Our family, by Tobin

Embroidery seems to be a bit of a buzz word at the moment, and rightfully so.  It is probably one of my favourite things to do, and also one of the first skills that I learned.  I remember helping my grandmother make french knots on a piece of fabric that would later become a pillow, and being amazed that I had helped to create something so lovely.  I feel very fortunate to have had people in my life who exposed me to this creative world.  Wanting my children to have the same experience, I thought about how I should go about introducing embroidery in a way that would leave them with a desire to explore this are further. Instead of having Tobin try something on his own, I decided we would go through the process together to start...

I had him draw a picture of our family on a piece of paper.  I then taped the piece of paper to the glass on our back door, which with the light shining through, allowed me to see the picture through the piece of linen fabric I was tracing it onto.  Together, we decided what color emroidery floss we would use for each family member and then I embroidered it.  Although Tobin only tried a few stitches here and there, he most definately had a sense of pride in what he had helped me to create.  At a later time, we turned his art work into a pillow, which I just adore.  Since this time, we have made other works of art using emroidery.  When we begin something today, I have Tobin draw right onto the fabric with a pencil, and will darken the lines after if need be.  This later work of art is a picture of Tobin pulling his sister in a wagon. 

 

I think this is a great way to expose your child to embroidery as well as to create a lasting family memory.  Tobin still needs help, especially with bringing the needle up through the back of the hoop.  I found that working with a smaller hoops helps with this a bit.  I am so happy that the interest is there for Tobin to explore the different kinds of creativity that are available.  More than anything, though, I cherish this time that we are able to spend together.

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