Sewing with Kids

 My earliest sewing memories involve sewing Cabbage Patch Kid clothes with my mom. :) She (and therefore I) didn't get into quilting until later. When I was a kid, I had free rein to use her sewing machine and to use her stash, and I really enjoyed experimenting. Here's a pic of the earliest finished project I have. It's not a doll quilt; I used it to cover up the digital numbers on my alarm clock. :)

So when I had kids, I knew I wanted to introduce them to one of my favorite hobbies. I have three boys, and if I had a nickel for every time someone asked if I wished I'd had a girl, so I could teach them to sew, I'd have my own longarm. Guess what? Boys can sew too, and like it. 

In fact, I blame then for how messy my sewing studio always is. Which is only half accurate. I started between 4 and 5 years old with each of them, when they expressed interest. We started with improv piecing because 1/4" seam allowances don't matter. Much easier that way! It's fun watching their ideas, and also occasionally frustrating, because they believe anything is possible, and I need to balance not crushing that idea with also pulling them back to what's feasible. 

Here's a photo of the quilt my older two boys made for my dad. They made all the blocks except for two, and then I assembled it and machine quilted it. It's both awesome and hurts the eyes all at the same time. 

They've also gone through a Minecraft block phase, zip pouches, pillows, felt softies, and most recently, my Strippy Improv Holiday blocks. 

I may need to invest in a third sewing machine if they keep this up! :)

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