Sew Blessed

For as long as I can remember, whenever we would go camping, take a weekend trip, or a long vacation I have always carried a sewing basket with an unfinished, hand-pieced baby quilt with me.  The only time I ever work on this quilt is when I am away from home; consequently it takes me about a year to finish one!  I just like my hands to be busy when sitting around.

This past summer James and I spent some time in Destin, Florida with all of our children and grandchildren and, as usual, I took along my little quilt.  One day as I was working on it, my Addie Grace decided she wanted to sew with me.  She took out all the little quilt squares, stacked them, folded them, made designs with them, lined them up in nice little rows - over, and over, and over again.  Who knew those little scraps of fabric could be so entertaining!  While we worked, we talked about all kinds of things...sewing, swimming, chasing beach crabs, Barbie...it was a very sweet time for me.

Sometime before Christmas, I was cleaning out my closet and found a little picnic-style basket that had once held a child's tea set; I kept it because it was just too sweet to throw away.  In it I put some sewing cards and yarn.  The next time Addie Grace came to spend the night, I presented her with her own sewing basket and told her it was time she learned to sew.  



I began to teach her how to tie a knot, how to weave the yarn in and out of the sewing cards to form "stitches" and how to finish off the yarn on the backside of the card.  I was sure she would get bored easily and want to quit, but she loved it.  So much so that she finished all five of them!  By the time she completed the third card, she was tying her own knots and finishing the backside of the card all by herself. She was so proud, she insisted that I take her picture after she completed each one.  


Addie Grace is a very fast learner.  I have a feeling it won't be long before she is ready to take the next step in sewing.  It will be so much fun to be able to share this part of my life with her.

Having a similar experience with my grandmother has left me with precious memories, but none can compare to the memory of sharing something with my own granddaughter that generations of women in my family have learned from each other.  I pray that we will have many more times of sewing and sharing together and that these memories will be as precious to my Addie Grace as they are to me.  Thank You, Lord, for I am sew blessed!

I hope this post has inspired you to share a memory that you have with your child or grandchild.