This Apron Rocks!

Sewing with Lillian part 2

A few years ago, I taught my granddaughter Lillian to sew. She learned how to thread the machine, wind a bobbin, and practice straight stitching on paper patterns. When she was ready, we made some fabric bookmarks.

http://seamslikeastory.com/stitch-up-a-memory/

On a recent visit, older and wiser Lillian expressed an interest in doing another project together, so I suggested we try a simple apron. You know me… I’m ALL about aprons! http://seamslikeastory.com/apron-strings/

A “Swift” trip to the fabric store…

 Off to the fabric store we went. Along the way, we cranked up the radio and belted out a Taylor Swift song. Having recently taught fourth graders, I was familiar with the song and Lillian thought it was funny that Grandma knew some of the words.

Once in the fabric store, Lillian had definite ideas about what she wanted. She was drawn to anything pink, purple, or sparkly. We decided to make the apron reversible and chose a yard each of a pink cheetah print and a turquoise-rainbow-unicorn-kitty fabric. We also purchased a small amount of rainbow-cheetah- print for pockets.

To complete our girls’ day out, we stopped by Starbucks where Lillian confidently ordered “a tall hot chocolate, kid temperature, with whipped cream.”

So now we sew…

Stitch up a Memory

Learning How to Sew

Sky and Leaf
By Debra VanDeventer

Spring green Palo Verde leaves sway against the backdrop
of a brilliant blue sky
and a long forgotten memory stirs on the breeze.
A mother’s hands smooth out two pieces of fabric,
sky blue and leaf green.
Not willing to sacrifice one for the other, both are chosen
and a skirt is designed for her child.
Stitch by stitch, mother teaches daughter.
Together they create
a magnificent skirt
born of the mother’s imagination–wraparound, reversible
sky and leaf.

First Steps in learning to sew

My mother taught me to sew.http://seamslikeastory.com/about-debra/ I don’t remember those first steps in learning to sew, but this memory of a  blue and green, wrap-around skirt recently came to mind.

One joy of sewing is the ability to pass the skill on to others. One joy of retirement is you have time to do so. A few summers ago, my (then) eight-year-old granddaughter, Lillian, came to visit for a week. As a former teacher and current sewist, I was delighted when she expressed an interest in learning to sew. Here’s how we began…