Kids and Quilting

Are you sharing your love of quilting with young people?

It is often said creative arts such as sewing and quilting skip a generation. Things go out of style and then, after a while, are rediscovered by another generation of young people. This was true in my family.

My grandmother was a quilter; a product of the depression, when sewing was more a matter of economy than of creativity. She made many of my clothes, so I was exposed to sewing as I was growing up.

My mother did not sew. She went directly from high school to factory work during WWII.  In the 1950s, part of the culture shaping the “modern” housewife was that life was good and everyone was able to buy new things. No one was interested in “home-made.” Hers was the generation that missed out on creating things for themselves.

I remember working with fabric from an early age and have always enjoyed making garments, quilts and other decorative items for my home.

There is a current push to try to involve more young people in sewing. I am fortunate that both of my girls learned to sew when they were young and still enjoy doing so. I also have grandchildren that love to design and work with fabric.

Because most children have a shorter attention span, it is important to focus on projects which can be completed in one or two sittings. When you are sewing with children, begin with something simple. Chances are, after that item is finished, they may be willing to invest time in a longer, more involved project.

Once young people feel the sense of satisfaction in creating something new, something for themselves or their family or friends, they will enjoy sewing forever.

Anita

Here’s an idea for a summer project for kids of any age.

Pack up paper, pencil, and crayons and get ready to record your “impressions.” Take a walk in the park or along your street, looking for things that have interesting textures.

First, use paper and crayon to make test rubbings on different surfaces like stone, tree bark, or leaves. You might want to keep notes of the textures you liked best and where you found them.

Repeat your favorite rubbings, using fabric and crayons or paint sticks to make blocks for your Impressions quilt.

   

Cut your blocks bigger than you need and use masking tape to hold the edges in place while you color. We started with 10” blocks and trimmed them to 8 1/2” when they were finished.

Set the blocks together with fabric that fits the mood and add some simple quilting to finish.

For more project ideas check out our Teens & Tweens book on my website:

http://anitashackelford.com/