last saturday scott had basketball games all day.
but like all of those tournaments, the games are hours apart.
inbetween the games we ended up at the craft house to relax.
i was working on my pillow front….
which was just me layering things on this piece of quilt and sewing it down.
the girls thought it was so fun and i said "you can make one"
apparently i say no too often because they both GASPED and shouted "WE CAN??!!"
(parent fail)
i said "yes… you can. and i will show you how to sew it all together"
"REALLY?!!! You will teach us how to SEW!?? TODAY?!!"
(hanging my head)
"Yes. I will teach you today."
i gave them each a piece of fabric as their base and told them to use the scraps and layer on anything they wanted to and it will be fun and pretty and you will love it.
and they did.
Sean was not interested and that is no surprise.
he did sit in the room with us and drew pictures of dead cartoon characters… maybe feeling a little out numbered by the women around him so he was making up for it by overcompensating in the boy department?
ha.
annie chose to make a pillow like we made at the first craft weekend. (i miss you first CW girls!!)
talby came up with her own pattern of stripes.
and suddenly…. they were sewing.
it was pretty amazing.
i don't think i was scared to teach them before… just didn't know if i had the patience.
but after a year of craft weekends and seeing that i can help women take away that fear of the machine,
teaching my girls was practically easy.
the craft weekend women are always awesome so there was no reason to feel anxious about my own girls.
that is her face of concentration. :)
beautiful pillows to be proud of for sure!!
they chose the fabrics from scraps and did all the sewing.
i helped annie cut circles. she cut the first 8 & then was the fabric chooser while i became the fabric cutter
i was so proud of my crafty girls.
—————————————
by the way…
i use two of each these machines for craft weekend and what i use myself for all my sewing.
SINGER Heavy Duty Model 4411 SINGER Heavy Duty Model 4423
i just ordered them straight from Amazon and it's free shipping!
as far as i can tell after having used them for two years now, the only difference is the Model 4423has an automatic threader and the Model 4411
does not.
i am not working for Singer.
i just like their machines.
🙂
they are very basic, non-threatening, easy to use machines.
maybe you should ask for one for mother's day???
go big or go home baby.
Shannon - I sew(so…LOL)want to learn how. That’s a great idea a Mother’s Day gift request it is! I love their pillows!
Whitney - They turned out great- wonderful job girls! I remember when my grandmother taught me to sew basic things on her very old Singer (the old black iron kind in the built in box.) Then my mom took it a step further and has shown me how to do more advanced things on her new machine- they will always remember that day! Now I want to go make a pillow 🙂
megan - Thank you for this. My 5.5 year old id begging for sewing lessons & I keep denying her. I am now motivated to say yes next time she asks!
Linda - Thanks for the sewing machine suggestions. My daughter goes over to her elder sister’s for her quilting project. Between their 2 schedules it is hard ot get them together to finish. Now I know just what is for her next gift!
Leslie - My daughter would LOVE Talby’s pillow case design. Maybe she could do some for your shop – hint * hint * 🙂
Heidi Jo the Artist - That’s awesome they are learning to sew. That is a day they will remember always I’m sure. 🙂 Pretty, pretty, pillows! I just started teaching my daughter, almost age 6, how to hand sew a couple of weeks ago. She loves it! Now, I need to get a sewing machine hooked up and get going on that myself, so I can teach my daughter too. I love handmade stuff!!!
Andrea - Both pillows are lovely. They get their creativity honestly!
That is what I want to do – set up all my machines at a table and teach all three of mine to sew at once. (My boy is only 8 and so still wants to be like his big sisters. Well, to a point!) I have my mom’s old machine that I learned to sew on, my grandma’s old machine that I just got tuned up, and my machine. All Singers!
Kate - Those first craft weekend girls were cute, huh?! 🙂
Valerie @ Chateau a la mode - Your girlies are adorable and looked like they loved sewing and you are an amazing mom!
Juli - I’m curious…when they go back to the Craft House, do they miss living there?
Lori Austin - They did great! Those pillows are super cute.
I really need to learn how to sew. Thanks for the info
on what machines you use. I need to bookmark that for the hubby. 😉
Katie - I was so surprised when I saw on IG that your girls had never sewed! You are so awesome about crafting with them, that I was certain they certainly would have sewed before. Their pillows are gorgeous! My 5 year old loves to see when I am working on a project. I will have to let her try one of these, something real she can make from all my scraps, usually she is just coming up with her own designs–I think she would live something real she could do in her own. Happy sewing!!
