Posted in Crafts, Sewing, Cooking, Etc...

I got the following email regarding the aprons my daughter and I made. 

...Also, your 6 year old did her own? How did you teach her? 
My 5 year old is very interested in learning...but I am just learning
myself.  Any tips would be greatly appreciated.  I know you are a busy
woman..so no hurry.

I had been thinking about writing a post about sewing with kids anyway, so here it goes!  1st off you need to know that my 5 year old is LEARNING how to sew, not sewing on her own.  We do simple projects together.  She has made pillows, bags, a little quilt and now an apron.  I started working with her (And my oldest son for that matter.) right after she turned 5.  The 1st thing we made was a little bag for her ballet class.  I am talking really simple!  Mostly she was learning to cut fabric, pin it and then I sat her in my lap and let her help me guide the fabric through the machine while I sewed it.  Now at almost 6 she can sew a little more on her own.  This means she doesn't have to sit in my lap anymore!  LOL  I basically sit next to her and I either guide the fabric while she does the foot pedal or vise versa.  She doesn't quite have the coordination to do both yet.  She has gotten very good at cutting and she loves to take the pins out!  One of the things I have done with my kids to teach them to sew is this:  Take a piece of white computer paper and draw rows of lines on it.  The let them sew on the lines.  This will help them gain control and learn how to operate the machine without using expensive fabric.  It is really a big help!  I also let them use up all my scraps and make whatever they want.  My daughter actually made some pretty elaborate (for a 5 year old) pillows over the Summer for her cousins out of scraps.   One thing to keep in mind is to start with quick and easy projects.  Let them feel that they have made something really grand!  The best advice I can give you is to just do it! Remember they are just learning and have FUN together!  Here are some free patterns to get you started.


Pampered Pet Patterns

Beach Towel Bag

Apron Pattern

Fleece Car Organizer

Fast Fleece Pillow

Tote Bag

Pocket Purse

Bean Bags

Here are some free online sewing lessons for kids I found:

Free Sewing Lessons - Make a doll quilt

Sewing Lessons for Teens

Free online sewing lesson

Here are a some books that look good:

Sewing Teacher's Resources

Stitches and Pins - A Beginning Sewing book for Girls

Capture the Sewing Bug - 25 Fun and Simple Sewing Projects

Stitches and Pins: A Beginning Sewing Book For Girls

E-Book Boys Can Sew Too!

Have fun and make sure to post pictures of what you create together!