He got a slight taste of it when I was down after my surgery. BUT he didn't do half of what I do. He didn't like to cook because that meant dishes to clean and he only vacuumed ONCE in the two weeks I wasn't allowed. We have 4 cats so I vacuum at least twice a week. Of course he was glad when I was able to move better and do more. Things are almost back to normal. I still can't vacuum but once because it is tiring for me but at least it is more than once in two weeks.

Hubby is military and has a different view of things AND he was deployed her whole first year. He loves her, no doubt about that, but he is just different in his approach and he knows it too.

He did tell me the other day I could sew today so we shall see. I got my mom's quilt put together yesterday and it is ready to be sewn together.

And my sewing room is upstairs in our bonus room...there is no door to block her from coming upstairs so I am using stopping and going when I try to sew. Unless she finds something that SHE wants to do like this morning while I worked on a vest thing for her.

Well I know its hard But shes 3 Old enough to start to learn that when Mommys sewing I can Sew too! I would get her one of those Very large hole plastic canvas in pretty colors, Make/buy a Very large dull needle teach her to go in/out with yarn while You sew! If you look in the Kids area of the Dollar stores they also may have kids crafts she could do She doesn't have to do it right at 1st just keep her busy!

I am amazed at your stamina! My sister's friend and her husband kept their grandson every Monday and Wednesday while their daughter went to her part time job. They called Tuesdays and Thursdays their "sit and stare at the wall" days because he wore them out so much! And you are keeping four all week! Kudos to you!

My children knew all my time was not devoted to all their attention demands. When playtime with them was over, it was over. I wanted them to learn how to entertain themselves and use their own imagination. From toddlers unrolling rolls of toilet paper in my sewing room while I sewed to pre school of making the world's longest line using yarn, they came up with some imaginative activities and didn't expect me to entertain them all day. I would have been frazzled if they clung to me all day long.

I remember so clearly when my daughter was about 2 1/2 and i needed to make her an outfit. She climbed on the chair, the table, ME, and it is such a sweet memory. By the time she was 5 she sewed her first skirt (with my help, of course...)

For uninterrupted hand quilting I used to get up at 6am, and hour before everyone else, and get a good hour of quilting in right away!

Um, Little Bit is usually up by then. lol She used to sleep until 8am but lately it has been 6:30am or 7:00am.

It depends a lot on the child's personality also. My firstborn was GREAT at entertaining himself but when my daughter came along, I couldn't get to the bathroom for a quick pee without her crawling, walking, banging on the door, crying Momma!

When do you sew when you have kids? --- After they have grown up and gone away to college! LOL.

You are a very wise mother. Getting the children involved and teaching them to sew is a wonderful approach to parenting. Kudos.

MY kids are older now but my Abby, she's 9 and still seems to have to be right under me. When she was younger I used to set her up in the same room with me with arts and crafts. She has always loved to color and do puzzles (your little one might surprise you if you haven't introduced puzzles Abby could do 100 piece at 3), also I had a special scrap drawer that was her's with tape or a glue stick she would make paper quilts by gluing fabric to paper. She loved it because in the end it was all about being close to me. Find what interests your daughter and set it up have a sewing time after a week they schedule it in their little busy bodies. She still comes in my sewing room and plays with my scraps but now she can sew on the machine.

I do like my peace tho so I quilt when they are in school or late nights when the DH is in the field as well.

I had two sons 22 months apart and I was a SAHM. But I sewed all the time. My mother had sewed with us around as well, so it didn't seem unusual to me. The boys kept themselves entertained with coloring books, and toys right under my feet and sewing machine. I just learned to step high and carefully when I moved around. I could not have worked a full time job outside the home and still sewed. I went to work when the youngest was in kindergarden and stopped sewing then. Raising kids didn't make me overly tired, but spending a full day with petty adults wore me out.

My youngest is 4 and my oldest is 15, so if my youngest isn't sitting on my lap or next to me working on his own little project, I have no problem paying the oldest to babysit for a bit.
My 4 yr old loves cutting up paper or my fabric scraps...that can keep him busy for a long time. It can be messy, but so worth it.

I can only say I quilted before my son,not as much during his formative years,hardly any in his elementary and junior high,then more and more as he didn't need mom as much,now that he is 18 it's all quilting time for me now,so we end up giving up what we like to do for what we are blessed to do then we get back what we like to do.

I sew when the boys have gone to bed and sunday afternoons (extra daddy time)

I have 4 under 5, it is tough trying to get any time to myself to brush my hair let alone do any quilting. So basically the way it is now, when I do the washing - I wash some of my new fabric, then when the eldest is a school and the other 3 are having a nap, I have about 30 minutes of me time to do some cutting and sew a little, I literally sewed only pieces together yesterday and think that is brilliant- hahha, at this rate it will take me years to get a quilt finished.

try giving her little pieces of different fabrics and let her sit by you and play with them, putting them together in different ways.

