The girls sewing together this spring.....Stella’s first sewing project!

This is Stella’s big year.  She is a year younger than I was when I started sewing and a year younger than Marina was when I started to teach her to sew her first outfit, but Stella has already made pillowcases and curtains and can focus and stick with a project.  And she has been jumping at the bit! I decided this was her year to get her own sewing kit, fabric, a pattern of her choosing, and start sewing.

So off we all went this spring to the fabric store, Marina and Stella to pick out the materials they would need for their project, me as a consultant, and Grandpa to nod “yes, very pretty” and be our VISA card for the final purchases.  Oh, and Grandpa is also expected to be in the fabric shop the WHOLE time....1-1/2 hours.  He was very patient and didn’t even roll his eyes.  Actually, he really likes to watch the girls and me be so happy and “girly.”

Stella decided to make a bag, but she could not have picked out a more complicated pattern for a first project.  She will need to piece together several different fabrics, put in stiff interfacing, make a handle, and fully line the bag.  The bag will be completed with such precision that it will be reversible.  Wow, Stella, you will be learning a lot, so put on your thinking cap!

Marina wanted to make a pretty dress.  She chose a blue fabric because this is her favorite color.  Since she wanted to learn sewing techniques that she hasn’t mastered, she found a pattern where she will learn how to add sleeves to the bodice and put in a zipper.  Marina is very slender, so she will need to continually do fittings so her dress will not look like a sack, but will compliment her figure.  Marina also decided to add black lace to the hem of her sleeves and dress.  This will give it a pretty frill and make this pattern her very own.

I am really looking forward to helping both of them with these challenging sewing projects!  What fun for a Grandma.....and once again, Grandpa‘s job will be to admire their progress and cheer us along.

Marina can now read a pattern and sew mostly without my help.  She asks for help during the difficult or confusing parts or when she is learning a new technique.  This shows not only her confidence in herself,  but also her wisdom.  It also means that I can spend most of my time helping Stella learn sewing techniques.

Marina and Stella sewing together this year:





















Stella loves to iron...one of her favorite things about sewing:




By the end of Stella’s project, she was sewing on her own.











Making sure Grandpa thinks everything looks good:








Stella’s bag....beautiful, both her and her bag!




Stella finished her bag before Marina, so on sewing days Stella came over and happily worked on jewelry and artwork.










Marina getting her dress to fit just right:






.....and more sewing to take in the side seams.






.......and ironing and more ironing.



Almost done except for the hem and adding the lace. Here we are pining up the hem of Marina’s dress:




Marina’s in her new dress...she looks lovely!







The girls wanted to enter their sewing projects in the County Fair, so they spent an afternoon at our home working on posters.  They picked out the pictures they thought best represented their work with Grandpa and he ordered these pictures for them. They glued the pictures on the poster and next to the picture described each step of their sewing.

It was a fun afternoon and their posters look great!