Sewing lessons

Lily had her first formal sewing lesson last week. A sweet friend of mine (who also happens to be a nearby neighbor) offered to come to our home once a week and give Lily lessons on the sewing machine. My friend has been sewing for many, many years, and so I have been very excited for these lessons to commence, as has Lily.

At the end of last year, we sold some of Lily's larger toys that she no longer played with and used that money to buy her a small table and chairs that would be used as her sewing and crafting table. It was definitely a wonderful idea as she has been crafting and handstitching to her heart's content and the table has been a useful and functional addition to her hobbies.

During her lessons she will be learning how to make a beginner's patchwork quilt. During her first lesson, they cut out all the squares, and Lily learned about her machine and how it works. She also did some practice runs on it. Lily has used a sewing machine multiple times in the past, but always with me actively guiding her through it.

It had gotten to the point where I felt that getting Lily formal sewing lessons from a well-practiced seamstress was a necessity. For one, I hardly sew anymore on my machine as it is old and not operating very smoothly. It probably needs cleaned or oiled, but I've been too intimidated to try to do any of those things. Second, my sewing abilities are very much limited. And reading a pattern? Goodness, I have extremely limited experience with that. I've always been one to "wing it" when it came to sewing. And last of all, Lily has really shown a deep interest in sewing and has been proving herself talented in that skill so I really wanted to make sure she got proper instruction and lessons.

And this is another instance where I'm reminded how well homeschooling fits our family's lifestyle. We are able to fit these lessons (and any other enriching experiences) into our days because we aren't constrained by a traditional school schedule. I love that my kids can pursue their talents and interests and seem to have more time to do so without being constricted with a seven-to-three school schedule. I'm thankful for that. It's a perfect fit for our family.