Sunday, June 12, 2011

SEWING LESSONS

This weekend the grandchildren are having a sleep-over and of course this means sewing for Emmylou (aged 9).  She said she wanted to make a cushion with one side plain and the other side patchwork stripes, so we went up and raided my scraps and this is what we came up with:

First off she drew a grid picture of what she wanted, then I worked out the measurements (10" x 10" finished) and explained how to measure the fabric with seam allowances etc.  She enjoyed this as she loves maths and quickly understood how I arrived at the measurements we needed to cut.

She learned how to use a rotary cutter to cut the strips (with a very nervous Grandma watching little fingers), then joined them up with a 1/4" seam.  After pressing the seams we put some iron-on Pelon on the back to make it easier for her to handle and discussed quilting options.  She decided to go with a decorative stitch down the centre of each stripe using an embroidery cam in the machine.  We trialled several cams to decide which one she liked best and came up with a curly wave pattern.  I started her off on the centre one, then she did all the rest herself, changing colours for the top thread to coordinate with the fabrics.

When the top was finished we cut a square and attached to the back, turned it and filled it with stuffing.  Then she learned slip hemming to close the opening so it all looked lovely and neat.

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2 Comments:

At June 12, 2011 at 1:44 PM , Blogger Linda said...

How wonderful! Tell Emmylou she did a great job on her little pillow! Isn't it wonderful fun passing down our skills?

 
At June 17, 2011 at 7:56 PM , Blogger Merilyn said...

Emmylou did a lovely job on choosing her fabrics and decorative stitch for her cushion!!! What a great start in appreciating the skills she will learn from you and never forget!!!

 

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