I baby-sit four little neighbors once in a while. They are all 3-4yo. and think that my quilting/sewing is the greatest thing since sliced bread. They all received quilts for Christmas last year and use them on a daily basis.
So when they are over here, they want to sew. They are working on blocks of white Kona Cotton that I have cut and ironed to freezer paper to give them some sturdiness. They each pick out 5-6 pages from coloring books and I traced these on some of their blocks. They colored them in with fabric markers and I set the inks by ironing them. I have then taken some pictures of each of them and they are printed on the same size square. There are also blocks that have the outlines of their hands and feet too. Sarah Grace has some applique pieces that she has cut out with Fiskars school scissors (after I traced the outline on the backside of the fabrics). Oh, and they have each made a 'signature' block too.
I am going to take all of their blocks and just make a really basic block quilt. They each went to the fabric store with me - and lunch - and picked out their 4 fabrics.
When I only have one at a time, we work on putting the blocks together. They stand between me and the machine and they help guide the fabric through. Sarah Grace and JD REALLY love this step. And JD ALWAYS wants to put a new bobbin in the machine - he finds this fascinating.
I am planning on tacking this quilt, so they can help with that too. I figure I can pull the needle through and then they can pull the ribbon the rest of the way, and help cut the ends.
This a surprise for their parents for Christmas and we have been working on these since June. I think that they have been able to keep this a secret which really surprises me. This quilt will be a real snapshot of each child at this specific time in their lifes - reflecting everything about them. I know that if I had thought of this when my son was small, I would truly cherish a quilt like this. And the kids are SO proud - I can't wait to present them their quilts.