Nellie"s Needles

Monday, August 11, 2008

Fun Sewing With Tessa

Tessa's 7th birthday present from me was an antique doll bed AND the fun of our "dressing it" together. Five days later it was finished.
The mattress and pillows were made before it was given to her. She and I took a trip to the fabric store to select the fabrics and trims. All the choices were made by Tessa with a bit of input in the the form of questions from me. She had not realized there were so many different pinks and that the one she liked best has a bit of orange in it.
She chose coordinating flannel prints for the sheets and pillow cases. They were made first so she could put her doll to bed the first night. It was too warm for a top sheet and quilt anyway. In the photo above Tessa is arranging the 5" cut blocks for the quilt.
Tessa sewed most of the seams on all the bedding while I stitched a few complex ones. However, most of the long seams and quilting lines were stitched by both of us. The chair was deep enough for the two of us to sit in while I guided the fabric and she operated the levers and foot pedal.
The backing of the quilt is "Minki" fabric. Because it is thick and has a bit of loft there is no batting inside the quilt.

Needles to say, Tessa is pleased with the resulting present and her accomplishments ... especially that she got to operate the sewing machine all by herself (even threading the machine with no help). I'm pleased that she was willing and capable and persisted to the conclusion of this beautifully dressed bed. It's fun sewing with Tessa.

15 comments:

Vicki W said...

What a special day!

Anonymous said...

Such is the stuff of making memories.

Deb Lacativa said...

What a precious memory you've created with her. I still have a clear memory of the first time my aunt let me "fiddle" with her factory style Singer with the warning "you'll sew your fingers together if you're not careful!".

Kay said...

The quilt turned out beautifully, and even more important, she had a wonderful time with you, and learned an amazing amount.

McIrish Annie said...

Nellie what a fabulous project and a great way to get her hooked!!

jenclair said...

What a great gift! The antique bed, the shopping and choosing, the making, the learning.... Love the perfectly appointed bed!

jude said...

i love to see children making things. especially useful and beautiful things.

verobirdie said...

That's a clever little girl! She did a great job! And she certainly learnt a lot in the process.

Team Dale said...

I love your BLOG! It is so fun seeing Tessa join in on the family tradition!
Love,
Allison (Diane's little sister)

Virginia Wieringa said...

How wonderful!! Lucky girl, lucky you!

Anonymous said...

You've inspired me to get started with my own granddaughter. I've already taught her to "sew with my hands" (embroidery with outline stitch and make daisies) and I'm letting her pick fabrics to make her own quilt.

Teodo said...

Happy Birthday Tessa.
She is going to become a quilter.
It's so nice to work with the children. They are so lively with their questions and their chat while working.
Sometimes they think loud and are so transparent in their reasoning that while I work with them I feel like a child too.
ciao ciao

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

What a lovely bed, and how precious to be able to make a quilt to go with it with a loved one.

Susan @ Blackberry Creek said...

What fun!

Cathie said...

Oh my gosh - how precious is this little girl and this little quilt. How very special.