My 7 year old, Penny, just finished sewing her Maple Leaf block for our Little House on the Prairie sew along.  This block design was actually contributed by a little girl named Caitlyn who sewed along with us a few years ago when I made this quilt with my older daughter.

To refresh your memory, this is Caitlyn and her completed quilt from the first Little House on the Prairie sewalong.  Caitlyn just won a second place ribbon for another quilt that she entered into QuiltCon this year!  How exciting for her!

Both of my girls are feeling sick this weekend so we are taking it easy.  Penny decided that she still wanted to sew her maple leaf though.  As she sat down at the sewing machine she said “I’m just like you Mommy!  I am wearing a robe and slippers and sewing!”  She said it with a great deal of pride which made me laugh. It’s true, I walk around most of the day in the winter with my robe and slippers (over my clothes I might add, not over pjs) just for added warmth because our old house is drafty and I am always cold.  It’s probably how my kids will remember me! It could be worse. Come to think of it, I can clearly remember the robe that my mom lived in during my childhood. And it evokes pretty happy memories.

It’s fun watching Penny make her fabric selections.  She leans towards incorporating solids into her blocks and her sister was only interested in prints.  I can’t wait to see how different their two quilts look once they are done.

For this block, we made 4 half square triangle units. I don’t want Penny using a rotary cutter yet but wanted to give her the chance to cut along the line separating the units. I bought these scissors when I started sewing with my kids and recommend them:

They are inexpensive yet work well on fabric. I recently bought a number of pairs to use with my Girl Scout troop as we work on our sewing badge. They are a worthwhile investment AND keep the kids away from your good scissors!  It’s important to explain to your child how they have to work their fingers to pull the blades together when cutting.  It took Penny a moment to catch on but then she was all set.  She doesn’t need to squeeze her hand like that with the kids craft scissors.  So, it’s another good lesson!

We are making our way through Farmer Boy still.  We are probably half way.  Maybe next weekend we will make another block.  Please join in!  All the posts can be found here.  Remember to click on Lily’s version for full instructions.