Yesterday I had a few friends over for a sew day, so when my kids got home, my sewing machine was set up on the dining room table. My daughter said she wanted to quilt, so I said, "ok, let's get some scraps and sew them together." She said, "No, I want to quilt." So I asked her if I should put the walking foot on the Juki. No, it turns out she wanted to QUILT, as in
free motion quilt. I was a little surprised, honestly, but I decided to let try. Why not? We picked out a scrap of batting and she picked out some blue thread. I offered her fabric, too, so we could make a quilt sandwich, but she didn't think that was necessary. Hahaha!
The first two swirls on the top left were done by me, just to get things going. As soon as she sat down, she got to work. It was amazing to watch her jump in and
just do it. It was really, really inspiring! I took a quick video (it's like 11 seconds) and posted it on Instagram
here. You can see how much fun she had by the grin on her face. I love that!
After she got started, I let her go for it and walked away. (That's the best thing to do, as a control freak, I've learned!) I loved looking at her attempts.
She even attempted the alphabet! She had a lot of fun, but admitted that it was harder than she expected it to be. I can't wait to see her try it again.
My friend
brianne came to the sew day bearing gifts. She made me this sweet liberty log cabin pincushion. Isn't that precious? I love it so! Thanks, brianne!
And.... I finished my happy quilt top! A few people asked in the last post if it was appliqued, and the answer to that is YES!
One more thing! I am giving a trunk show at the Minneapolis Modern Quilt Guild meeting tomorrow evening, March 16, 2017 at the Textile Center. If you are local (or local-ish!) you are invited to attend.
That's all for me today. I hope you are having a great week!
The fearlessness of children is so inspiring. I worked with a 9 and 11 year old to make a quilt for each of them, and in the end they did all the work. It always inspires me to let go of my fear and try something new. And you're right, that half giggle at the end of your video is awesome. :)
ReplyDeleteI love this! My son did free motion quilting on a small quilt last Fall. I love that he went with it. He had a whole vision of quilting clouds and grass. It was really great. Your daughter's work is beautiful! I especially love that alphabet. Yvonne is totally right about the fearlessness of children.
ReplyDeleteWonderful! There is much to be said for that kind of confidence and the willingness to try new things.
ReplyDeleteI love to see kids trying out quilting. They are so willing to make a mistake--to jump in with both feet. I have a sewing space in my sewing room for my daughter and I like to encourage her to try new things whenever she is interested. She constantly surprises me with her creativity, boldness, and natural skill. Many of us, as adults who have taken classes or learned from books have so many rules to follow that we unlearn these inborn abilities out of fear of not conforming to a standard. When you don't know the standard, you can do almost anything. I have been spending a lot of time trying to unlearn the rules I have digested over the years. I hope that we can encourage our kids to just keep that open-minded, out-of-the-box manner that makes their work so fresh and unique. The future of quilting seems promising to me, with parents who are helping kids think in their own way about how to "make". Thanks for your blog on this!
ReplyDeleteWow, her alphabet is pretty impressive! Excellent work!
ReplyDeleteYou are a very wise Mom. Walk away and give up that need to control. That can be so difficult to do. Kudos to you Amanda!
ReplyDeleteYou should frame her beautiful and inspirational quilting and hang it in your quilt room or work area. Not only will it warm your heart each time you look at it, it will embolden her to continue because it will show her that her work is precious to you and everyone who sees it. Yes, teach them young...what a great mom!
ReplyDeleteYour daughter is an inspiration to me. I need to stop just thinking and hoping to FMQ and just do it. Thank her for me.
ReplyDeleteWow! She did so well and so did you. I have to fight my urge to hover over my daughter (not that she is allowed anywhere near my sewing machine!!!).
ReplyDeleteLove seeing the cute video of your daughter free motion quilting :)! Beautiful quilt top - love all the bright fabrics you used!
ReplyDeleteYour daughter is so inspiring! And she is so adapt at FMQ already. Makes me want to try it again. And, of course, your Happy quilt is lovely. mary in AZ
ReplyDeleteThis is the best! Looks like your daughter has found the joy of doodling with fabric. :) There was a lovely quilt in the youth section at QuiltCon that was free motion quilted by the maker.
ReplyDeletevery great
ReplyDeleteWow your daughter did a super job with the free motion quilting. Kudos! Both to her and to you for being her inspiration. Love the colors on your quilt, and the pattern.
ReplyDeleteA fearless, "can do" attitude will take her far!
ReplyDeleteWow, your daughter is truly a natural. That's an amazing first stab at quilting. I'm sure she's been picking up a lot of tips just watching you, but still...she is off to a stellar start! I love your waiting quilt and it is such a happy quilt. It looks very simple and would be wonderful in any number of color schemes. Do you have any books that you've written? If not, you could start the book with this one! elanagoldberg5@gmail.com
ReplyDeletesheesh, as a mom with a daughter that sews with me, I got weepy eyed at this one. Too bad we can't all jump in with that spirit. But seeing her do it is inspiring!!! Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteWonderful that she has such an interest. As a teacher I agree that the best thing is to explain or model for them, let them practice with you and then you walk away. They have so much fun just doing their thing at their pace, and the creativity just flows (and amazes the adults).
ReplyDeleteSweet pincushion, too!
Great to share your passion with your daughter, my children are talented in other ways but are happy to give me projects to complete.
ReplyDeleteIs great to see a smile of sewing joy! Love a sewing day with friends , a gift is an added extra , the pin cushion is a fab combination of colours