To celebrate my 81st birthday, our family had gone out for a special birthday brunch in late July. Afterward, we proceeded to Transfer Beach Park for the Artist Vendor Day in Ladysmith, B.C. During our walk-about, we met eight-year-old Rosie and her grandmother, Jeanene.

While talking with them, I discovered Rosie loved to sew. In mid-August, my son brought me a gift in a brown paper bag: neck and hand warmers made by Rosie. I was thrilled to receive such a thoughtful gift from this sweet young lady.

Weeks later, I met Rosie and her grandmother again down at Transfer Beach. While chatting, Rosie told me she had made a skirt for herself. I suggested that she should enter her project into the annual exhibition in Nanaimo.

At the end of our visit, I gifted Rosie a small yellow, white and grey quilt I had made. Rosie wrapped herself in the wee quilt and expressed a desire to learn to quilt.

At our Fibre Art Convention in mid-September, each member agreed to attract a younger person to join the Fibre Art Network. Soon after that, I read Canadian Quilting magazine’s article about the ‘Road Trip’ Youth Challenge and members mentoring young sewers.

In the following days, I put these two ideas together and thought about little Rosie and her love of sewing. I wrote to CQA and requested the chosen fabrics for the Youth Challenge. One week later the package arrived. I was beside myself with excitement. Would Rosie still be interested? I was so excited that I couldn’t get to sleep.

‘Play Time’ with my new friend

Jeanene and I picked a November day to have Rosie visit my home, see some quilts, and talk about quilting. Rosie opened the CQA fabric package and became thoughtful. We discussed the “Road Trip Youth Challenge” and Rosie was very eager to partake.

After tea and cookies, I brought out my design book and had Rosie close her eyes and picture her trip. I wrote down what she was seeing: a yellow hippy van, piled with suitcases, mountains, blue sky and a mouse. What was closest, what was farthest away? How different items in the distance and up close seemed to be in size.

The three of us climbed up to my studio. Rosie’s eyes gleamed as she looked at my room, the ribbons and my fabric stash. She found fabrics that would work for her yellow hippy van, mountains and so on.

It amazed me that Rosie picked up on the fact that she was letting the fabrics do much of the work for her. Immediately, she had a great sense of what she wanted and didn’t want.

Second Play Date

After Christmas, we got together once again to discuss the size of her project, rulers and rotary cutter safety features. Rosie used a regular-sized iron for the first time as well as the rotary cutter.

She sized up the sky fabric, cut the mountains, drew a road on the back of the road fabric and cut it out. Next, she cut out three rectangles for her hippy vans. Rosie ironed some Heat ‘n’ Bond onto the back of flower fabric and the moose fabric. We discussed stitching the fabrics in place when she got home.

Again, that evening I had trouble getting to sleep; I was just so excited.

Third Play Date

At home, Rosie had carefully cut out small flowers for her hippy vans. She made plans for her moose and cut them out in rectangles. Cautiously, she cut out the license plate fabric. She now knew the yellow ribbon would be her centre road mark lines. We talked about using the remaining moose and license plate fabric for borders.

After deciding how wide to cut the borders, she proceeded to cut them out. We discussed the “hanging sleeve” and how she could use the printer to make her label. Even putting a photo of her on the label was met with excitement.

As she worked away, we reviewed the use of additional tools: spray starch, rulers, felt pens, pencil crayons, glues, embellishments and fusibles. I shared my preferences between Steam-A-Seam Two, Heat ‘n’ Bond’ and ‘Misty Fuse’ products.

We also reviewed some “hippy” emblems, such as certain signs, decorated vans, peace, love, joy, hope and faith. Rosie seems very aware of hippies – how is that possible, I ask myself?

Fourth Play Date

In mid-January, we discussed the sizes of the three vans Rosie wanted, as well as the color of fabrics. She loved the yellow for the big van, and bright pink and bright blue for the other two vans.

She chose several embellishments in my stash: sun glasses, smiley faces, peace signs, tiny roses, sewing machines and so on. We talked about where she wanted her sun and using pencil crayon or stitches to radiate its ray.

Her homework was to add Misty Fuse to her moose and license plates; cut and stitch a yellow sun. Rosie agreed to make suitcases for all three vans, drawing different sizes of mice to ride up top.

Fifth Play Date

On Jan. 25, Rosie showed me her sun with two different colours of fancy threads and pencil crayons. She always has great ideas to add that little extra pizzazz. As she trimmed her moose, suitcases and license plates, we conversed about her home life. She is a busy with swimming lessons, softball practices, tutoring, choir practices and her play time at my home.

Rosie didn’t draw her mouse, since her grandmother had found bunny buttons. Since bunnies run all over Vancouver Island, Rosie felt they would fit alongside her vans.

Next, we attached her road to the background fabric. Using a decorative stitch, Rosie sewed one side of the road. That took longer than planned so next time she will stitch the second side of the road.

Sixth Play Date

When Rosie walked into the studio on Feb. 1, she saw her project up on the design wall. She smiled from ear to ear!

After looking at some of my work, Rosie thought she would like to do trapunto for the vans. Nothing fazes this young lady.

“Before long, you will be doing free motion quilting.”

“What is that?” After my explanation, Rosie thought that would be fun!

She stitched the second side of the road, as well the four borders around the edge of her quilt. Rosie likes to sew really fast, so today was the perfect time to get to play with the seam ripper. The remainder of the day, the machine went much slower. Rosie layered the front, batting and backing fabric for her three vans.

She was sent home to stitch around the edge of each van using a quarter-inch seam. But she had to leave a hole at the top for turning to the right side. She took all of her cut out flowers home with her to decorate her vans.

I explained the “training your brain exercises” for doing her sky, trees and grass. Later, I will let her try free motion quilting if she plays with those exercises. I have no idea if she can manage it. Only time will tell. Again, I was so pumped after working with Rosie, I couldn’t get to sleep. I just want to play with Rosie.

Seventh Play Date

After a two-week break, Rosie and I played together on Feb. 22. First thing, she asked, “Did you get up at 5 a.m. to see the Olympic hockey game this morning?” I immediately thought she might tire early today but she lasted 2.5 hours.

She had not worked on her vans at home but she had practiced “training her brain exercises.” Rosie taped her background to the table, added the batting, then the top. She quickly caught on to pinning the sandwich together using the Kwik Klip to close the pins. Rosie loves to discover new tools each week.

She showed me the exercises she had done on paper, after which she practiced on a “scrap fabric sandwich.” No problem!

Next, we moved onto quilting. She was now really concentrating doing free motion quilting, removing pins when she came to them. When she finally looked at me with a vacant look in her eyes, I knew her sewing day was over. I was thoroughly amazed that she lasted as long as she did.

I can hardly wait to see how the final quilt turns out!

If you wish to mentor a young sewist for this challenge, you still have time. The deadline to submit a photo of the finished quilt is May 1, 2026.