Sewing With Young Children

Sewing with young children is a joy!  They have such a natural enthusiasm for creating things, and they love the feeling of accomplishment they get with each completed project.

With very young children, the process is just as fulfilling as the end product.  My little guy had just turned three when he successfully made this cute little owl pouch.  It is essentially a lacing project, so little ones can practice this skill while making something useful and cute at the same time.  He was so proud of it, and promptly filled it with pennies and other treasures.

If you’re looking for one of the simplest ways to teach sewing to little ones, I highly recommend the kits from
Sewing Kits 4 Kids.  They are cute, fun to make, and they teach basic sewing skills.  With each kit, you get the essentials that you’ll need for the project (depending on the kit, you may also need sewing basics like scissors and needles), and there are lots of options to choose from.

Another idea is to make a little basket full of sewing necessities, and then bring it out while you’re sewing with the older children.  Then  your younger ones can feel included and also be happily occupied with their own sewing project.  You can get a basket from a thrift store and gather the other supplies from a local fabric or craft store.  I stocked this basket with an embroidery hoop, scissors, needle threader, craft thread, and pin cushion.

You can gather your own supplies for these baskets, or you can buy them from Montessori Services, which is where this one came from.  Montessori Services sells a number of sewing kits and supplies for young children, and many of them are already put together for you, which saves time and effort for busy moms!

You can include a piece of burlap in a wooden hoop, and little ones can sew whatever design they like on the burlap, using a yarn needle and craft thread.  Large buttons could also be sewn onto the burlap.

When they are finished, you can simply trim up the fabric and hang the whole thing, using the hoop as the frame.  Or, you can remove the burlap and insert a new piece into the hoop for the next project.

A few months ago, I purchased two books to use as I teach my children to sew.  I LOVE these books, and highly recommend them.  One of the wonderful things about these books is that there are projects that will appeal to both boys and girls, and there are projects for beginners as well as the more experienced.

If you’re looking for some great books for teaching little ones to sew, check out Sewing School and Sewing for Children.  The projects are adorable, simple, and very child-friendly.

We  have been gathering supplies to begin our sewing school, and we hope to get started this month.  We have a variety of colorful, fun fabric, felt, needle threaders, chenille sewing needles, Fiskars for Kids scissors,

and some bright and colorful craft thread (all supplies recommended in the Sewing School book).

Another very simple sewing idea is to get a pillow panel from the fabric store.  A few weeks ago, I came across this cute train panel, and I thought it would be perfect for my older son to make with a little assistance from his younger brother.  There are two different train scenes, one for each side.  You simply sew the two squares together and stuff them.  My plan is for my older son to sew these together at the sewing machine, and then have his little brother help him with the stuffing.  The boys are very interested in using the sewing machine, largely due to the electronic aspect!

It’s also very simple to make your own pillows using any fabric that you like.  It’s just two squares, sewn right sides together around the edges, leaving a small opening for turning right side out, and then you stuff it and sew up the small opening.  Squares are very simple!

The main thing to remember when sewing with young children is to relax, be patient, and have fun.  And don’t expect perfection!  It’s okay for their stitches to look primitive, and their seams to be crooked.  Just enjoy sewing together.  With time and repeated experience, they will soon increase their sewing skills, and you will be making happy family memories in the process!