I'm new to blogging, but excited about sharing with you some of my projects and experiences, mostly related to sewing. Hopefully, some ideas will help and inspire you in teaching your children.

I have a 4 year old granddaughter, Grace, that I watch every Thursday afternoon, and who has been begging for me to teach her to sew. Until now, I had been putting her off because of short attention span and lack of small motor skills, coupled with some eye problems. Last week we found some fabric she loved and decided to make a pillowcase the next week. The challenge was, how to prepare and teach in a manner that the project could be completed at her level in 15-20 minutes.

Prior to her arrival I cut it out and finished the edges. I prepared the machine by having it threaded, and took some masking tape and marked 5/8" seam allowance all the way to the front of the cabinet. This way she could guide the fabric from a distance and keep it more accurate at the needle.

I found she loves to pin! To make it easier, I had her use the largest quilters pins I had. When we began sewing, I first tried putting her on my lap, but found I couldn't see around her well enough, so I brought in the car booster seat which worked perfectly. I sat beside her and ran the foot control, as she guided the fabric. During the process she learned to guide the fabric straight, put in pins (and take them out!),  how to back stitch, raise and lower the presser foot, and turn the hand wheel for needle up and down position. She may not have done the entire project herself, but a lot of learning happened here, and shew as as proud as proud can be of her pillowcase. She will learn threading, parts of the maching and other skills with time. Right now, she's still begging for more, and that's what I want to hear! And continue to hear!

I have always felt it is very important to get the kids onto the machines as soon as possible. They lose interest when you spend too mcuh preparation time in learning all the parts, stitching paper until you can stitch perfectly, etc. I like to start with pillowcases because a child always sees success, even when the lines are squiggly, and can complete the project in a relatively short period of time.

I'll keep you updated on my experiences in teaching one so young to sew and would love to hear your thoughts and questions.

Below is Grace and her new pillowcase.