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From: MaryW
Date: 03-08-2004, 05:18 PM (1 of 12)
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My grandson is learning to sew in school. His project is to make a stuffed animal from fun fur. His animal is a little black penguin. It's cute as can be and his name is Waddles. My good grief, tiny seams and fun fur has a mind of it's own. I won't tell him but it is really difficult for someone who has never put their hands on a machine before. He brought it home to do, the teacher said they could. I wish they had started off with something just a little easier, maybe boxers or something. MaryW
owner/editor of Sew Whats New |
User: MaryW
Member since: 06-23-2005 Total posts: 2542 
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From: DorothyL
Date: 03-08-2004, 06:42 PM (2 of 12)
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When my daughter was in high school sewing -- maybe middle school, it was a long time ago -- she made a stuffed toy. She also brought it home and asked for help and it was HARD. Far to hard for a beginner, I thought. My second daughter made boxer shorts and that worked out a lot better. Dorothy |
User: DorothyL
Member since: 12-09-2002 Total posts: 3883 |
From: Mother in Law
Date: 03-08-2004, 08:48 PM (3 of 12)
| My oldest granddaughter was 10, she's 12 now, when I bought her a sewing machine at WalMart. It was a Brother for 99.99. I got her a pattern and some fabric and she was crazy about getting started. The next time I went to their house she showed me a stocking she made for her Dad. I couldn't believe she did it all by herself. She stitched the stocking just right but before she did that she free embroideried with a zigzag stitch "DAD" and "HO HO HO" on the front of the stocking. I was shocked. It was beautiful. She is very smart for her age but for her to teach herself that it shocked me. Kids today could probably teach us a few things. Don't short change them..........................This is the same child who at age 4 asked me what my "prime directive" was in life. Too much Barney. LOL |
User: Mother in Law
Member since: Total posts: |
From: stitchmd
Date: 03-08-2004, 10:37 PM (4 of 12)
| Prime Directive is a Star Trek phrase. What is she doing watching that? Maybe an older kid asked her and she just repeated it to you. |
User: stitchmd
Member since: 02-25-2003 Total posts: 226 |
From: Mother in Law
Date: 03-08-2004, 11:05 PM (5 of 12)
| I don't think she picked it up from Star Trex. She's 12 now and she asked that question when she was 4. She asked that question when she was only watching Barney and childrens show on TV. She's in the gifted program at school and there wasn't any big kids around her at the time. She's very intelligent. She probably has a very high IQ. She's been talking like a grown up since she was able to speak words. She's never been to preschool so she didn't pick it up from there and no one speaks like that around her except her. When she opens her mouth you know she's intelligent by the way she speaks. Some kids got it, and she's got it!!! LOL It's scary because she talks like an adult a very intelligent adult. |
User: Mother in Law
Member since: Total posts: |
From: DorothyL
Date: 03-09-2004, 07:58 AM (6 of 12)
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She picked that up somewhere, Susie. Reminds me of my youngest... She always had a remarkable vocabulary. Before she started Kindergarten she went in for placement testing. On the vocabulary part she was still going strong at college educated adult. The teacher asked me what I attributed it too. I said "She practices a lot." The kid never shut up. She's in law school now. Dorothy |
User: DorothyL
Member since: 12-09-2002 Total posts: 3883 |
From: stitchmd
Date: 03-09-2004, 08:34 AM (7 of 12)
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Mary I've thought more about this project of your grandson's. I suspect they chose the stuffed animal to motivate the kids to want to work on and complete their projects. I don't know how bold you are, or how much you want to get sucked into involvement, but I think you certainly have the credentials to talk to this teacher as knowledgeable in the field and make some suggestions. Just be prepared to get recruited to help. Why set the kids up for frustration and failure and turn them off from sewing? They could get a soft, huggable animal using Polar Fleece, which is so much easier to work with. Or velour, or corduroy, or any number of alternatives which are easier to come by and probably less expensive than the fur. Did they cut these out or are they working from kits? |
User: stitchmd
Member since: 02-25-2003 Total posts: 226 |
From: Mother in Law
Date: 03-09-2004, 10:39 AM (8 of 12)
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Mary, My mind is older than dirt, how old is Jordan again? I know you told me before. He's lucky to have someone in the home to help him with a sewing project. You know some of those kids in his class are not going to have parents or guradians who will be knowledgeable in sewing. If the teacher didn't make the project easy for them they aren't going to be able to complete a sewing project unless it's an easy one that a parent can figure out. Some of the teachers today, at least I'm speaking for the schools here in Chalmette, give these kids assignments and couldn't do them the project theirselves. 
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User: Mother in Law
Member since: Total posts: |
From: MaryW
Date: 03-09-2004, 11:14 AM (9 of 12)
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Stitchmd, I thought of that. It looks to me as if they were given some class time for hand sewing, then given a choice of kits to make. Some are quite involved, Jordan has a lot of shaping to make his penguin. Fun fur is all over my sewing room. LOL. I was thinking cheap velveteen would have been so much easier, even flannel. I understand about wanting them to be motivated, especially boys. He said most of the kids had parents who didn't know how to sew, they were having a heck of a time. That would put any kid off. Parents too. Coming home after a long day at work and have the patience to sit and try to show your child how to sew, when you don't know the basics yourself. He has a kit, pieces of fun fur and typed instructions. Both sides of a 8 1/2" x 11" with loads of instructions. The fun fur had markings on the back for cutting and numbering. Jordan had to cut it all out. I know all too well about the recruiting peril, happens all the time. I'm making prairie dresses and pinafores for the March musical. MaryW
owner/editor of Sew Whats New |
User: MaryW
Member since: 06-23-2005 Total posts: 2542
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From: plrlegal
Date: 03-09-2004, 02:44 PM (10 of 12)
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Hmmmm Mary you remind me of someone else I know??? ME!!! I have never learned to say the word "NO". That's why I'm knee deep in white satin, gold lame, gold sequined trim, white and black twill and various other fabrics for the next 3 weeks. Patsy Patsy
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User: plrlegal
Member since: 05-19-2001 Total posts: 318 |
From: LeapFrog Libby
Date: 03-12-2004, 08:26 PM (11 of 12)
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Mary, Do you have Sandra Betzina's books ?? She used to have a "tips for sewing with fake fur" list that was great.. Told about trimming the fur out of the seam allowances and a whole lot more... Maybe Jordan's long list of instructions include some of that.. Those tips would make his work a lot easier.. My grandson is Making a pillow for his first project... That is much easier... I do not have Sandra's books, I just heard about them on TV. ( she would make references to them every once in a while) 
Sew With Love
Libby |
User: LeapFrog Libby
Member since: 05-01-2002 Total posts: 2022 
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From: MaryW
Date: 03-23-2004, 02:25 PM (12 of 12)
Well, he finished his penguin the other night. It turned out so cute. He has to take it in before he stuffs it so she can see that he sewed it. Then, we stuff.  Now, we have a Furbil to make. This one is done by hand, big buggy eyes and long fur. It sheds terrible. Has to be done by Friday. MaryW
owner/editor of Sew Whats New |
User: MaryW
Member since: 06-23-2005 Total posts: 2542
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