Category Archives: Nana fun

Kid Sew Scarf

Posted on December 31, 2009 | Leave a comment

 For some time now, 5 year old Laurel has been begging to sew.  Yesterday, with Christmas behind us, we finally had a little free time.

Next week she will be going to our family cabin in the mountains of North Carolina so we thought a polar fleece scarf would be useful. She serged the 8″ x 50″ edges with a three-thread wide stitch. This was her first experience with my fabulous Babylock Evolve serger and she took to it like a duck to water. She loved the speed and ease of control.

For many years, I taught sewing to children. There are so many things that I learned about teaching skills and generating enthusiasm. One of the most important considerations is selection of the project, which should be quick and easy, and, in my opinion, foolproof. An earnest junior sewist cannot be allowed to fail. So the scarf seemed to be a safe choice. Continue reading →

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Posted in girls, Kids Sew, machine embroidery, Nana fun, serger

Halloween Sewing

Posted on October 27, 2009 | Leave a comment

What have you sewn for Halloween?

Sewing grandmothers–and mothers–are usually busy at their machines in the weeks before this increasingly popular holiday. Until we had grandchildren, I was never one of them.

Both of my children have October  birthdays and every  year they each had a minimum of two parties.  There was one for friends, one for family and some years, one for school classmates. By the time I was done with smocked birthday outfits, dozens of cupcakes, buckets of buttercream frosting, home made age appropriate party favors and accompanying hoopla, I had no creative energy left for Halloween. My children had to rummage around in their closets to come up with their own pathetic costumes.

That was then.  But now I am a card carrying member of the Sisterhood of  October Costume Creators. Continue reading →

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Posted in Holiday Projects, machine embroidery, Nana fun, serger, uncategorized

Nana Fun~Halloween Gingerbread and Kiddie Aprons

Posted on October 11, 2009 | Leave a comment

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It’s long been a family tradition to make a gingerbread house at Christmas. When my children were little, it was an enormous 3 day undertaking that began with making up a huge batch of gingerbread dough, refrigerating it overnight, then baking the pieces in the morning, constructing the house after the pieces cooled in the afternoon, letting it sit overnight for the frosting to set up and then finally, decorating.

 

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Now, Wilton has kits, like prefab houses, with prebaked gingerbread pieces, frosting mix and even basic decorating pieces. With my grandchildren, we build the quick and easy Wilton way.

I have been looking forward to this year’s Christmas gingerbread decorating party since August, when 4 year old Robert began asking when we could do it again.  So I was absolutely delighted last week when I came across the new Wilton Halloween Haunted Mansion kits at Michael’s Craft store.

Continue reading →

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Posted in embroidery blanks, Holiday Projects, linen blanks, machine embroidery, Nana fun

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