I'm a grandmother again!  With Hannah Lyn making her way into the world, I now boast 3 beautiful granddaughters, and a wonderful grandson.  There is nothing more precious than grandchildren. 

Thought I'd share this story about my daughter, Corrie.  I was visiting about 1 1 /2 weeks after Hannah was born.  Corrie, baby and family, along with grandma and grandpa, had spent most of the day shopping and sight seeing.  By 3:00 I came home exhausted!  When I got up from my nap, I found my daughter in the sewing room...busy making a dress for Hannah to match a dress for her sister, Ruth, and a dress Corrie had made for herself!  She only had 3 hours before the baby shower that night!  Here's a picture of Ruth in her dress:

The three of them looked wonderful in their matching outfits that evening.

Here is another view showing the sleeve and back tie detail.  She combined a couple patterns from out of our heirloom sewing book "Pintucks & Lace, Using Heirloom Techniques on Today's styles".

 I’ve never thrown away a pattern since I was a child!  And I am one of those persons that picks up older patterns at yard sales.  It’s not as bad as you think – they are all organized!  And I am constantly drawing upon my stash (of patterns, that is).  For example, I made my granddaughter, Grace, a Christmas dress from a 20 year old Daisy Kingdom pattern that I had made a dress for my daughter from.  Here she is…can’t wait to see it with dress shoes and a bow at the neckline!  She loves the dress – it has a ‘twirl’ skirt and puffy sleeves (she doesn’t like long sleeves). Because of the snowman theme, she will be able to wear it all winter long.

I’m not much into today’s styles,  I want girls to look like girls – modest and pretty. Because of this I go to my stash quite often.  I can usually find a pattern close to what I want, whatever the occasion, and then adjust, or “flat pattern” from there.  In fact, I have 4 other dresses cut out to sew up for my granddaughters before Christmas - and three of these patterns are 30 years old.  I consider my “stash” one of my most useful, time and money saving resources.

Of course, I do have a fabric “stash”, too…

I've had several emails recently asking for my recommendations on sewing machines.

I sew on a Pfaff and love my machine. I used my basic machine over 20 years for a sewing business, and taught lots of kids to sew on it, without a breakdown or replacing any parts. I now use an upper end Pfaff. Pfaff has the only machines with a dual feed feature (teeth attached to the presser foot to grip the top piece of fabric as well as teeth on the bottom to feed the fabric through) which is wonderful if you sew quilts or anything with thickness, as well as for sheers or any 'slick' type fabrics becasue it helps to keep the fabric from creeping. I've used other machines, helped kids who were using other machines, and still prefer the Pfaff machines.

The overriding factor in your choice would be: What does your local dealer sell? Most dealers offer you free lessons and classes, discounts on store supplies, etc. when you purchase your machine from them. It is certainly advantageous to have a local dealer if you run into problems with your machine. You can purchase an add-on walking foot for most any machine. It won't run as smoothly and is a lot noisier than the Pfaff built-in dual feed, however it gives you the same advantages.

Hope this helps, JoAnn

Oh, those wedding dress pictures really ARE coming! I promise.

Grace made this pillow (with a little help) as a special wedding gift.  It matches the quilt that I made them for their wedding. This project provided more practice and repetition (much needed at this age) in pinning, sewing straight, turning corners and backstitching. Her favorite part, though, was stuffing the pillow!

We made the pillow cover a bit larger than I normally would, so it would be loose
enough that she could do the hand stitching on one end.  This turned out well enough that she's going to enter it in the fair!

As for me, I'm off to Portland with dh for some major fabric shopping. I was most disappointed to find that Daisy Kingdom no longer has their retail store. I used to be able to buy their pre-made dresses for my daughter there for only $20 (Less than what you could make them for!) and wanted to get some for Grace.

I am finishing up a quilting techniques book as well as a western sewing book and am eager to find some good, high-quality fabrics to make the sample projects! Our little town is a bit limited when it comes to fabric selection.

Happy Sewing!

