Friday, January 25, 2013

My new sewing buddy!

Several weeks ago, one of the young ladies that I had the pleasure to teach at church mentioned that she was interested in sewing. Naturally, that sparked a conversation and I discovered that she has taken several sewing classes and in fact, her parents were planning to purchase her a sewing machine. Very little makes me happier than encouraging the next generation of sewist, so I invited her over to sew with me. We've been meeting together every weekend we can, and it has been so much fun!
The first time we got together, we made her a skirt! It's a basic dirndl skirt gathered into 2 inch wide elastic. Super simple, but fun to sew. Anna did all of the seaming and hemming, and I did the patternwork (such as it was) and the gathering.
After we made her skirt, she brought over her sewing machine, and we figured out all of its bells and whistles, then I taught her basic machine maintenance - cleaning and oiling. After we got her machine spic and span, she cleaned up mine for me. Janome hasn't been that spotless in years!
This last time we got together, Anna wanted to make a fleece hat. I found this tutorial and we went to town. She cut out the fleece she chose.
And she did all the sewing herself.
How cute is her new hat!! It only took us thirty minutes, so there was also plenty of time to pick out some fabric and a pattern for a tee shirt. We even got the pattern traced, then we spent some time talking about different fibers and how they are different from different fabrics. We compared silk jersey to cotton jersey, and silk organza to silk crepe. It was really fun showing her how the same fiber or the same weave can result in such different fabrics. My giant stash was definitely beneficial here!
I'm really having a ton of fun hanging out with Anna and sharing my passion with her. I'm so glad her parents are willing to share her with me. She's awesome!!

21 comments:

Linda T said...

Oh that sounds like so much fun for BOTH of you. She is precious!

Anonymous said...

How fun! I've had people express interest in learning how to sew, but so far none have actually bit the bullet and come over.

BTW, I see that you changed your blog format, the old one looked really nice, but I never had a comment box. :-( Which I guess could be taken as a good/bad thing, depending on how you look at it, LOL! ;-)

BConky said...

How fun. She's adorable. You can see the pride in her face.

Victoria said...

It's great you have a new sewing buddy that's just as fired up about sewing as you! Nothing beats a good sewing companion;)

Shawn Stephenson Schumacher said...

What a lucky little lady!

Beth said...

Bravo, Katie!

Maryissewfast said...

How fun for both of you!

gMarie said...

Katie - how fun for you both. I love it. Her skirt is lovely and the hat is super cute! g

Vanessa said...

How wonderful for Anna to have such a skilled teacher. I know she will remember the times spent sewing with you for years to come!

prttynpnk said...

This is wonderful- passing along the joy of creation!

Gorgeous Things said...

How WONDERFUL!!!!

Gorgeous Things said...

How WONDERFUL!!!!

Sarahbelle said...

She is adorable!!!
Yep -- my favorite week of the year is Summer Sewing Camp.

Kids are fun.

The Hojnackes said...

Oh, you changed your blog again! Must have something to with IE and its issues?
Anyway, what a cute skirt and hat!!! How wonderful to have a sewing buddy. I am sure she is just loving it, having such a wonderful mentor and all.

Shannon said...

What a cutie! Sounds like a lot of fun!

andrea said...

She is precious! Love her little hat. How fun for you to mentor a young sewist!

Brendaintheboro said...

She looks like a young Beehive girl. Get them young and hopefully her success will spread to influence the others. You might end up with a whole class!

Cindy said...

That's wonderful! She did a great job on her skirt and her hat.:)

meli88a said...

How sweet for both of you!

TinaLou said...

It's so rewarding to be able to pass your skill and knowledge along; she looks so proud! BTW, I noticed you've got an additional flexible light on your sewing machine. Could I ask what it is and if you're pleased with it? I love my Brother, but I need more task lighting!

KID, MD said...

The pink lamp is from IKEA. I do really like it. The lamp head itself is small and fits in tight spaces and the light is quite bright. The neck is long enough to wrap around my machine, and flexible enough to point (and stay) where I want it. As I recall, it was less than $10. I actually have 2 - one that I keep near my machines and another on my sewing table for handwork.