I remember my grandma patiently showing me how to first string buttons onto a string, then string popcorn for the Christmas Tree and finally how to do basic cross stitches when I was very young. Perhaps this was her way of keeping me occupied so she could accomplish at least one task without little me trailing behind her and causing the workload to increase, but for whatever the reason I have always appreciated that my mother and grandmother took the time to teach me the basics of sewing and embroidery. Recently I bravely took up some crafty projects that included sewing and embroidery and Avonleah was mesmerized so completely that each time I would set my project down she would sneak it and "sew" her own version of the pattern. Each time she got caught she'd say, "but you're not mad right mom?" On the one hand I was proud of her wanting to learn but on the other I wanted to spank her little bum for messing with my tedious and painstaking progress! Anyway, I finally got her her own little sewing essentials and let her give it a try . . .I think these pictures capture perfectly the learning curve of "sewing" . . .and to my amazement (or perhaps disappointment because of how often I have to resthread the needle or unravel a yarn mess) she literally asks to work on "her sewing" almost every day.