I spend a lot of time with a needle and thread in my hands. Either at the park while Goen plays or stealing a few minutes at home when I think no one is watching. But I am being watched, of course. Goen sees me at the park as he runs by and he comes looking for me when I sneak away. For the past several months he has been especially interested in what I do. When I pull out my box of pins, he joins in and sticks all the pins in my pincushion. When I thread my needle, he wants to feel how sharp it is. When I'm at my sewing machine, he wants to sit on my lap while I try to maneuver the fabric around him.
Sewing with my child can be a very slow process, but at least I'm getting some sewing time, right? Having him involved has, in a way, actually increased my productivity. Before, he would have been more interested in pulling things apart and grabbing my scissors. Now that he's used to seeing my sewing things around, they are not so novel anymore and I'm not as worried about letting him be with me when I sew, by hand or machine.
In fact, lately I've been putting some of the same tools I use in his hands. I started off small with a bit of burlap in an embroidery hoop, along with a tapestry needle and yarn. I used my hoop to show him how to put the needle up through the fabric, then pull the yarn through, then put the needle down and pull again. It took several reminders of the process (and I'll probably have to remind him again next time), but he started to understand. He sat in my lap with his hoop, needle, and yarn as I listed off the next step. "Up...Okay, pull...Now down...Nope, down from the top...Good!" And over again until, a few minutes later, he was able to do one (almost) all by himself. He tends to forget the "pull" step, and his stitches are reeeaaalllly looooong, but I'll keep working on it with him
A few days ago I even pulled out my old Kenmore sewing machine and let him "sew" with it. There's no needle in it, but he can press the pedal to make it go and the feed dogs will pull the fabric through just like he sees my new machine do. Luckily, he doesn't care so much about the fabric getting pulled through, otherwise I'd be reloading his machine ever term seconds. He really just wants to see the "needle" go up and down really fast and hear the sound it makes. It's an exciting thing, actually. He's getting used to these tools, understanding how they work, and learning how to use them safely. I can't wait to see what's in store for him (and the two of us) as we continue our creative journey...together.
Sewing with my child can be a very slow process, but at least I'm getting some sewing time, right? Having him involved has, in a way, actually increased my productivity. Before, he would have been more interested in pulling things apart and grabbing my scissors. Now that he's used to seeing my sewing things around, they are not so novel anymore and I'm not as worried about letting him be with me when I sew, by hand or machine.
In fact, lately I've been putting some of the same tools I use in his hands. I started off small with a bit of burlap in an embroidery hoop, along with a tapestry needle and yarn. I used my hoop to show him how to put the needle up through the fabric, then pull the yarn through, then put the needle down and pull again. It took several reminders of the process (and I'll probably have to remind him again next time), but he started to understand. He sat in my lap with his hoop, needle, and yarn as I listed off the next step. "Up...Okay, pull...Now down...Nope, down from the top...Good!" And over again until, a few minutes later, he was able to do one (almost) all by himself. He tends to forget the "pull" step, and his stitches are reeeaaalllly looooong, but I'll keep working on it with him
A few days ago I even pulled out my old Kenmore sewing machine and let him "sew" with it. There's no needle in it, but he can press the pedal to make it go and the feed dogs will pull the fabric through just like he sees my new machine do. Luckily, he doesn't care so much about the fabric getting pulled through, otherwise I'd be reloading his machine ever term seconds. He really just wants to see the "needle" go up and down really fast and hear the sound it makes. It's an exciting thing, actually. He's getting used to these tools, understanding how they work, and learning how to use them safely. I can't wait to see what's in store for him (and the two of us) as we continue our creative journey...together.
