Sewing Vloggers

Saturday, January 12, 2019

So proud!


I am so proud of my grandaughter. She is eleven and we have just started sewing lessons. She is very artistically gifted and loves and excels at all things crafty. She has wanted to learn to sew on a machine for some time. Her other grandmother and I got together and made her birthday special with all that she would need for a long sewing life. Her "Momo" got her a Brother cs6000i and all of it's add ons, the additional table, every additional foot, etc.  "Bunbun" contributed all the peripherals, a great carrying case for her sewing visits, various scissors, patterns, markers and other fun notions we all love.


The machine has been ensconced in my workroom in it's special place next to mine so we can sew together. It was purchased after reading lots of reviews and consultation between Momo and Bunbun. We spent our first afternoon getting it out of the box and putting it through all of its paces for basic sewing. This machine got great reviews on PR. I was very leery of the price range but if you want a great backup this is it. I would not hesitate to buy this machine at all. I think it is an excellent value.  What I like about it the most are the pictures, which you can't see, that clearly show you how to fill the bobbin, thread the machine, and such, right on the machine. I realized also how much I missed sewing with a large removable extension table. It has my Pfaff beat on that one but that was an add on. I LOVE, and so does Carly, the adjustable speed. When I had her doing practice stitching on paper, she would dial down the speed to maneuver the tight curves and they came out perfectly. She took to this like a duck to water. Not once did I have frustration with her managing the machine and Bunbun made her do everything so she could learn. The only issue I have seen with this machine, and the manual is honest about it, is the needle threader. It works just fine, to a point. We threaded the machine with Coats and Clark thread for our project. The auto thread pulled the thread through the hole and it was shredded somewhat. I  read the manual and it said, paraphrase here, "if you are using inferior thread, manually insert the thread into the needle." So, there!!! I will try another brand next time! All in all this is a great starter machine, back up machine, and then some. 


Once we had the machine dealt with our next block of time was spent with pattern work.  We used a Green Pepper pattern  that we found on the spinner rack at Joanns. It is called the Polar Beanie and has several variations. We did the basic Boarder Beanie.


There was a lot of discussion of the envelope, a lesson in how to neatly fold it to get it back in the envelope. This worried Carly as she is VERY organized. Then it was onto grain, selvedge and the actual pattern cutting lesson. This is a great pattern for a beginner project. It goes quickly and teaches the very basics. For fabric, we used the Luxe anti pill fleece in the thinner weight. This was suggested when I asked the associate what the best quality fleece would be. It is nice. Also, , it wasn't a major issue, but fleece is not the greatest fabric to use for your first project. I would suggest a nice cotton knit next time. That being said, I taught Carly how to use a "cheater" cloth piece to start her seams so they would  not get stuck in the bobbin and also taught her about using special needles and such. I actually showed her the difference using a universal needle and a stretch needle made and how to "hear" the difference in the sound so she would know the needle was wrong.Such a quick learner and she mastered the cheater cloth technique perfectly and we had no issues. We straight stitched the seams with a bit of stretch as she sewed and did a triple zigzag to finish. She liked that. Once done, she put her hat on, and wore in my home for the next three hours till her mom took her back to Boston and had it on all through that. She loved her hat and we cut one out in navy for her twin brother.She has it all marked, cut and ready to stitch  on her next visit. Her lessons also consisted, before we started anything, a fun visit to fleece heaven, aka, Joanns, for fabric. I taught about maneuvering the fabric store, looking at bolt ends, the pattern books and table, the coupon app on the phone, and a grand tour. We picked out a pattern for our next project, a cute skirt and she is leaning toward one of those fancy denims. As soon as her brother's hat is done we will move on to that. I am teaching her to work and focus on one project at a time.  For both of us it has been a really positive experience. If there is one word to describe Carly's personality it is "Unflappable". This made my job easy and let her love every minute of the process. She didn't tire, get frustrated or have difficulty with immature fine motor skills. Her retention was impressive as she did the second bobbin winding of navy thread totally on her own and then set it in the bobbin case. We are shooting for every other weekend. Mom and Dad have a second home up in New Hampshire not far from us so this is very convenient. I can't  wait to shop with her for the skirt. I have such fond memories of fabric shopping with my own grandmother.  And so it continues.....................Bunny

14 comments:

  1. How wonderful you're teaching her to sew and that she's such an apt student! The cs6000i was my starter machine, too. I loved it.

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  2. A beautiful granddaughter with the best teacher in the world!

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  3. Sounds like your granddaughter is off to a great start. How wonderful that you get to spend quality time together like that. I still fondly remember how my grandmother taught me to sew - first hand stitches, then on to the treadle machine.

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    1. Me too. My grandmother never really taught me to actually sew but she made me a big part of her sewing which inspired me for all to come. I loved being around her when she sewed and she made me part of it.

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  4. I loved this post...how lucky you are to be able to share sewing with your granddaughter!

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  5. This post took me down memory lane as my grandmother taught me to sew. I so value these memories as I know you granddaughter will too. Enjoy!

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  6. So wonderful! I can’t wait to sew with my girl!

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  7. She is a very lucky girl to have two such wonderful grandmothers. You are creating the absolutely best memories as well as a life long skill. I was taught by a neighbor who was like a grandmother to me and my sisters. That was 50 plus years ago. I wish you many many such weekends. Thank you for sharing and I can't wait to hear about the next project.

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  8. She did a great job, and she has the best teacher. The machine I bought for Shelby is similar to that one. It also has the little extension bed. I like using it myself!

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  9. This is so wonderful. What a great age since they are still sponges in the learning aspect and but also fearless. You both will always remember these days together.

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  10. Thanks, everyone. Fearless is definitely the appropriate adjective here!

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  11. What a lucky girl! The best lesson and gift: focusing on one project at a time. As someone with huge stashes of various craft supplies (yarn, fabric, wool, clay, etc.), I wish someone would have drilled that into me!

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