(Tipmas) If I could sew with…

tips
Written By Linda Pearl
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Today’s blog post is a continuation from yesterday…and the story of my wreath. I love the sisterhood of quilters who surround me, and I love the chance to get away and sew with them. Hands dows, however my absolute most favorite person to sew (or create with) is my granddaughter, who I call here Little Quilter. From the very first time she set foot in the workroom, she has loved color, pattern, texture and trying all the things. LQ is a preschooler, and she and I have been on field trips to quilt shops, (she knows the value of stuffing a zip bag with scraps), and earlier this year, we actually took a class together.

I came to the quilting community as an adult, and I love watching her discover new things and crafts to try. Both her parents have a creative bent, and I have always said she’s a maker since the first time she came barreling through our living room to place her masterpiece (a colored Santa ornament) on our tree. She was not quite two, and it’s a masterpiece.

Backseat color play after a guild meeting!

Backseat color play after a guild meeting!

LQ has also been to an open sew meeting with my quilt guild back when we could meet in person. I was dropping off a quilt for the show, and she came with me. At 3, walking into a group of people who you don’t know can be intimidating, and she was a tad bit shy on this trip at the beginning. . It’s customary when you come into the group to walk around greet everyone, and ask about what they were working on. Shy left the building once she saw what people were working on, and she had a genuine interest in colors - she loves bolds and brights. At many of the tables, she was offered a small scrap for her stash at home, and she amassed quite a collection before we left. Waving, and saying good bye to the group on the way out…the scene in the photo above was going on in the back seat before we left the parking lot. She figured out a way to look at the colors and stay safe in the carseat.

As much fun as it is, I do find it can be a good thing to get a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast before she arrives…and to have many alternatives to my plans for the day - because she is a pre=schooler. The class we took together was an ornament making class, and she was significantly younger than most participants in the class. I knew the shop owner well (and she knew LQ), and the arrangement we made was that if the class was too much for her, we’d leave and not disrupt the class. LQ was able to follow along with the teacher (she asked me to iron), and got a good deal of the project done in class, but after 2 hours, we left. I figured we were about ready for a break and lunch. My plan for last Friday was to have LQ finish her ornament to bring home to her Mom and Dad, but she had no interest in sewing buttons on and we made cookies instead. I had worked up my gold one as something we could do together…and THATS how I ended up with my ornament done.

I have two rules with the grands in my workroom - they must listen to me, and they must follow directions. If not, we close the door and move onto something else.

LQ has taught me so much about being a fearless creative.

Linda Pearl
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