Teaching Machine Sewing

It can be extremely frustrating to teach a beginner how to sew. In order to avoid the frustration of making mistakes on fabric and unpicking crooked stitches, I have found it much easier to let them learn on paper first. To do this, remove the thread from you machine and use an old or cheap needle that you don't care about. Print a paper with straight lines on it (or draw your own), varying from thick to thin and let them sew on the lines. The needle leaves little holes in the paper so they can see exactly where they have been and practice moving the paper around as they sew in order to stay on the line. When they get good at following a straight line, try curved lines. As they improve, you can have them start sewing different shapes and eventually their own name or a creative shape they drew on their own.

The following are a few worksheets to help you get started teaching your child to sew. You can print an image by first clicking on it, and when the image viewer pops up on your screen right click on the image and select "view image". When the image loads you should be able to press Ctrl+P to print a nice big copy of the worksheet.

Once they have perfected controlling the paper while they sew, you can move on to sewing something simple with fabric (such as a pillow case). It helps to draw a line with a ruler and pen where they are supposed to sew, so they have no question where their needle is supposed to stay, and then make sure to pin the fabric together so they don't have to worry about it slipping.

Beetle, Toni, and Hoodoo with their finished pillow cases.

We're New Here

I spent hours designing the little details of this blog but have put off posting for weeks now. This is partly because we're not full-time homeschoolers yet, but also because I'm hesitant to share my true feelings and deepest thoughts on this subject. I feel like this first post should be a beautiful, all-inclusive introduction of our family and why we have chosen to homeschool our children. I'm not sure how to voice some of my feelings without being offensive to some, and I hesitate to share some of my more private thoughts with the world because they're just too personal. I have considered making this blog private and keeping it as a personal journal, but if I did there would be others like me who may have benefited from my shared experiences who would not have the opportunity to read them. And so this blog is dedicated to those who already know and love our family (no matter how we choose to live) and to those who come seeking support with their own family endeavors.

My husband, we'll call him "Romeo" for this blog, grew up in a rural Idaho town, working hard on the family farm. He's not very happy about the nickname I've chosen for him. In his words, "I am SO not a Romeo!" He'd rather me name him after someone "cool" like Jesse James. I'm sorry Honey, I'm writing this blog and I say you're a Romeo. :)

Romeo is skilled in building and fixing up just about anything. If he doesn't know how to do it, just give him time and he'll figure it out. Why pay someone to do it if he can figure it out for himself during hours on end of manual labor? That's his way of thinking! He's as hard working as they come. He is deeply fond of the country and is hungry for land and a larger space to call his own. Someday, sooner than later, we hope to move farther out to the country. We'd love to own some animals and Romeo wants to teach our children to work on our own small hobby farm (or a large garden at the least). So far the only animals we own are 6 backyard hens who gift us with eggs.

I suppose it would follow that I'll be calling myself "Juliet". I was born in Utah but raised all over the country. We moved every 2 years for a good chunk of my childhood. As a result I gained some invaluable experience with making new friends and learning about other religions and families. We eventually moved back to Utah, where I had the opportunity to stay throughout junior high and high school. I have always loved music and art. I learned to play the piano and the violin when I was young but studied violin pretty seriously as a teenager. I used to draw and paint frequently (back when I still had time for myself). Since I've had children I've taken up more applicable interests for my current stage in life, such as natural childbirth, cloth diapering and, of course, home schooling.

Romeo and I have been happily married for 9 years. We are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (aka Mormons). We have 4 children and another on the way.

Our oldest child, nicknamed "Beetle", is the most responsible, sweet, obedient and caring 7-year-old I know. I don't know how we got so lucky with her! She loves her family dearly and it comes naturally to her to think about everyone else and their feelings. She is musically and artistically inclined and has recently begun taking piano lessons.

"Toni" is 5-years-old and loves to make people laugh. He is a sensitive and sometimes a particular boy. He is extremely curious and frequently asks me questions that require some research to dig up an answer to. He asks lots of "How does it work?" and "What's it made of?" questions. He spends a lot of time building things and creating imaginative artwork from construction paper. I've finally come to accept the amount of tape he uses as a good thing and have decided to supply him with as much as he can use.

"Hoodoo", at age 3, has the most unique personality I've ever known. He says the funniest things and insists on the quirkiest routines. He is obsessed with animals, especially dogs. He loves to dress up as a "bad guy", "Fireman Sam" and "Super Hero". He is sweet and loving and has a very soft spot for his mommy. He's always surprising me by saying "thank you" for the funniest things.

"Brighty" is almost 2 and in a very difficult and mischievous stage. It's the age where they're cuteness still makes up for many of their shenanigans. She keeps me on my toes! Her favorite places right now are the bathroom (nothing good happens in there when you're almost 2), the pantry and the top of the kitchen table.

We are expecting our 5th baby in April. We are keeping the gender a surprise and planning a home birth. If all goes as expected, this will be the third baby I've had at home.

How's that for an intro? Welcome to our blog!