Ever since I first became a Bubbe, I have waited with bated breath for my first sew day with my eldest grandchild. Let’s just say that at that age, 4-½, Lev is prime bait! She was also pretty excited about the prospect of quilting, having remembered I bought the red Sparrow sewing machine for her. (Fast forward- someday she will have to share it.)  We decided to make a quilt for her beloved Teddy. I decided to keep it very simple – I just wanted her on the machine. We set up the Sparrow on a little table, pulled up a chair and were good to go. First Lev had to pick her front and back fabrics from my latest line, Mirage, (shipping this March) – that was easy peasy!  Then I had her pick a third fabric for a fused heart on one side.  We decided that a 12” finished quilt was the perfect size for Teddy.

 

Before we hit the machine with fabric, I had her stitch on binder paper without thread, to practice sewing in a straight line.

 

While we were stitching, she noticed that the Jumpy House in the back yard was inflated, so off she went to play; that trumped the sewing machine!

 

 

After a solid round of Jumpy House, it was back to the machine.  First we fused; I held the iron and she put her hand over mine.

 

 

Then we stitched the heart into place with a straight stitch.  After layering the fabric right sides together, I added batting to one side. I decided we would use the pillowcase style of finishing.  She sat on my lap and LOVED it when I used the slide control to increase the speed of the machine. 

 

 

When the quilt was stitched, we turned it inside out, poked out the corners and sewed up the opening. The entire process took 30 minutes – PERFECT! She promptly went and wrapped up her Teddy for bed and I think I saw him smile!