Quilting Nana

I have had my granchildren quilting since they were 5.
When my 10 year old granddaughter wanted to make her second I took out my quilt books and we look at easy patterns. Then off we went to JoAnns to pick out fabric. Once we got there she saw the flannel and decided she wanted to make something out of the "soft" material so I told her about a rag quilt.
She loved the idea because she could pick out lots of different cute fabrics.
I had her help with the cutting. She would hold the cutter and I would put my hand on hers.
She decided she didn't like cutting so I was glad that she wanted me to cut.
It took about 8 months to finish the quilt. Mostly because we only got to work on it when she was at my house but she finished it and loves it. She is so proud of herself.

gollytwo

I DO, I DO WISH YOU LUCK and fun at the reunion

And yes, we were talking about the same block.
When I first saw it about 5 yrs ago my friend was calling it a fractured 9-patch; I've since seen 3 or 4 different names.
Whatever it's called it always turns into a great, fast quilt.

Deborah2009

I was about 10 when I started sewing. Started with hems for my family. Mom, Dad, me with my 3 siblings. All the girls are short, so lots of shortning of pants, jeans.

I would buy her fabric that has a grid already printed on it. That way she can cut on the lines, and trust its straight. A good lesson in using a see thru ruler that has a lip on it to lean against the rotary cutting board. A sharp rotary cutter is good too. Very rewarding to slice down a length of fabric and have it cut perfect; even quicker than scissors, and more accurate.

Just hold down the ruler with your other hand and make sure your matching lines on either end of the cutting pad are even with your ruler.

You can buy her fusible batting for the first batted layer, also saves tons of time and no shifting of the fabric. Still need to quilt it down, probably in even measured square shapes. Diagnonal sewing is harder.

She can also draw her lines with contrast colored fabric pencils so she knows where to sew when the fabric gets under the sewing machine. Use the sew thru rulers and cutting mat for this too. Very rewarding project for her. from, Debbie, Phoenix, AZ

kacie

I helped my 7-year-old neighbor make her first quilt. She used my machine with the speed set very low, and as she got more confident, she was allowed to bump up the speed. I showed her the buttons she was allowed to mess with and she did fine. She did her blocks in a log cabin style, and it helped that she liked the wonky scrappy look. I did the cutting and pressing, and most of the pinning, but she did the rest (except for the binding). She fell in love with the seam ripper, which is a good skill to develop! Two years later she made patchwork pillows and did it all with guidance. I don't think it's a matter of age as much as it is a matter of determination and being able to accept guidance and accept that there are some things that she'll need to wait a little bit to do. It was hard for me to cross the line in letting her use the rotary cutter, but with help, she did just fine. Just have fun with it.

hilda Vest

Why not let her sketch simple designs and teach her to applique them onto blocks, or just have her sketch her own pattern. You can help her determine which ones wouldn't be too difficult. The first one could be small, such as a pillow for her bed. PS: It's wonderful that she wants to become a quilter! Eleven is an ideal time to guide her into it.

Quilting Grandma

I started my 9 yr. old granddaughter on a 9 patch. She mde a quilt for her mom. It worked very well. she chose the fabrics from my stash and we spent some quality time together.

texokielady

My great nephew (was age 10) and two great neices (at the time both were 7) did their first quilts. Though they were just patchworth 4x4 blocks, i felt that if they finished them then we would see about more quilting. My first quilt was a hand embrodaried colonial lady queen size that i still have. lol, I had to pick the hardest quilt to do first at age 16.. i had a wonderful time with the kids learning to quilt and the girls still want to quilt...so is is great to see the next generation of quilters...have fun.

polly13

I let my two granddaughters choose their own quilt block. I guided each of them and they made them into potholders. One mother hung hers in the kitchen and it is still there as A's first quilt project, which brings a smile to the family's faces. E's mom used hers right away and even though it's stained, they still talk about the experience and how quilting doesn't have to be big projects to be satisfying.

sewjean

That is great your daughter wants to sew with you!

My Mother wouldn't let me "bother" any of her sewing things and she made beautiful quilts & clothes. So I always thought I couldn't do that. BUT, I made my first baby quilt at age 43 for a GD who is 19 now! She still has it. My sister also quilts and she did boost my confidence a lot, she still does lol.
So build confidence & just keep encourage the kids no matter how old they are and what they want to do! Make them believe thay CAN!

Marlys

I had both of my children make a pillow first. It was fast and they had such a feeling of accomplishment! When my daughter was 10, she made a Rail Fence. Her next one was Trip Around The World. Now she does not quilt (she's 19), but she is glad that she at least knows how!