Diane Ward, an inventive and caring grandmother, shares her experiences in connecting with her grandson. As she relates her story, think about how you might use a talent you enjoy to deepen a relationship with a grandchild.
This is Jacob, my athletic six-year-old grandson, who is definitely in touch with his artistic side. He plays baseball, football, and basketball and is a natural and enthusiastic athlete. He also loves to sew.
He is an avid fan of the University of Utah UTES and wanted to make a pillow for his bed. We shopped for a pillow form, selected a sturdy white covering, and purchased some bright red flannel for the block U!
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I carefully showed "Jakie" how to sew, giving him several opportunities to practice sewing using my machine. Within a few minutes, he got the hang of it. My sewing machine has a speed adjustment, so he was comfortable sewing the pillow covering on the machine. He wanted to hand-applique the BLOCK U – which only added another skill to his repertoire.
Then he went on to stitch (by hand) Christmas stockings for his entire family when he was about seven or eight. Also, he and his sister Lauren created a Christmas nativity. With these two projects under his belt, he crafted a whole quilt representing his athletic interests. He picked out the fabric, helped cut the squares, and sewed everything on my machine.
This active young man is now 12, busy at school and perfecting his football, skateboarding, snowboarding, and water-skiing techniques. For now, he has little time for sewing. Still, I suspect this creativity and imagination will surface in other areas as he journeys through his upcoming teenage years.
