Chasing Babies... Growing in Grace: Teaching Littles to Sew

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Teaching Littles to Sew

Over the last year or so I've been wanting to start teaching Sweet Pea handicraft skills. Real, useful skills... beyond housekeeping, which is another post altogether. I've searched and I've searched, but not much comes back. There is plenty on teaching your kids to sew, but not so much in the preschool realm. Most things for the very young (she had just turned three when I started looking) list lacing cards or lacing beads or pasta on a string. Nothing against them, but it's not what I was looking for. I wanted something more... real.

One I did find brought inspiration. So I ran with it.

I grabbed a piece of pink felt, left over from my mom's visit last year, and put it in a hoop.

It's easier for her to turn the whole project over, rather than poke up from underneath.

As you can see, this first project was more about experience (and practicing not stitching around the hoop) than design. But she was so pleased with it!!!

Next, I drew a heart shape on the pink, drawing it on the front and back so she could flip it over to see where to sew also.

Once she was done she decided to make it into a pillow. I layered it with some pink cotton print, drew a line around the edge on the front and back and let her go.

I decided to teach her a running stitch. Maybe not the stitch I would use for the same project, but a good one to start on for her. Not every stitch is on the line, and I do take some of them out for her to do again, but she's learning.

And ultimately, it's about growing a love for sewing. Something she can do that's like mommy.

I'll have to share the results when it's done. But I love that it's a fine little beginner project for her... yet it's still real.

Labels: Heart Strings, Learning for Little Ones, Making Memories, Raising Children

4 Comments:

At July 18, 2012 at 12:18 PM , Megan Southwell said...: Check out finger knitting. Also regular crocheting.
At July 18, 2012 at 7:59 PM , ~Babychaser~ said...: Thanks Megan!!! I think I'm going to try crocheting again this fall... maybe her hands will work then. :)
At July 19, 2012 at 11:17 PM , Kristin said...: Maddie began sewing at about age 3-4. I would give her a scrap of fabric and a cross-stitch (duller) needle and let her sew buttons all over the cloth. She loved it and made a little pillow out of her design, too.
At July 25, 2012 at 9:42 AM , Nola said...: I've had the same problems with my daughter. Also, my own sewing skills are not great (although I am hoping to and slowly learning). I found that felt projects worked well, since felt doesn't fray. I also found that embroidery floss (you can take out some of the strands too) worked better than regular thread. I also found that plastic canvas works well for us. I could even draw a "pattern" on it with marker for her to follow (some of it rubbed off I had to redraw it on a few times). Now we are working on simple projects, like a blanket for her doll and we did a pincushion for her own pins. Both we did just by cutting out the shape we wanted, putting right sides together, and then I drew a line for her to follow with pen (doesn't show through on the things I was using- medium to dark flannel) and then she followed the line. We left a hole and then pulled the fabric through to turn it the right side out. She is 6 years old. I know that she's not ready for crocheting yet, or a knitting knobby. We did try and she's just more frustrated than not. I think those are best for 8 and up but all kids are different.

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Chasing Babies... Growing in Grace

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Teaching Littles to Sew

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