I Love Teaching Grandkids to Sew

Some of my favorite memories growing up were when my mom was teaching me how to sew. She helped start a 4-H club with the neighborhood girls up on Antelope Bench where we farmed, and it was always so fun getting together once a week, and learning together.   My Grandmother Murphy then taught me how to make quilt blocks, and from there I never looked back.  I've almost always had some kind of sewing project going.

A few years ago when I was Quilt Guild president, my secretary Gail Glover suggested we start a 4-H quilt camp after school was out for the summer.  It has been a very successful program, and since then I have continued inviting grandkids to come quilt with me, sometimes at the camp, and sometimes just at home.  These quilts were finished up during the summer of 2015.

My oldest granddaughter Laurie, found a picture of a pattern she liked, and we attempted to replicate it.  We came pretty close, and the black and white looks great with the purples.   While she was working on her quilt, Peyton, was making this cute puppy dog quilt.  It took a lot of work, as this was her first quilt ever, but she did great.  When she took it to the County Fair she got a blue ribbon.  It was fun working with both of them, and Laurie had enough experience that she could help Peyton too.

 First we went hunting in Grandma's stash for colors and prints that would work together.  Then Peyton and Laurie cut out the strips and squares and laid them on the Front Room table to figure out a pattern.

Next Peyton stitched them together, and did some unpicking too -- which is part of learning to sew! When I went up to help Autumn when Heber was born (July 27) I taught Peyton how to tie the quilt, and then I bound it for her.  The only complaint the Fair judges had when she won her blue ribbon, was that the binding wasn't very neat!!  Great 1st quilt, Peyton.

 Madison got the quilting bug in 2015 too, and used her creativity in making a really cute quilt, which she embellished eventually with surf boards!  We started by going over to Grandma Connie's and raiding her stash.  These are the colors and patterns we confiscated!! and it looked great.  She is a very motivated young girl, and stuck with it even after I left and had to head home. 

Mattea starts sewing strips and blocks together.

 Once we had the rows of strips/blocks set together, we laid it on the floor to get the design we wanted.

 
After I left, Mattea finished the quilt, and then she embellished it with these 3 cute suft boards, and Hawaiian flowers!  Great job, Mattea.

While their mom was busy having a baby, I made this play house for the Jeppson grandkids.  I used a sheet Autumn already had for the main house, and then just embellished with trees, grass, windows, etc. Hopefully, they continue to use it for awhile, as it took quite a bit of time to make, but they should have fun playing in it.

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2015 Quilts Shown at July 4th Quilt Show

I missed out on the workshop in 2013 when the guild learned how to make apple core quilts, but got caught up this year, making two of them.  My main goal the next few years is to use up my "stash."  I have 3 cupboards full, plus 3 file cabinets, and about 5 tubs full of cloth!  I made good headway last winter (2015-2016) making all these quilts.  It's been quite a few years since I've had this many quilts in the 4th of July quilt show.

  

 I enjoyed making these two quilts, though gripping the cloth when stitching the curve, made my arthritic thumbs start hurting again. The quilt below is my 3rd twister quilt and I really like it.  I bought the fabric remnants in Monticello at the crafts store.  I really love the colors.

This was a create as you go modified rail fence.  I had 5 hunting prints I built the quilt around and several camouflage jelly rolls I used on this. After I was finished I appliqued on some fall leaves.  I think one of my grandsons will like this.  I have one more with this color scheme I'll make, as I'm trying to make more boys' quilts.  My goal is to make enough quilts ahead of time so I have a wedding quilt for each grandchild -- that's 30.

 This quilt used the rest of the fabric left from the twister quilt. Again it was a create as you go.

I finally finished the purple waves quilt I started the year before.  I really love how it turned out.

This is where all the fun happens!  Sewing at the Blue Mountain Lodge, visiting, and sewing!

 

I used the remnants from my big ocean wave to make this baby wave!

This is how the next twister quilt started!  you sew the fabric into blocks first and then cut it, in such a way that twisters appear!  This was my 2nd twister quilt and it certainly went better than the first one.  I used batiks and really liked it.

 I finally finished the pioneer braid quilt top I started Sept. 2013.  Hooray for me!