I decided Christmas this year would be lessons for all the grandkids instead of our usual “play-for-three-day toys.” Of course, dance was the easy option for Vashon granddaughters. Federal Way grandkids posed a few problems. I knew my 8-year-old loved to create and wanted to learn to sew. So a box of sewing pins and a picture of the quilt shop was the perfect present. Christine wanted my granddaughter’s first lesson to be private so she could give her undivided attention.

Just walking through the hanging quilts was every lesson in a college art appreciation class. This 8-year-old and I talked about design, repetition, lines and color, then on to abstract and representational art. Then Christine got a hold of her. After machine basics and sewing needle designs on paper, bags of fabric samples were up for grabs. Of course the emphasis was on doing things right the first time, which I have never learned. Ironing as you work brought a squeal of delight getting to use an iron for the first time. A little clutch purse was the result.

After two-plus hours, my charge was $20. For my granddaughter, the beginning of new possibilities and an experience that never would have happened without this special Vashon quilt shop. Is there anything we can do to save it?

— Susan Wiley