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#Post#: 9228--------------------------------------------------
Helping someone new to the craft
By: Pattycake Date: July 21, 2018, 9:49 am
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I spent an enjoyable, if longish, day helping my friends'
daughter finally start putting her rag quilt together. She
bought the stuff about three or four years ago. I had offered a
number of times to help them out, but they were always busy with
this or that (they farm), so I quit offering. Either they'll do
it or they won't! So about a month ago, they did ask me if I
could help her get it done.
I took my little Singer featherweight machine for her to get
started on because their machine was acting up and I was going
to look at it but at least get her going. Well... no one ever
told her she had to clean the lint out of the bobbin area etc!
It didn't come with a manual, or she might have done these
things. No wonder the tension was wonky. But worse than that, it
made a horrible clunky sound! She didn't know any better as it
always did that - she bought it second or third hand. I said
"get thee to a service centre!" She may just go to Walmart and
get a new inexpensive one which would serve them well for many
years for all the sewing they do. And if the daughter does get
into quilting or sewing, she can always buy something better.
Anyway, she did catch on pretty quick how to thread it and how
to put the bobbin in and all that. She just had the usual
beginner's problem of forgetting to leave the needle up before
she cut the thread, thus causing the thread to come out of the
needle the next time it went up; or she'd snip both threads too
close to the needle and then unthread the needle and lose the
bobbin thread as well which then she couldn't figure out how to
get the bobbin thread up top again! but it only takes a few
times of doing that then you remember, so she did get it all
eventually.
All in all she quite enjoyed herself. She got all the
"quiltlets" sewn together (if you're not familiar, with a rag
quilt, you cut all the squares and batting, and then layer a
top/batting/bottom together and sew an X through them) and then
we just got her started on sewing the smallest quiltlets into
four patches (four squares sewn together, seams on top). She's
going at that more slowly and she's what I call a
"matchy-matchy" - the kind of person who needs balance in colour
and placement! - so that will slow her down a bit more too.
Honestly, she was quilting the Xs on the quiltlets way faster
than I ever run a machine! Next week I will go back and we'll
work on getting her to put the rows together, then snipping the
seams.
And they fed me, way too well! but it was a very nice day spent
with good friends and I look forward to helping her get it done.
I hope she will want to do another one later, and now that she's
seventeen and a little more mature, with a new machine that
works well she very well may want to keep quilting. I told her
she really was well on her way to being a quilter, what with
already having a UFO of three years to work on!
Have you had any experience teaching younger folk, or other
inexperienced friends how to do something you enjoy?
#Post#: 9288--------------------------------------------------
Re: Helping someone new to the craft
By: gmatoy Date: July 21, 2018, 8:06 pm
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I have crafted with my DGD since she was little and just today
bought the stuff to do another project! (Making earrings out of
buttons.)
DGD and I have sewn, drawn, glued and cake decorated together.
I'm looking forward to doing crafts with my DGS someday, too!
I taught my friend's daughter how to make T-shirts. That was
funny, because my friend was a very accomplished sewer; however
she couldn't break down the steps to where her daughter could
grasp the concepts. After we worked on one, I had her do another
where I sat and read a book while she did it completely on her
own. She was so thrilled to be able to do it without help.
At my friend's funeral, her daughter told her children, "This is
the friend who taught me to sew!"
They all chorused, "Oh, you're Miss (my first name)!" (Made me
tear up again!)
#Post#: 11521--------------------------------------------------
Re: Helping someone new to the craft
By: Luci Date: August 16, 2018, 2:32 pm
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I have found it easiest to look for step by step instructions on
line and then just follow them to teach my granddaughters. They
are able to see the steps, hear me say the words, and feel the
work happening. I can explain the rough spots as we go along, so
they don’t get frustrated right off, and then they have the
website to refer to when they working without me.
#Post#: 11537--------------------------------------------------
Re: Helping someone new to the craft
By: Pattycake Date: August 16, 2018, 6:14 pm
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[quote author=gmatoy link=topic=545.msg9288#msg9288
date=1532221599]
I have crafted with my DGD since she was little and just today
bought the stuff to do another project! (Making earrings out of
buttons.)
DGD and I have sewn, drawn, glued and cake decorated together.
I'm looking forward to doing crafts with my DGS someday, too!
I taught my friend's daughter how to make T-shirts. That was
funny, because my friend was a very accomplished sewer; however
she couldn't break down the steps to where her daughter could
grasp the concepts. After we worked on one, I had her do another
where I sat and read a book while she did it completely on her
own. She was so thrilled to be able to do it without help.
