Sunday, July 29, 2012

Grandchildren motivate one to craft

      Hannah and I recently visited The City Quilter where she got involved with My New Sewing Book edited by Susan Akass and I bought Journey to Inspired Art Quilting by Jean Wells and Connecting Design to Stitch by Sandra Meech. To observe her interest to read to gather what she needed for her projects made this one of the happiest days of my life. But she was off to camp so we brought the other two grandchildren home here to Camp Hicks.

(Click on the photos to enlarge)



       Erika and David hit my studio coloring. In fact, Erika, after letting me draw her, wanted to draw me and her brother with a charcoal pencil. He accidentally turned into a monster, she said.

        In no time at all, I was pulling out all the projects I had played with 40 years ago or had never opened. The best projects were the Fancy Nancy quilt and pillow Erika designed; the Sculpey III, a polymer clay that stays soft until you cook it in the oven; and the wire jewelry created with telephone wire. I had an old pasta rolling machine that made the clay malleable and both children loved passing the clay through the rollers. Erika made several necklaces out of the recycled telephone wire which she wrapped around popcycle sticks and round dowels. She put the beads onto another wire and shaped the ends into hook and eyes to make necklaces.  Although we both worked on beads with the Sculpey III while David cut out the clay with cookie cutters, Erika wanted to make pinch pots and baskets. We had so much fun.

      Today their mother and father picked them up and Erika left with a Sashiko coaster project in hand to sew on the road, just as LinLin did on drive bringing her to visit!

       We had a few failures: the plaster animals that never dried in the rubber latex molds so we could paint them. However, I am so glad to finally have had an excuse and the time to make the polymer clay beads. I would never have gotten to them if not for the children. Ceramic mosaics are next! I also loved introducing Erika to the notion that you can learn a lot studying instructional photos...not just reading the instructions. She starts first grade in September.



     

9 comments:

  1. I wish I had half your energy and creativity! I look forward to the next session with your grandchildren.
    Evelyn

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  2. What a delightful time with all of your grandkids! How neat that Erika and David could spend time with you all while Hannah was at camp. Your projects sound fascinating for EVERYONE - young and older alike.

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  3. What fun you and the grandchildren had! I am so delighted, too, to have the name of the sewing book, here and in your email to me. The photos are charming, too, and they bring this post to even more life, showing us all the various fantastic projects. This is so timely for me, with our upcoming, once-a-year visit with our four in August. Erica's portraits are great, too!

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  4. Learning with children is educational for both of us, isn't it? I love sharing your projects with Hannah, Erika, and David. And from the looks on their faces, they love them, too. You're quite an inspiration...as always. Beverly

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  5. Do you realize the richness you are sharing with them? They'll never forget and will be influenced for life. I'd love to have any of them in my class if I were still teaching . They'd be a joy with the start they've had. Ruth Ann

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  6. "...accidentally turned into a monster." Just love it. Such treasures they are. Wow, Erika's hair is so long now. Maybe she usually wears it tied up. What fun you had! I love it all.

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  7. Yes! Fun all around. I love your finding the old projects--and the clay and the pasta rolling machine. We're having a two week funfest with our 11-year-old grandson. Fun all around!

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  8. I loved your blog about Grammy camp. It is so wonderful the growth of you granddaughters as artists. ES

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  9. Linda! I am taking notes AGAIN for future ideas with my grandchildren. This was such fun to read and think about. I, like Nancy, especially laughed at the "turning into a monster " part. Monsters are a real part of our grandchildren's vocabulary. sherron

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