Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Help-my strings are swallowing me!

I am drowning in scraps and it's time to work on some of them.  This weekend the grandsons came over on Saturday. They spent some time with grandpa and then I asked if they wanted to sew. The youngest who is now10 said okay when I told him he could learn to use the sewing machine. After teaching him the safety things about the machine I thought he would be good at piecing strings onto phone book pages. I was right, he caught on quickly. 


I pressed the strings during the process and he made two blocks quickly. After I trimmed them up he asked if there was a way he could put the two together and make a tiny pillow.  So that is what we did, he wanted me to sew them together, then he turned it and stuffed it with scrap batting I cut into smaller pieces.


He wasn't quite done sewing yet, he wanted to make a couple more and make a small quilt to match. We forgot to get the photo of that, but it looked the same.  He took them home and gave them to his little sister for her dolly!  Before he left he said I didn't know sewing could be so fun!!   His older brother wanted to try this method out and he got one block made and agreed we could continue another day.  They just made my day:)  

With all those strings laying out and making a giant mess in the room I continued making string orange and gold blocks on Sunday and Monday, so relaxing and fun. But I won't run out of strings any time soon!!  I was planning on using these for fall runner backings. When my hubby saw them he thought they should be made into a quilt instead. We'll see.


The squares on top have been worked on last week and will eventually be a donation quilt.  Yesterday I sewed up 10 more green blocks, working my way toward a finish.  I also cut up a bunch of patriotic scraps and pieced them into a backing for this runner.  




Even though it didn't make even the smallest dent in the strings/scraps it felt good to finally be using some.  I have a feeling there are several people out there in the drowning boat with me...am I right?  Well if you are looking for me and can't find me come on over and look in the string bin! Perhaps you could even press some strings for me while you are here, hehe. 





18 comments:

  1. it is always fun when the kids wanted to learn to sew - my grandson liked to sit on my lap and quilt with me when he was about 2 years old and my granddaughter learned to use the featherweight when she was 6 - then what happened - neither ever expressed desire to touch the stuff again!

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  2. How adorable is your grandson with his string pillow?! And that he wanted to make pillows and a quilt for his little sister's doll is just priceless. I bet that was a fun time. The scraps and strings never really do go away - we just keep sewing them into things!

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  3. What fun sewing with the grandsons. One granddaughter has said she wants to learn to sew, but then when she's here she finds other things to do. Maybe someday it will happen. I'm drowning in all kinds of scraps again. I guess because I've done so much sewing this winter I've generated more scraps than usual, and don't sew them up fast enough.

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  4. How fun that your grandsons enjoyed their trip to the sewing room! Love your new patriotic quilt. What a fun back. Thanks for sharing on my weekly show and tell, Wednesday Wait Loss.

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  5. so sweet your grandson wants to learn! all the blocks look great!

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  6. Nothing better than sewing with the kiddos. So glad your grandsons were interested and had fun and will come back to it. I think scraps are the bane of our existence. I am trying to keep bags of a project together to see if that gets more done, it remains to be seen.

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  7. Hi Vicki! Your grandson did a great job sewing and making the pillow. That was sweet of him to give it and the quilt to his sister! Fun was had at grandma's house and now they're looking forward to coming over and sewing. How cool is that?!! I still have never made a string block - I think I need to start. {{Hugs}} ~smile~ Roseanne

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  8. Have you looked on YouTube at Conquering Mount Scrapmore with Brenda? She's from Edmonton in Canada, and I love her channel. If you subscribe, then go to the home subscription page and click on playlists, you will find over 30 posts on strings and crumbs. She shows wonderful things she does with her strings, and terrific organizational techniques that help a lot. I've been quilting a LONG time, and I still have learned some things from her. She's fun, and very real. If she makes a mistake, it stays in and you see how she fixes it, too. Just thinking you might pick up some ideas about what to do with that stash of strings. I agree with your husband on the browns and oranges string blocks - awesome stripy quilt! What fun to see the boys learning, too. My older son took to sewing and earned college money making SCA costumes ... and made a marvelous Kinsale cloak for me, too, in wool.

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  9. How delightful that your grandchildren are getting the stitching bug. Times together that they will not forget.

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  10. And BAM!!! Two new quilters!! LOVE it!! and the pillow he made is perfect!!!

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  11. What a successful day and good for you for blurring his face out. I never show faces of kids (and most adults) on my blog. Too many weirdos out there.

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  12. I love when I get a chance to introduce someone new to sewing/quilting, or even helping another grow their skills. You'd be welcome to join my Sew & Tell party. :)

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  13. How wonderful that you are teaching your grands to sew. Special time spent with you, for sure! You are making progress on your strings. Now if they would just quit multiplying!

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  14. Sounds like a lot of fun has been going on in your sewing room. You and your grandchildren are making some cherished memories as you teach them to sew. How wonderful!

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  15. Super fun activity with your grandson, Vicki!!!

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  16. So you're a little strung out?! LOL! Looks like a fun day with the grands, and how sweet that he made the pillow and quilt for his little sister. Those orange string blocks give me all the feels!

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  17. How fun to share sewing with your grandsons.

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  18. That's awesome that your grandsons wanted to join in the fun. I'm just starting out on quilting myself...teaching myself with books and YouTube but am having so much fun. I do a lot of crocheting as well.

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