K

Have five kids--all grown and out of the house, thank goodness. However, when my daughter was 18 months old, I was cutting out a garment and to keep her out of my way, I gave her a hunk of fabric and several pins. Watched her with one eye while I cut. She pinned and pinned, loved it and never stuck herself as I showed her how sharp they were. Kathryn made her first quilt at 5. At 11 she was in a woman's painting class as a student, but teaching the other ladies when they had a problem. Cost $20,000 to put her through design school. But she's now a head designer for a company that makes clothing for police, swat, firefighters and making big money. She has worked for most name brand companies you would recognize. Nike for 12 years.
So, if you think it's too much trouble to watch your little ones pin, pin, pin, think of something else they can do to feel as if they are helping--they are. Who knows where it will lead.
SandyQuilter

While I worked on something else, I let her sew.....She already knew how to put the fabric under the foot and lower it without me showing her. She did have trouble pressing the pedal but she finally got it going.

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Its been many years since I had small ones around when I was sewing. I used to sew while they were in school, yes I was a stay at home mother. Then I would sew in the evenings when they were all tucked in usually from about 9 till 11pm. Now a days I just have to make sure my hubby doesnt feel neglected as I am retired. There was a 25 year period there when I didnt sew at all, too busy returning to college, and running a business. Making up for lost time now tho.:)

My children are all grown now, I do miss them, too. I know when mine was little and running around my feet I had to sew when I could, in the evening when they were asleep or when I could but certainly didn't have the freedom that I do now. You will have to find the time that works for you. Good luck. :)

My daughter is 2 and not only am I trying to find time to sew, I'm starting a longarrm business. My husband and I are both active duty military and I'm exhausted at the end of the day. For now, I set up a super yard gate in the basement were the longarm is. Put toys and a slide in there. When I really need to get things done, I let her play with my iPad...she watches PBS kids.....bad mom...I have no idea how parents ever get anything done. I'm hoping it goes a little easier soon. We also have the grandparents who love to take her or come over and play so that helps. I'm so tired that I end up going to bed at 8pm...

I have three grandchildren , ages 4.5 to 9y/o and I sew a little each day . Give the little one something to play with and tell him/her that they are helping you to sew and train them that way and your sewing time will get longer and you will be teaching them some thing with out them them know it . Example my four year grandson knows squares from rectangles and how to count to twenty and know his basic colors .....................pgmb

I bought her some scissors yesterday. I let her pick out a fabric from my scrap box to play with. And when I get done sewing, I let her "sew" her fabric. It seemed to work good yesterday so we shall see. Thanks for all the suggestions.

I have my quilt frame up on blocks, to keep little hands off of it. Same with my quilting table.

I do my piecing in the office, with a TV show (super Why) on the computer (netflix or hulu.)

HA HA HA!!! I have a newly turned 2 year old lil boy. Sewing, what is that??? I sew when life allows, in the evenings after bed, when my mom comes to give me a break, when I tell hubby he either watches him for a couple of hours on a Saturday or I will pull my hair out and go to the looney bin. :D It just takes longer to complete projects. No biggie. It all works out in the end. :)

My kids are 8, 9, and 11. We are into many after-school activities & some days I feel like I am running around without any direction. I never leave home without a tote bag with some kind of hand-sewing project in there. I make yo-yos at basketball games, embroider during wrestling, etc. My oldest has youth group at our church on Sunday nights from 6-8:00. I come equipped with my rotary cutter, ruler, and mat. I can get a lot of cutting done while he's there & be ready to sew when I am at home with my machine. Last summer, while my daughter was at a dance class at our town park, I was in a rush to get some hospital gowns made for her upcoming surgery, so I went with my cutting supplies & pattern. I got most of the hospital gowns cut out while waiting for her at dance. Yes, folks look at me funny. No, I don't really care. Once I am home, I do not usually get to sew until everyone is in bed, so from 9 or 9:30 until I can't stay awake any longer. One lady I talked to at a sewing gathering said that she set her sewing machine in the living room while her kids were very small & watched a show or movie with them. I also learned from a LQS owner that you cannot expect to get any sewing accomplished if you constantly put your sewing machine up & take it down. If you can't sit down & just sew when you have a few minutes, then you won't sew at all. My dining room table is usually full of sewing & my house is usually cluttered... but I sure do make beautiful things when I have enough time! :) No one will remember me for my house, but I sure hope they remember me for my sewing!

My son is 16 months and I take him up to my sewing room with me and he plays with his own toys etc. 2.5 hour naps during the weekend since I work full time and once he is asleep. On the weekends usually I can sew from 8:30 to 11:30 pm. He sleeps in until 8:30 am so I still get plenty of rest.