So she selected some fabric to make her sister a dress for her birthday.
Her grandma helped her by marking the seams with a washable sewing marker. You can see how she did on this picture.
Her Grandma smiled as she sewed. This is what she heard Miss E saying as she sewed, " That's a nice speed. Now, slow down near the end, stop, needle in, and 'ballerina twirl', now let's get going again."
So did this 2nd Grader really sew..... or Grandma?
Well, 75% of the sewing was done by Miss E. Her Grandma marked the seams and did all the ironing, as she was still not ready to let Miss E use that BIG, hot, steaming iron. Her Grandma is thinking about getting her a smaller travel iron to use for next time.
 |
| Her Papa made her sewing table from a recycled bedroom nightstand. |
s l o w l y sewed around the armhole curves and the circle cut-out in the back.
Her Grandma sat next to her on the floor as she sewed that cut-out circle and encouraged her on... "You're doing great.... that's the perfect speed...move those hands...WOW."
Here she is sewing the gathering stitches. Her Grandma taught her how to "walk the gathers down the fabric."
She took a little break after gathering the fabric, and her Grandma pinned the skirt to the top as it was "really gathery and messy."
Are you ready to see the finished dress?
So... little sister..... open the present !
Update: Miss E is a finalist in the
Project Run and Play Sewing Challenge.
Please vote for her here:
So sweet! It's very nicely done. I love seeing kids learn practical things.
ReplyDeleteAdorable! And what patience and dedication on her part. My ten year old is trying to learn to sew, but she is so impatient. She did an excellent job, and I love her fabric choices!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful job!! LOVE the fabric. Looks absolutely wonderful on the birthday girl! You must be one very proud grandma!
ReplyDeleteMindy,
DeleteYes, I am one proud Grandma. The hardest part for me was realizing that I needed to let go, and just let her do her best. That's how you learn.
Deborah
Great job!
ReplyDeleteFantastic! I just love everything about this. It really turned out great looking.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely gift and a great lesson on giving from the heart! The young seamstress should be very proud of herself, the dress looks great on her sister. Kudos to grandma for teaching this skill and sharing such special moments with her granddaughter !!!
ReplyDeleteThis is so sweet! She did an amazing job!
ReplyDeleteWell. I'm speechless!
ReplyDeleteLove that you are this kind of grandma! I bet your granddaughter will have great memories of this experience always! You're my idol!
ReplyDeletehttp://xoxograndma.blogspot.com/2015/03/knotty-red-smocked-sundress.html
Joy,
DeleteAs I age, I wonder how my grandchildren will remember me. I hope my grandchildren remember me as someone who taught them about BEING CREATIVE and made them feel special.
Deborah
I love that thought! I feel the same way. Congratulations on having this dress in the PR&P voting!
DeleteShe did great! I had my daughter sew her knot dress and it was a learning experience for both of us. I love the idea of ballerina twirl for the pivots. The trick that worked best for me was putting masking tape on the machine to make it easier to get the seam allowance. It's a work in progress, but she's six. :)
ReplyDeleteThat is so sweet that she wanted to sew for her sister! The dress is beautiful. Great job!!
ReplyDeleteThis is so special! You really did an awesome thing in teaching her to sew this! Love it all.
ReplyDeleteSomehow... I think that you are teaching your daughters a low of creating and sewing too.
DeleteDeborah
this is SO PHENOMENAL!!! I am so happy to see it!!! CONGRATULATIONS to her! Just fantastic!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful! I learned how to sew from my Grandma, too, making smaller projects and then a dress when I was probably nine. It is a testament to her patience :)
ReplyDeleteAmazing!
ReplyDeleteTHis is so great. It really is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a special story. . Miss E is a very nice big sister. I would love to make this for my granddaughter. Did you use a pattern that can be purchased? Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThe pattern can be found here for free: http://www.mesewcrazy.com/2015/02/knot-dress-free-pattern.html
ReplyDeleteThe designer of the pattern is Jessica from the blog "Me Sew Crazy." Everyone started with the same pattern, and then made their own alteration or design changes. Miss E and I decreased the width of the ties, because we wanted to be able to tie them in a tighter knot. We also made the waist area a bit smaller since Little Sister is slender. I know your granddaughter will really like the dress. Deborah