Rachel B. - Very cool!
Tiffany - Good for your girls, and good for you! I’m sure this lit a fire under them to learn even more! I’m so glad you showed pics here. After seeing you doing that on ig I was curious to see the finished products. So cute!
Kimberlee Jost - So proud of those girlies!
And you, too, brave mama.
🙂
Seriously Sassy Mama - I need to get my sewing machine out of the closet. It is time to sew.
Nicole - I miss my sewing machine SO much. I messed up the bobbin and have not been able to get it working since. A lady at my local craft store said the tensions could be messed up, but I have no idea how to remedy that. Le sigh 🙁
Laura H - What a fun day!! I am determined to learn how to sew! I love pretty things like this…so MAGICAL. Love what you’re doin!
Gina - So fun!! I was the same as you, not sure if I had the patience to teach my girls sewing but I did and it was fun!! Nothing is more fun than crafting alongside my kids and having them take an interest in something I love!! I sew with a Singer too! 🙂
Marthajd@msn.com - Is there anything sweeter than a child concentrating? My sons both do this tongue thing and it’s so sweet! Thank you for sharing!
Terrie G - I was so excited for you & them when I saw that pic roll across my instagram feed! What a wonderful new world you have opened for them! Just one more way for them to create! You rocked it MOM!!
Jenny B. - That’s awesome! I would proudly display both of those pillows on my couch! Great job, girls!! I got a sewing machine for Christmas two years ago… it’s still in the box. I am so intimidated by that thing (even though came with an instructional DVD). Sigh… fear is so crippling!
Nina Newswanger - Hello-just had to stop by and say I LOVE YOUR BLOG, I am not particularly creative or crafty, but I happened upon your blog a couple weeks ago and have been hooked-like digging through your archives!:) I love your large family, your honesty and your christian spirit. I have 4 boys under 7 so it’s interesting to me to see what life looks life as kids get older, I hope we can do as great as job as you and your husband, (my husband is Craig too:) doing things as a family. Thanks for being real and honest-love it!!! Also, I’ve been making tons of your recipe’s-you have SO many great ones!
JulianneB - An automatic threader…be still heart…. the most frustrating part of sewing to me is threading the machine
Wendy - My girls love to sew and I love to watch them create without all of the perfectionism that resides in my head. They are always so proud too of their creations. My big problem is letting them use my fabric. I am a bit of a hoarder when it comes to my stash of pretty fabrics. Why do I do that? Love this and thanks for the tips on the machines!
Jen - Love the pictures of Annie and Talby sewing. I wish I knew how to sew at times because my two girls have shown an interest. In fact my 5-year-old has been designing clothes on paper recently and wants her grandmas to help her. Good on ya, Meg!
Lindsey - Love this! I’ll bet it won’t be the last time your daughters will want to sew! You win the cool mom award for the day!
Claire - Love it! What a joy to see the little ones on the machines! Those look like great sewing machines too. I just got my first machine and love it. It is the Brother XL2610 and it is awesome!
http://www.amazon.com/Brother-XL2610-Free-Arm-Built-In-Functions/dp/B000A5CKHG/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1366298313&sr=8-11&keywords=sewing+machine+brother
angela - That’s a REALLY big deal! Good for YOU and good for your GIRLS!!!!!! Dead animals…lol!
beth - very cool!
: )
Lisa - Love <3
Melissa - Love those pillows! Great job girls. I remember my grandma teaching me how to sew years ago – priceless
jill - I love in life when doing one thing (hosting craft weekend) by accident makes something else much easier to do (teaching your girls to sew). This is why I think trying new things/taking risks is so important, you never know how it will impact your life in unexpected ways.
Feeling philosophical today…
Dawn Gross - That’s pretty cool! They did a great job!
I sewed that awesome ruffle apron at craft weekend and now I’m scared to try something else. Just do it, right?
Dawn
Allison - My 5 (almost 6) year old wants to learn how to sew. I’m afraid of her sewing her fingers on my machine so we might start out with hand-stitching this year. I taught myself how to sew so being able to teach my girls how to do one of my favorite hobbies is exciting for me.
Lynette - So fun! I am determined to teach my girls to sew this summer. This looks like a great beginner project. I think we will start with pillows too. Your girls did a great job, their pillows are great.