Teaching My Children to Sew

I was a little worried about the snow day off from school and how we were all going to occupy ourselves with The Dad away in California (where evidently it is beautiful and sunny and he is driving a convertible) - we three can drive each other a little mad when we sit around only with ourselves.

  

And then our 10am playdate cancelled and I asked the kids where they wanted to go.

"I want to sew!", E declared.  "You've been promising you'd give me a sewing lesson."

The reason I keep putting this "lesson" off is because of O.  And his attention span (or lack there of at times).  And the fear of leaving E to her own devices (with needle and scissors) while tending to him. 

But he wanted to join us, too.  And oh how I was surprised!

I got him started the way I did with E her first time:  A not-to-sharp 'chenille' needle, an embroidery hoop, and embroidery thread.  I had an old tea towel, from an embroidery class I took back in Minneapolis, that was just porous enough for him.  He loved it!  And was oh-so intent, making "a pillow for dad for valentine's day".

E, for the first time, free-cut pieces and sewed them together.  She made me a doll that is not quite finished but that I will try to catch a picture of tomorrow.  She used regular thread for the first time, and little tiny curved scissors that came in a basket of thread and notions from an estate sale.  I offered her sharper, easier scissors, but she preferred 'her own'.  And the thimble.  Because she had to have a thimble - and sometimes more than one at a time.

So this was a first for us, the kids sitting and sewing together.  A successful one.  So fun.