JoAnn Gagnon

www.BunkhouseSewing.com

Whew! With my son's wedding and Sewing Expo behind me I finally have time to get back to my blog. I hope to keep up with it a bit more regularly and offer lots of fun sewing ideas. I'll share some wedding pictures in the next few days so check back!

For today, I thought I'd share another sewing project I did with my grandaughter, Grace. We decided to make a potholder!

First, Grace went through my fabric stash and found some she liked. Naturally, she chose a cheery yellow! She cuts paper well, but even 7" scissors are a bit much for her to handle so I did the cutting. Grace lined up, pinned, sewed and clipped corners and turned. Just because your child may be too young to handle an entire project don't dismiss it altogether. Let them do what they can while you do the rest. They'll still gain many skills in the process.

I trimmed away extra padding from the seam allowance. I also pressed the opening closed and held it for her while she hand whip stitched it closed.

She drew lines on with wash-out marker, and quilt stitched all layers together with the sewing machine. She has gotten very good at turning corners and backstitching. Not bad for a four year old!!

As you can see, she is very pleased with her creation! What a joy to be able to instill a love of sewing at such a young age!

A note from me:  I usually cut my potholders 9"square.   I like large potholders.   I quilt all the layers and  use a quilt binding.  For younger students, just stitch all layers, fabric right sides together, and turn like a pillowcase, then quilt it after turning right side out.

For kids projects, I have them use 2 or 3 layers of Warm and Natural cotton batting.  When I make potholders I  have found the following to work well:  old terrycloth towels, old blankets, old cotton quilted mattress pads. (Frugality and recycling at the same time!) Keep this in mind if you have a daughter interested in putting together some nice, inexpensive Christmas or birthday gifts!

The blue washout marking pen is best to use for marking light colored fabrics.  I use a sliver of soap to mark lines on darker fabrics.  Both come off easily with a damp cloth.

If you have a project to share that you've done with a young seamstress I'd love to hear about it (and see it!) Happy Sewing!

Things have been so busy I haven't had much time to sew with Grace.  Hopefully the new year will slow down a bit-actually after our February wedding.  She did
want to make a sock doll(one of our activity bags).

I just a found the cutest tape measure, and had to pick it up for Grace. This measure just happened to be a chicken, with an egg that pulls out the tape. Her favorite color is yellow (the tape is yellow), and she's at one of her grandparents' farms all the time(chickens). 

 I'm sure you've experienced that a child's interest always grows when you can make things fun...and she certainly loves this.  She has been measuring everything, and learning her numbers in the process.  Today we used it to measure her dolly and draft a fancy dress.  I'm quite sure she didn't understood the drafting part but it sure was fun measuring!

I'm asked to teach quite a bit, and currently I teach
teachers how to teach the beginners, but especially
enjoy one-on-one with advanced students who have a
desire to learn more.  This afternoon I had the
opportunity to begin my first lesson on heirloom
sewing with Tatem, an outstanding 12 year old
seamstress.  When I teach, I make a project right
along side of my students.  We both had a "learn and
practice" piece, and an actual project piece.  I
always like to finish with something in hand. 

Heirloom is so fun because you create and design the
fabric, and then cut out the project.  Today Tatem
learned how to do straight and curved pintucks, lace
insertion and edging using a wing needle and machine
embroidery stitching.  She created a darling little
bag (below). By the way, this project is in my
intermediate book, Pins and Needles.  Next lesson we
are going to start an heirloom quilt - 9 block size,
to learn all the techniques, then start applying them
to clothing items.  What a fun afternoon, and we're
both looking forward to the next lesson.

I have a passion for kids learning to sew.  And, I
find most homeschool moms want to teach this important
life skill to their children. The most often asked
question I get from moms is "How much do I charge when
I teach sewing", either because they want someone to
teach their child, or they want to teach others.  I'm
afraid I do things a little differently than most.
The last 2 years I have traded my time.  While I am
helping someone's daughter sew, her mother helps me
complete some of my projects.  I've had help painting,
housekeeping, computer work, cutting and putting
together kits and activity bags for the website -
whatever seems most pressing at the time.  We've
enjoyed meals and fresh made jam given to us from
grateful moms.  We all seem to be mutually happy with
this arrangement.

