my stash! Whatever I had planned to use it for, this is a far better purpose and it is now being used and out of the closet. I wish that I had a picture, but then again, one pair of shorts is like most others.

As for me, now that the house is quiet again, I got back up to the sewing room and did two more rows of quilting on one of my UFOs. Two more rows and the quilting will be done. I may go back up tonight. Its a small quilt and doesn't take too long, but I try to give myself and the machines a break. Besides, I still have cooking and other household things to get in. I look forward to taking it off the frame and mounting the next UFO in the stack. This quilt is only the second that I have done on the PCQuilter and I am still learning. This time I made a couple of mistakes that I will have to figure out how to overcome for the next quilt. I don't think that they are big enough for anyone but me to notice and I'm working on the least 'precious' of my UFOs first, so any mistakes aren't a big deal. If they are too big, the dog gets a new quilt. Otherwise they are wall hangings or nap quilts for us. I haven't done anything that I hope will be totally wonderful yet - still lots of practicing to do.

Hope that the rest of you had a wonderful Fourth. Maybe by next year I will have done a patriotic quilt like the beautiful ones so many blog members have shown in the last few days!

5 comments:

quiltpixie said...

Its wonderful that you're spending the time making shorts with your grandaughter. I remember fondly the sewing time wiht my gran, and while I left sewing for some time, and don't sew the sort of things she did, she really is one of my mentors...

ForestJane said...

I'd like to see a picture... :)

My greatniece is starting to sew, and I've been thinking of getting a simple pattern for her - something to wear. She's made stuffed animal sleeping bags and simple drawstring bags.

Was your shorts pattern made with an elastic waist? Or a drawstring cargo type?

Bonnie said...

How great to spend time with your granddaughter and make a garmet. She will always remember the time with grandmother!

Linda C said...

You are making memories with your granddaughter that she will always look back on fondly. Whatever fabric she chose from your stash can be replaced with something similiar--this was a better use, as you said.

Mary Johnson said...

I don't do any sewing but I do enjoy teaching family members to quilt.

I don't have any grandchildren and hope NOT to for a while. My oldest son (22) is getting married in October but I'm hoping they wait a while before having children.