Sewing With Kids
When you have something you love to do, one of the best things is getting to share it with someone else. When a child expresses interest in your hobby or career, it is such a special thing to get to tell them more about it. Teaching a child how to sew allows you to share your interest in textile arts and also helps keep the skills going through the next generation. Today we are talking all about sewing with kids!
My own kids were around 3 or 4 years old when they first started expressing an interest in sewing with me. My older daughter asked for a sewing machine for her 6th birthday, and my younger girl started sewing on her machine around the same age. I love when my kids want to sew with me. It lets me share my passion for sewing with them, and they get to see their ideas come to life. Sewing with your kids is a wonderful way to bond and connect, and teaching a child to sew lets you help the joy of sewing get carried into the future.
Today I am sharing my own personal tips and methods for sewing with my own children. You should consider these to be anecdotal and use your own experience and knowledge of your kids’ personalities and abilities to make the choice that is best for the kids YOU are working with. These are the things that worked for my family, but you should do what works best for yours.
Hand Sewing
Stitching something by hand is my favorite way to teach a very young child (preschool and a little older) to sew. A simple oversized and not-too-sharp needle, some embroidery floss, and a scrap of fabric in a hoop is perfect for this. They don’t need to follow any sort of pattern, let them just freely stitch! The motion of taking the needle and thread up and down through the fabric is a perfect intro to sewing. It is a great fine motor skill, lets them have plenty of freedom over their work, and there is no “wrong” way to do it.
Once the child has some practice at this, give them a large button! They can practice aiming the needle to a specific place by working on stitching a button onto the fabric.
When the child feels confident in this skill, draw lines onto the fabric. Let them practice following the lines with their stitches. No specific stitch is required.
If the child wants to continue with hand stitching, there are tons of handiwork projects they can do, including sewing pieces of felt, learning simple embroidery stitches, practicing on a plastic mesh mat, etc. Hand sewing is a great way to introduce kids to sewing before they are ready to try a machine!
When the child is ready to try out sewing on a machine, there are a lot of ways to go about it. The following is how I taught my kids to sew full projects!
Choosing a Pattern
When sewing with kids, help them choose a simple pattern to start with. A bag, accessory, etc., is a great starter project. I also typically recommend a woven project rather than knit to begin. Woven fabric is often easier for a beginner to learn on. Boo and Lu has many awesome free patterns, including these freebies on the website, and these freebies on the blog! A simple tote bag is one of my favorite projects for a beginner!
Cutting the Fabric
Some tips for having kids cut out their pattern pieces…. choose what works best for you depending on the kids’ ages and abilities!
- If you print your pattern, let them help tape the papers together
- If you project, project the pieces onto tracing paper and draw them and cut them out
- Have the child help lay the pieces down on the fabric and place pattern weights- even very young kiddos can do this!
- Younger kids will find it easier to cut fabric following a line than to cut fabric around a pattern piece. Trace the lines onto the fabric, then let them cut the fabric without having to cut around paper pattern pieces.
- Rotary blades are not safe for small hands! Give them scissors, even if YOU usually use a rotary cutter.
- A pattern like a tote bag will be way more forgiving for lines cut unevenly. If the child struggles to cut cleanly on a line, you can suggest that they cut OUTSIDE the line so they can help, and then you can finish the trimming directly on the line. This is helpful if the project is one that precise cutting matters.
- Remember: this is THEIR project, not yours. Encourage and allow them to do as much of it as they possibly can (while being safe)! Set them up for success by assisting in choosing a project that will work well for them!
Preparing to Sew with a Sewing Machine
These are my tips for sewing with kids using a sewing machine… Take the advice that works for you and leave what doesn’t! This is your family and your sewing journey.
- I am a huge supporter of teaching kids to sew on a REAL sewing machine with your assistance to make it safe and fun. Sewing machines that are branded toward kids are often just a toy more than anything. If it doesn’t function well, it will lead to frustration and less success. If you don’t want the child sewing on your machine, a basic but functional secondhand machine will be better than something that works poorly, but will still be budget friendly.
- For an older adolescent who is mature enough to learn to iron, there are some things you can do to make it easier to learn. First, I always lower the ironing board down to their height. Most boards are adjustable and having it at an appropriate height will make it easier to use correctly and therefore safer. Turn the iron down low so it is warm but not hot. Let them begin to learn to iron at a heat setting that won’t burn. ALWAYS SUPERVISE IF YOU HAVE AN IRON TURNED ON ANYWHERE NEAR A CHILD. Safety comes first!
- Use clips! Clips are easier to use than pins and won’t prick small fingers.
- Help align the pieces of fabric correctly, then let the child clip them together.
- Is the child old enough to read? Let them read the tutorial! Have the child read each step and then help them understand what the directions mean. Encourage them to ask you questions! The goal is for them to get to where they can understand the directions.
- Teach them how to wind a bobbin and load it! They’ll probably still need help threading the needle but involve them in as much of the process as you can!
Sewing on a Sewing Machine
- When my kids were little the first thing I let them do was control the pedal while I steered the fabric. Teach your kids that when you say “stop” their foot has to come off the pedal immediately. If they cannot follow this instruction consistently, they are not ready for a sewing machine and should practice more by hand. Place a piece of fabric and start them sewing with you steering it straight. Practice saying “stop” many times so they can practice removing their foot when you say it. Let them learn the pedal and the steering separately. An older child can do both together but little ones benefit from having one new thing at a time.
- Place the pedal on a little step stool or similar to make it the right height for the child.
- Practice directing the fabric by drawing a straight line on a piece of paper or scrap of fabric and have the child sew the line. Do this as often as needed!
- Place removable painters tape on the sewing machine to act as a guide line for the fabric to help with seam allowance.
- Make sure they are well practiced at stopping before they have to remove a pin or clip. Give lots of time for this. Make sure they always have their foot clear of the pedal before they remove a pin or clip.
- Set the machine to a slower speed if possible!
Final Thoughts for Success
When I think about success when sewing with kids, I define it as the child being safe, learning new skills, and having fun. Perfection is nowhere on my radar, and shouldn’t be on yours either. Think back to when you first learned! None of us had perfect projects then (I mean in all honesty few of us do now too right??), but each “mistake” was an opportunity to learn. I always say, “I succeed because I am not afraid to fail.”
Don’t let perfectionism hold you back!
It is totally ok for your projects to have imperfections. I make it a point to let my kids see my struggles with my projects too to help them learn it is not a big deal if something goes wrong. With time and a good attitude it can be fixed!
When I am sewing my own projects and make a mistake, I don’t make a big deal out of it, I just get the seam ripper out and have a good attitude to show my kids that it isn’t the end of the world. It lets my kids know that it is ok for mistakes to happen. It is part of learning. Their projects don’t have to be perfect either. Messy top stitching, corners that are round instead of square, puckers and creases in the fabric are all ok! It is part of learning! If the child feels frustrated to the point of quitting because something isn’t “just right” they are not going to have fun and want to keep learning.
The key is to just keep practicing.
Nothing beats the smile of accomplishment when they hold up their finished project!
I love sewing with my kids, and I hope these tips are helpful to you.
