Gramof6

I am sorry you had such a problem but that is the cutest outfit! I think it looks great. Cute cute cute! Great job!

MonnaL

Thank you all so much for the kind words! She is so much fun to sew for because she just loves what I make for her, and who couldn't love that? LOL

She is just so tall and skinny, that is a little hard to fit her. In retrospect, there are some things I could have done to make it better, but I was so DONE with that outfit. :)

McCalls patterns were on sale and she picked out a whole bunch of clothes. Next is a pioneer outfit for Land Run Days, and then Tinkerbell for Halloween. But I simply MUST get back to my quilts, so I'm gonna be busy.

Thanks again, and I certainly hope you all will share pictures of your sewing. I love it :)

TanyaL

This is for the grandmothers with the age 8 GD. My youngest GD just had her 9th BD in August and I am at my wits end with her step-mother. Fortunately we don't live very close and she doesn't have to put up with me too often. She decided about 8 months ago that my DGD was old enough to do her own laundry! So no more helping her with washing, drying, folding and of course step-mom does not iron! You can imagine the wrinkled mess that my GD goes to school - she tries hard to look nice, but she looks like a kid did her clothes. And her mom says, "I wish I had time to do it for her but I work full time." My GD is the ONLY child. the job is 8-5 in a bank. My son says, "All the kids today dress and look like that. No one irons clothes anymore, mom." I have started doing some sewing for her, of course using perm. press. I hate it when kids have a harder time growing up than is necessary. She also has to do all the cleaning of her room without any help and clean the kitchen 3 nights a week after supper with no help.

Am I just biased? What is your opinion? She was 8 1/2 when the rules went into effect.

trinac

Hi there. To be honest, I wish I'd had a few more rules when I was that age. In the late 1960s when my older siblings were just 5 and 6 years old, my parents had my brothers on chairs washing dishes and my sister was helping with dinner. When I came along everyone did everything for me, and I never learned responsibility until I was an adult. By that time, I made a LOT of financial and personal mistakes.

I think your son and his wife are doing the right thing in teaching your grand daughter how to care for her own possessions and take responsibility to do some things for herself.

Keep sewing for her, though. I am sure your granddaughter will appreciate it. In fact, why don't you have her over every once in a while and teach her how to sew? It might prove to be a nice time for you two to bond.

bearisgray

I don't think that is too much work -

the "however" I have - is she being shown how to do this "the right way for that household" - or just yelled at if she does something "wrong" ?

The reason for the question - My Mom mentioned that when she was a young girl her mother never told or showed her HOW she was supposed to do something - only fussed at Momif it wasn't done the way that she wanted it done!

bearisgray

I think I would feel compelled to serge the raw edges - even if they would be okay left raw.

TanyaL

I think she is being fussed at and put down if the work isn't up to her step-mom's standards - if her bed isn't made right, if the floor isn't vacuumed right. She gave her lessons in doing the laundry and expected her to remember how to do it from then on apparently. I wish there was some togetherness in doing the chores - not being sent to her room and told to stay in there until it was clean enough she could come out - that sort of thing. And when something was folded and put in a drawer and did get wrinkled because it was all cotton and needed to be pressed, the story is "She just doesn't have any pride in how she looks." and "We can't afford to send her wardrobe to the drycleaners like we do ours."

TanyaL

She's the youngest of 7 granddaughters and the only one who has to do things by herself. The others were made to feel part of a team effort to get the housework done, the laundry done, the kitchen done. The child did one thing while the parent did another, but they worked together and there was frequent talking and laughing and sharing as the work was done. This child does hers alone and then gets it inspected.
Her step-mother even refers to herself as the army sgt. I guess I really don't think the step mom loves her very much. Unfortunately her real mother is dead.

bearisgray

Oh, the poor kid.

My heart does go out to her.

TanyaL

She spent 6 weeks with us this summer and 4 weeks with cousins. She spent last Christmas vacation with us. We see her as often as we can but we're 150 miles. I think our visits cause more trouble than help so we try not to go to frequently. She tries so hard to win approval and is so starved for a mother's affection.