Saturday, May 5, 2012

Training Wheels - Live Free or Die Part 4




This is the fourth in a series of posts about my recent trip to New Hampshire, April 27-30, 2012.

Both of the grandkids were learning to ride bikes.  Madeline (age 7) was learning to ride a “big” bike without training wheels.  She was riding like a pro in no time.   Garrison (age 4) was learning to transition from his Big Wheel trike (where one can pedal backwards without braking) to a bike with training wheels (where back pedaling will cause you to brake, and jerk, and get frustrated).  

Once he got the idea of pushing FORWARD on the bike pedals, with some patient coaching from Daddy, he was off!!  By the end of the day he was circling around a parking lot determined to keep up with his big sister. And, as is often the case, I learned something from my grandchildren in watching their learning process.



As a quilter,  I know I need to take my “training wheels” off and learn to free motion quilt.  I will pay to have my special occasion quilts professionally quilted by a “longarmer,” but I have too many quilt tops (UFOs – unfinished objects) that really need to be quilted—and I’m too cheap to hire out all that quilting.  

I have a pretty good sewing machine (my trusty Janome QC), and machine quilting “feet,” and books with continuous line patterns for machine quilting –but I just seem to tense up every time I take off the walking foot.  The walking foot is the equivalent of my “training wheels.”  I’ve signed up for a virtual free-motion quilting class on www.craftsy.com, but I hyperventilate while watching it.  I’m truly free motion phobic.  

Maybe this year I’ll finally gain the confidence to go beyond training wheels quilting to real free motion “liberated” quilting.  Whee!

TTFN
LeAnn aka pasqueflower



2 comments:

  1. Your being followed by www.sophiasstudentsavingsguide.blogspot.com

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  2. Isn't it wonderful watching the grandkids learn new things. I know you can do it. I have faith in your skills.:)

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