Sewing with my Daughter

One day this summer I took a day off from canning and gardening to spend some time designing and sewing with my daughter. We had just received the book "Stupid Sock Creatures" in the mail, and we wanted to make some new buddies! We started out going to rummage sales in search of socks and buttons. We found a couple pairs of socks at the first rummage sale that would be just perfect for some of the projects in the book. We took some time to have lunch together, including dessert, and lots of good conversation. It was really nice to take time for Marlena and not have to say, "I'm busy right now, I've got too much to do."


In the afternoon we leafed through the book and Marlena decided on a couple creatures she'd love to make. We chose socks, and buttons for eyes, pulled out the sewing machine, and got busy! This is Red Wetty, we decided he likes to toast marshmallows on his tail, that's why he's so chubby. His tail and teeth were the hardest to sew, my machine did not like the small seam allowances I used, and it tended to pull the stretchy fabric down into the lower part of the machine, screwing up the tension. I'm learning that I have to use a bit wider seam, so that the feeder feet will move the fabric evenly. I also learned a trick from my Mom, she places waxed paper under the fabric to keep it from getting stuck in the feeder. This works well with fleece too.




The first creature we made went pretty smoothly, it was a thicker sock and was a bigger creature. He also has a neck, and this required a bit more cutting of the sock. Marlena did the final stitching up of his stuffing hole. Here's Wronky, he needs someone to cheer him up, he loves to have you make him smile. He also likes wearing sweaters, perfect for our chilly fall days. He likes sitting on top of the television, using his antennae to make sure you have a clear picture. He doesn't know we have satellite TV.

We're really enjoying these projects. It's a good way to recycle old socks and the stuffing from old pillows. I'm thinking we should include some charms or notes inside each creature...something special about them or us. This is also getting Marlena excited about sewing. It's a good way to show her how things are constructed. I'm giving her crewel embroidery needles to hand sew so that she doesn't poke her fingers (like I do) and decide that sewing is painful. Marlena says, "Let's make all of them in the book!"