Marley and the Machine, or The Bug Bit

Marley has been hanging out with her GramGram and Poppa all week. Entertaining a nine-year-old can be difficult, unless you're willing to ignore the technology in her hands. I'm not. That would, in essence, be ignoring her. 

So how to entertain a nine-year-old? Well, it helps to have a different kind of machine. A sewing machine, of course. She wanted to learn to sew. What grandmother could deny a grandchild such a request? Certainly, not this one.

I put her to work practicing straight lines. Then curvy lines. Then turning corners. She was pretty good at all of them. We started on her project of choice, a pillow to match her room. That was too easy and quick. Nevertheless, on day two we set about making a smaller pillow for Darla, her dog. She needed no instruction and very little help. 

Oh good. I was able to turn on my long-arm and make a few stitches on my own project. However, it was short-lived and we needed yet another project. She asked to make a quilt. Yes, perhaps a quilt would be just the project to occupy her for a while and allow me to work on my quilting. 

She chose the first pieces of fabric, all stripes. I suggested that if she wanted stripes for the whole quilt that we intersperse bright colors with neutrals. She pulled all the stripes she liked, and I cut out the 6½" x 8½" patches using the rotary cutter and showed her how to put them together, pin and stitch. By the end of the day, she had sewn a neutral to each bright. 

There are only eight blocks per row and seven rows, so by noon on Wednesday she finished all the rows. We began working on putting the rows together and she took the quilt top home to show her mom and dad.

Thursday we needed another project because I had not finished my own project on the long-arm, which means her quilt could not get loaded. 

She was off and running when I mentioned making a simple, elastic-waist skirt. I should have looked for a pattern but decided to just take her measurements and cut. Oops. It fits but barely. I may have to make some alterations next week. For now, though, she's thrilled with it. 

And that's been the first week of Marley and the machine. It's possible the sewing bug has gotten to her and bit hard. Let's hope so, anyway. I'd like for her to get another project or two completed before school begins in the hopes it means she'll pick it back up during holidays or next summer.