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Personally I think little fingers like hers will probably take a while to be able to manipulate the 'proper' hand quilting stitch. It could be frustrating for her to master it. You have to gauge it to her own personality but if it were my grandaughter I would be happy to teach her The Big Stitch and have her master consistent sized stitches first. She can then work on making them smaller. Remember in kindergarten we all started out with the big, thick crayons and pencils? It's so our little hands could get used to being used for detail. Just MHO.
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Originally Posted by raptureready
I don't want to sound mean but....
Teach her the proper way to do it with as small of stitches as she can manage. Tell her the smaller the better. After a few minor pin pricks she'll learn. We can't protect them from every little hurt as much as we want to. Let her learn and part of the learning is learning not to stick yourself. Just give her some thimbles and keep encouraging her. Tell her that it will be so beautiful when she gets it done and that yes, it takes a long time but it's worth every minute. Every read the story about the butterfly struggling to get out of the cocoon? All the hard work needed to get out also helps them develop so that they can fly. If you open it for them they die. Allow your "butterfly" to develop so that she can fly. |
I use two thimbles, one on the top and another on the bottom. Prevents lots of pricks! I thank my blessed Grandmother every day for sticking with stubborm old me MAKING me learn to use a thimble. It was hard for me to get used to, but has allowed me to sew and quilt all these years! She gave me the greatest gift, and is with me every day especially when I sew. I use her silver thimble and thank God she gave me the gift of sewing.
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I was about this age when I learned to quilt. It is this generation that will keep hand quilting alive.
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She won't die from a few pin pricks, and she'll learn quickly not to do that (pain is a great teacher, no?). Imagine . . . if she's that interested in quilting at age 6, what beautiful quilts might she be making by the time she's 26?
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Originally Posted by raptureready
I don't want to sound mean but....
Teach her the proper way to do it with as small of stitches as she can manage. Tell her the smaller the better. After a few minor pin pricks she'll learn. We can't protect them from every little hurt as much as we want to. Let her learn and part of the learning is learning not to stick yourself. Just give her some thimbles and keep encouraging her. Tell her that it will be so beautiful when she gets it done and that yes, it takes a long time but it's worth every minute. Every read the story about the butterfly struggling to get out of the cocoon? All the hard work needed to get out also helps them develop so that they can fly. If you open it for them they die. Allow your "butterfly" to develop so that she can fly. |
Originally Posted by tortoisethreads
Oh I definitely want her to learn the correct technique, I was thinking more of this style of quilting...http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vduCtjwfsP...h/P2170353.JPG I thought it looked really pretty, and she could get used to holding a needle and thread. My handquilting needles are tiny. I might let her use a larger one for her first try. Her quilt is purple and white, so I found some purple embroidery floss. She's excited and knows, although this "thread" is way bigger than mommy's, she will still be quilting.
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Being an experienced hand quilter, I'm not sure I agree with starting big. I made a quilt that called for pearl cotton and large stitches. It was very uncomfortable for me and took me much longer than I thought to finish. Of course, I'm comfortable with an 11 between and quilting thread. I guess my point is, if she gets comfortable with the large needle and stitch, it could be difficult for her to switch. How about loading a hoop with muslim and batting and let her try both methods before starting the quilt. Either way, you are the luckiest mother on earth to have someone so young to pass your skills along to.
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I can say from experience that quilting with N0.5 Perle cotton is not that easy as it would seem...for example threading the needle and pulling it through. For a youngster it would be even harder to do in my opinion. I would get her some hand quilting thread and let her go for it. It will be easier for her and she won't get as frustrated..
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this reminds me of my dd when she was about 8 and wanted me to teach her to crochet. i thought she was too young but she WAS determined - now she picks the most difficult patterns to work on and has since taught me to knit. aren't dd wonderful?
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