Twilting with Carver

Gannon had a doctor’s appointment the other day and Kalissa asked me if I’d keep Carver.  It was only to be about 3 hours max.  I said sure but talked to Carver in advance telling him I had to get a quilt finished and he’d have to be good in the sewing room and let me do it.

So he played on his Ipad while I bound the quilt.

But then he got bored so I tried to think of something to entertain him.  He was awed that the tops lifted off of my old sewing chairs and there was a secret compartment there.


He hid all of his treasures…oh he giggled thinking he was so tricky to hide them there.

Carver is all about tools and mechanics and learning about them so when my bobbin ran out of thread I thought I’d show him how to fill a bobbin.  Oh my word, you would have thought he died and went to heaven.  Seriously, he was a bobbin filling fool.

Here he is pushing the button to make it fill.

I had no idea but….I created a monster.  He was on a mission to fill every bobbin I had.  I went and got a brand new spool of thread that blog reader Deb had sent to me.  I unwrapped it and you’d never guess….we used the ENTIRE brand new spool of thread filling my bobbins.

After we filled all of the PFaff bobbins….


We had to fill this container full.


He worked on learning the word compartment as he put all the bobbins in….


We filled even more…the cream in this ring were all filled as were the ones on the spindle.  That boy was a bobbin filling fool.


We ended up staying in the sewing room the whole time Kalissa and Gannon were gone.  It’s the first time I spent real time in the sewing room with one of the grandkids.  It made me so happy.  I want to be able to share my hobby with them.  I don’t care if they sew or don’t sew.  I just want them to learn to find pleasure in a craft or hobby whatever that might be.

Did I accomplish a lot with him there…no.  But we did have a great time…and that’s really all that counts, right?  And the tedious task of filling bobbins has never ever so fun.

24 thoughts on “Twilting with Carver”

  1. Joy Van den top

    I agree..having a great time is the best! Carver is so cute! Spending time with him is way more importantly than finishing a quilt!

  2. Just wait, the next time Carver visits your sewing room he will be asking to fill more bobbins!! My 3 1/2 year old granddaughter so wants to use my sewing machine but for now I patiently let her use a needle and thread.

  3. Such a good little helper! I could use him since I am not fond of winding bobbins. Oh, I have a sewing stool just like yours along with the Singer machine, which both were my mother’s.

  4. That’s so sweet. Every bobbin used will remind you of your special day with Carver. My grandson just turned two so he’s into everything. He knows he can’t go in my sewing room so if the door is open he says “uh-oh, door” and closes it. I have started letting him sit on my lap when I sew and he gets to press the button to cut the thread. Now as soon as he walks in the door he says “sew-mamaw”! It melts my heart. I hope our grandchildren remember us as making masks during a pandemic. I had my daughter take pictures of my grandson on my lap making masks so she can tell him about it when he’s older. Grandchildren, they’re the best!

  5. So glad you learned the pleasure of sharing your craft with your littles. My grandson started “playing” with me in the sewing room before he was 2 – he learned to be so respectful of my space and had so much fun ‘helping” with sorting buttons, fabric and more, then progressing to cutting and sewing. He is now 11, and just helped me design a science-themed quilt for himself, and even did some of the piecing! Now if I could just get the granddaughters as interested!

  6. When our grandkids stayed here a couple weekends ago my little almost 7 yr. old granddaughter told me she wanted to learn to make quilts! The only one of my grandchildren to express any interest at all! I really need to get a small, simple project ready for her to try and be ready to get out my traveling machine that has as a speed control slider on it. I like to go fast on my Pfaff but going slow on the Brother would be best for her to learn on.

  7. Todayi winding bobbins, someday sewing machine technician? If he already loves tools and mechanical things who knows what’s in the future? We can all use a good tech!

  8. My grandson loves tools too. We have been “sewing” together since he was small. He is 5 1/2 now, and this visit, he stood and used the presser foot to make the machine work, while guiding the fabric! I am able to set the machine on the slowest speed for him, and he loves to clip the threads when we are assembly line quilting. He spent some time placing an assortment of 5 inch squares on the design wall, and I have been cutting more for his next visit.

  9. Jo,
    You are so right, everyone needs to have a hobby or something to keep them busy during down time. Imagine how things would be going now if certain people had jobs and hobbies!! I work all day and do my crafts at night…no time to protest and burn things down.

    Thanks for sharing your little guy and his exploits with us! He is adorable.

  10. Bonnie Lippincott

    I do not like winding bobbins . . . what a great help he is. He will be sewing in no time. With his love of tools, a sewing machine a great tool!

    Keep up the great work, you are a very special grandma.

  11. Love the thought of teaching grandkids. My 10 year old grand daughter loves to use my Babylon coronet she recently quilted her first quilt. And we couldn’t be more proud of her accomplishment.

  12. Such a sweet story! You are so lucky he is interested in learning things with you. The quilt can wait, making memories can’t. Have a nice day!

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