At my friend's funeral, her daughter told her children, "This is
the friend who taught me to sew!"
They all chorused, "Oh, you're Miss (my first name)!" (Made me
tear up again!)
[/quote]
I am sorry, I somehow didn't see this before. That is so sweet!
#Post#: 11538--------------------------------------------------
Re: Helping someone new to the craft
By: Pattycake Date: August 16, 2018, 6:18 pm
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[quote author=Luci link=topic=545.msg11521#msg11521
date=1534447939]
I have found it easiest to look for step by step instructions on
line and then just follow them to teach my granddaughters. They
are able to see the steps, hear me say the words, and feel the
work happening. I can explain the rough spots as we go along, so
they don’t get frustrated right off, and then they have the
website to refer to when they working without me.
[/quote]
That's a great idea.
I am happy to report my young friend is getting along well with
her quilt. They're on vacation for now, so when they come back,
I will stop in one afternoon and remind her what she needs to do
to finish it up. We may have a new recruit for our quilt group
too as she is very enthusiastic about it. She is home schooled,
so this activity may qualify for a home ec. type credit. I hope
she does come, she's a sweet dear girl and I would so love to
have her with us.
#Post#: 19697--------------------------------------------------
Re: Helping someone new to the craft
By: gmatoy Date: November 23, 2018, 6:42 pm
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Today I helped a complete stranger with the materials needed to
make a microwaveable bowl holder. She would have bought the
wrong batting, material and thread if she hadn't asked a
question. She actually asked a clerk (one of my favorite ones)
and the clerk looked at me, because she knew I had made a ton of
them last year. So I gave her all the info I could in a few
minutes and without overwhelming her. She was so happy that we
could help her.
#Post#: 19728--------------------------------------------------
Re: Helping someone new to the craft
By: Pattycake Date: November 24, 2018, 10:13 am
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That's great! I am trying to not get so caught up in whatever
project I am working at quilt group that I don't help the
newbies. In the one group (I am in two!), most of the members
are experienced but there's one lady who I got to be buddies
with when she joined who is fairly new, so I wind up helping her
a lot. In the other group, there are quite a few who are newer
to quilting, and lots of questions get asked. The frustrating
part is, when I am helping someone, there are a couple of
ladies, one in particular, who poke their noses in. I wound up
backing away from the lady I was helping as she was getting so
much advice that I didn't want to confuse her. I don't care HOW
a person does something, there's often many ways to get to the
same result, but gee, if they're new and someone is already
helping, butt out! I was able to have a conversation with the
newbie later, as she specifically asked me to help her with a
border, and encouraged her to speak up when she gets inundated
with help. I hope that in future she will look at this one lady
in particular and say Thanks, but I asked so-and-so to help me
and I don't want to get confused.
#Post#: 19757--------------------------------------------------
Re: Helping someone new to the craft
By: gmatoy Date: November 24, 2018, 4:48 pm
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Pattycake, that is a great way to let someone know that you have
it covered!
#Post#: 19775--------------------------------------------------
Re: Helping someone new to the craft
By: Pattycake Date: November 24, 2018, 7:17 pm
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Well, I try! they're mostly all really nice folks. Even that
woman. She is, I believe, basically an insecure person. She's a
loud talker, for one, which drives me crazy! She also has to be
involved in everything, hence her jumping over to help even when
someone else has it covered. She enters every category she
possibly can at the local fair, in the quilting, food, and
agricultural section, and is a bit miffed if she hasn't won
where she entered. A few people warned me about her! So I am
trying to make a concerted effort to be kind to her. No one is
unkind to her, but I think she will wear out her welcome one
day. When I made that decision, to try to be kind to her, the
very next meeting she pulled up a table and rather than put it
next in line (we usually have two facing rows so the extension
cords run down the middle), she plonked her table across from
mine and nearly butted it right up against mine until I reminded
her we needed the aisle there. So I think I was really being
held to my decision there because usually I tried to avoid
sitting near her! so we shall see what Monday brings when we
meet again.
#Post#: 19791--------------------------------------------------
Re: Helping someone new to the craft
By: gmatoy Date: November 24, 2018, 10:54 pm
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Pattycake, I used to have a friend who would say, "No good deed
goes unpunished!"
That's what I thought of when I read your post about her. Good
luck with your brave experiment.
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