When I'm teaching advanced techniques I usually work
with one student at a time.  They come to my home, and
bring their own sewing machine and supplies. I simply
do not have room for more than one in my sewing room.
If I'm doing a beginners class, we meet somewhere else
and will work with up to 5 if I'm alone, more if
parents (who know how to sew) are involved.  In group
settings I usually charge around $5 per hour per
child.  Remember, because I am going out of my home, a
lot of time is spent in preparation before and after
the lesson.  Beginners lessons are usually around 2
hours long, while older students are at my home for 3
- 4 hours at a time.  Hope this answers some of those
questions for you.

In response to comments from my first post:

The measurements and directions for the pillowcase are
so easy...just purchase 1 yard of fabric.  Fold it in
half, right sides together, stitch across one end and
up the side.  For the top casing, turn under 1/2" on
the top edge, then again 4".  Stitch the casing in
place, and you're done!
 
For most projects I prewash fabrics.  However, fabrics
are easier to work with (especially for kids) prior to
washing while there is still some sizing in them.
Always wash it after stitching and before using...you
don't need those extra chemicals on your face.

Enjoy!!

Wow! Thanks so much for the warm welcome!

In response to comments, I will try and get the measurements for the pillowcase on here in the next few days. However, I do have some free sewing activities listed on my website. If you go to Bunkhouse Sewing and click on "Activities & Teaching Aids" you'll find practice sheets in addition to instructions for making a sewing machine cover, a drawstring bag, placemats, a garment bag and a sewing supply kit holder.

For the Dad asking about beginning sewing books, Stitches & Pins starts from the VERY beginning. And, starting today, I'm running a special where you get a FREE potholder activity bag with a $15 purchase, so you would get one free with the book.

I would love to hear from any of you that try the projects or have any sewing projects and experiences you'd like to share in general. Again, thanks so much for the warm welcome.

Happy Sewing! Hmmm....Those placemats might even make a good Christmas gift for someone!

I'm new to blogging, but excited about sharing with you some of my projects and experiences, mostly related to sewing. Hopefully, some ideas will help and inspire you in teaching your children.

I have a 4 year old granddaughter, Grace, that I watch every Thursday afternoon, and who has been begging for me to teach her to sew. Until now, I had been putting her off because of short attention span and lack of small motor skills, coupled with some eye problems. Last week we found some fabric she loved and decided to make a pillowcase the next week. The challenge was, how to prepare and teach in a manner that the project could be completed at her level in 15-20 minutes.

Prior to her arrival I cut it out and finished the edges. I prepared the machine by having it threaded, and took some masking tape and marked 5/8" seam allowance all the way to the front of the cabinet. This way she could guide the fabric from a distance and keep it more accurate at the needle.

I found she loves to pin! To make it easier, I had her use the largest quilters pins I had. When we began sewing, I first tried putting her on my lap, but found I couldn't see around her well enough, so I brought in the car booster seat which worked perfectly. I sat beside her and ran the foot control, as she guided the fabric. During the process she learned to guide the fabric straight, put in pins (and take them out!),  how to back stitch, raise and lower the presser foot, and turn the hand wheel for needle up and down position. She may not have done the entire project herself, but a lot of learning happened here, and shew as as proud as proud can be of her pillowcase. She will learn threading, parts of the maching and other skills with time. Right now, she's still begging for more, and that's what I want to hear! And continue to hear!

I have always felt it is very important to get the kids onto the machines as soon as possible. They lose interest when you spend too mcuh preparation time in learning all the parts, stitching paper until you can stitch perfectly, etc. I like to start with pillowcases because a child always sees success, even when the lines are squiggly, and can complete the project in a relatively short period of time.

I'll keep you updated on my experiences in teaching one so young to sew and would love to hear your thoughts and questions.

Below is Grace and her new pillowcase.