Help and advice needed from anyone who has been there
 

I have a 9 yoa gd that wants to learn to make a quilt. She has never sewn. I am seeking advise from those of you who have taught a child to sew. Where should I start with her? I only see her one day every other week, when my son has her for the day. Can anyone give me some good ideas? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

My gd and I made a quilt when she was 8. She picked out a charm pack and laid the squares out on the floor in an arrangement that she liked. She was quite picky about it! Then she sewed the squares into rows. She was scared of her new machine (a Christmas gift) so she sat on my lap, but she operated it. Her seams varied from 1/8 to 1 inch in width on the same square. LOL When her rows were finished, she sewed the rows together. Of course the quilt top was wonky. We used flannel for a backing and I birthed it. Then she picked out buttons and we sewed a button onto the middle of each square instead of tying the quilt. She was very pleased with it and we had fun making it. In hind sight I would have purchased yardage of her choosing and used 12" blocks. the charm pack had too many pieces for her attention span. I think the idea of no batting is good and she really liked the button idea as she liked going thru my button stash.

I taught both my daughters at that age. Sadly, they got bored with the pattern I picked..memories for me though I have a quilt the three of us has worked on. Now the good news is when i let them choose they loved it! My oldest loves batiks so she took a charm pack and did half squares and made a star illusion dresser topper. My other daughter picked to do charm squares, sewed them together into a nine patch, she loves to FMQ so she did her own and I bond both. I found that if I gave them the freedom to come up with their own they loved it!! They both use there dresser toppers in their rooms! Hope that helps!

when my granddaughter's started sewing i set them up a table that was just their size- with chairs that fit them- used a machine i could turn the speed down on-so if they were a little heavy footed it did not get out of control. they laid their fabrics out on the floor the way they wanted them then they sewed them together- they used scissors to cut- i ironed for them- and if they wanted anything cut they had trouble with they brought it to me for using the rotory cutter (no one under 18 gets to use the cutters)
the youngest was 4 when she made her daddy a special quilt---some of her seams were narrow, some were an inch wide- few were very straight- but she made it her way- loved it- he loved it even more & now 8 years later- it is still one of his all time best/favorite quilts and i'm sure will be so all his life.
her skills have improved, her interest and ability has grown over the years - as has the other 2 girls also...in our world the fact i give them (fairly free rein) with guidance has sparked their creativity and made them feel if they can ((envision) it they can create it :D

One little tip to get a child used to a machine:

Have them "sew" on a piece of paper (no thread and an old needle), lining up the edge of the paper with the foot until they feel comfortable with the 1/4" seam allowance.

I once taught a group of young homeschooled girls how to quilt using "Cool Stuff: Teach Me to Quilt" from Leisure Arts. It's a terrific little book with 7 projects, including a Trip Around the World throw and a Pinwheel quilt.

All five of my grandchildren have learned to sew on my Janome with the speed set on low. It took away the fear of going too fast and gave them control. As for patterns, I love the D9P. Making a nine patch block is not as daunting as sewing lots of squares together. I will never forget the look in my grandson's eyes when I cut up his nine patch, or the fun he had rearranging those squares. Set with bold sashings, it got bigger and went together quickly. I think doing it together is the most fun and helps the process move along so a child does not get bored.

Wonderful suggestions from all. Thank you so much.

A really good suggestion!

I taught my 11 year old GS to piece one summer and he continued to work on his quilt at Christmas with me. I've had kids as young as 8 in classes; often they are better students than the adults!

All the suggestions you've received here are really on the nose. You will have the treasure of a lifetime when you spend this time with your grands! Just wish I had more of them to share the experience with myself.:)

Jan in VA