Friday, January 22, 2010

for pretty's sake

For the past several years I've really been on a "make useful things" kick (probably stating the obvious, huh?). I used to be a big embroiderer, but I stopped when I started having kids. I couldn't see the point of using my time to stitch little motifs when I could make clothing and useful household items instead.

But lately I've been struggling to find things to do with my daughter that we would both enjoy. For about the last 3 or 4 months she's been peppering me with questions when I work, wanting to try everything I am doing (including cooking, baking, ironing, caring for AJ, etc) but she's been a bit too small and a bit too young for most of it.

Last night she kept me company at the kitchen table while I stitched up a quick, simple half-curtain for the bathroom window, keeping busy going through my threads and sewing supplies. She asked a million questions and wanted to know when she could PUH-LEEEEZE sew something. Today I decided we'd go for it while the baby took his nap.



I can't even believe how well she did. She will be 5 in April, and she has always had excellent fine motor skills, but I still didn't expect much. I loaded up a hoop for her, drew three lines for flower stems, and gave her some green embroidery floss and the biggest embroidery needle I had that would go through the fabric.



She stitched along the lines perfectly. Then she added flower buttons at the top of the stems. All I did was tie the knots in the floss and get her started. Then she was off and running with no further help from mama.



Three flowers and a ladybug. Wow. I am very, very proud of my little girl.



I worked on this little bug while Daughter stitched. It's about 4 inches across and I used variegated blue floss. Not sure what I will do with it, but I guess that doesn't matter. Sometimes it's nice to make things just because they're pretty.

3 comments:

April said...

How clever is THAT! little straight lines for stems up to the pretty button-flowers. I love it!

Staci said...

Sometimes I think I'm holding my kids back. They ask if they can try things I'm doing, but I don't THINK they should be able to do it yet. They never cease to amaze me. Marianne is 6 and we just finally got her a cute sewing kit (from hearthsong.com) for Christmas. Her skills have blown me away. She made a couple of their suggested projects, then designed her own seriously cool purse with fabric intended for a book cover or something equally useless. I love it! I might have to suggest the flower/stem idea for the front of the purse. She was looking to sassy it up a little.

(Sorry I seem totally incapable of ever leaving a brief, "that's so great!" style comment. I always usurp your comments section for my own story telling.)

emy said...

The work your daughter does is awesome!

Wish I can embroider as well as I knit! :P