Thursday Tip with Hali - Sewing with kids
Thursday Tip // Sewing with Kids
Getting kids into sewing is one of the coolest things to watch. Their enthusiasm and limitless creativity makes teaching kids to sew such a unique experience. I haven’t been teaching kids classes for long but it never ceases to amaze me how quickly they catch on. From having never threaded a needle to sewing a full project with multiple steps in mere hours! It is very fun to watch and it confirms the popular saying, “sewing is magic” in more ways than one.
Obviously there are still frustrating moments (for the kids and the teacher), but generally, if you keep the learning process fun and limit the “sewing rules” then kids who are already somewhat interested in sewing will probably find the tricky bits just as fun as everything else. Today’s tip will hopefully give you some ideas of how to introduce your kids to sewing. And if you just can’t see yourself being the one to teach them (I see you parents of the never-ending remote learning), then we have you covered! Check out our Kids Classes here.
Keep in mind, there isn’t necessarily a right or wrong way or even a specific order of skills to teach sewing to kids. These are merely suggestions that come from my brief experience and internet perusing. Just ask them what they want to sew and help them build the skills they need to do that.
Start here:
Keep it simple!
Start with a reasonably sharp hand-stitching needle, some thread or embroidery floss and a stable, easy to sew fabric like felt. You might think using a blunt tipped needle would be safer for kids to use but most kids above the age of 6 or 7 (sometimes as young as 5 years old) typically understand the need for safety around sharp objects and will be cautious with their use of it. It will be more enjoyable to sew with a needle that glides easily rather than needing a lot of force to pierce through the fabric. You could also have them use an embroidery hoop and a tight weave cotton fabric so the fabric remains taut which may make it easier for some kids to manipulate the needle through the fabric.
Let them experiment!
When introducing them to the sewing machine, teach them how to use the foot control and practice their speed control without any thread in the machine. Tell them to floor it and then slow down to understand how much control they really have when sewing. Start with sewing on a piece of paper before using any thread. This is one way to avoid any major thread messes while they learn to control the machine’s speed and manipulate the paper as they would fabric. Drawing some lines for them to follow with the needle or a simple dot to dot can make a great practice tool to get them used to raising and lowering the presser foot as they navigate different corners and angles while pivoting the paper.
Keep it fun!
Kids will respond better to a few less hard and fast rules and a few less instructions at the start. Once you have taught them some basics, such as how to thread a needle, a running stitch, how not to poke themselves, give them a chance to run with it and explore the possibilities with what they have been given. If you start with too many sewing terms and the reasons why you want to cut fabric on grain and keep your seam allowance even, they will just get bogged down and it will feel overwhelming. Don’t worry about what their stitches look like, how far apart they are or how wobbly their seams look. With practice and gentle reminders, they will get better and become more confident in their skills and those precision details will follow.
Follow their lead!
If they want to make a monster stuffie with 5 arms or a long rectangular bag with a piece of elastic for the strap - go for it! There is no perfect formula for what to teach first and second and third etc. As they learn you can add more details like discussing the importance of seam allowances, sewing things right sides together and why we backstitch!
In the end, if this just isn’t your cup of tea, we got you! Find our current Kids Class schedule here.
Happy sewing!