crafterhours

sleeping babes. crafting moms.

Learning to Sew at 5

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My recently-five-years-old daughter seems to be at least as interested in crafting as I am. She’s always been curious– wanting to touch and try everything that I have around, making for some nervous moments. Also some cringe-worthy moments, like when she saw me temporarily using my lips to hold pins as I was removing them from a garment. She was probably three and a half at the time, and said “uhhhh… Momma? I don’t sink dat’s a good ideeeeea.” Ooops. You are soooooo right, kid. At least I know where she gets that habit?
She and I are both pretty relieved by pleased with her growing battery of fine motor skills and lengthening attention span. She can finally do more things on her own. She’s done a number of embroidery projects, but… it’s taken time for her to get to the point where she can remember that if the thread is coming out of the front, it’s got to go back through the front to get to the back. It can’t go around. For what felt like a long while her projects were more mommy-intense than kid-intense, which I could only take so much of. I’ve never ever ever considered being an early childhood educator. I know that my patience runs out pretty quickly. 
Since she’s finally ready to work a little independently, when Ann from Elle Sophia Design offered to send a sewing bag and Learn To Sew Projects for K to try, I didn’t have to think too hard about it. I knew we’d both love it.

The Learn To Sew kits are packaged and ready to be given as gifts. I think of this as the higher-end alternative to the mass-produced kits kid’s craft sets at the chain stores. There’s a lot more love in the details to this, and I’d feel much better about giving it. As much as I’d love to give only gifts I’ve made this year, I’d rather add in gifts made by other thoughtful hands than go the mass-produced route. At least that’s what I’m aspiring to this year. (Odds are you’ll see some indication of my success around here.) The directions for the kit were well-written and would make it easy for any non-sewer to follow and help a new sewer along.  

The My First Sewing Bag was personalized and contained a pair of child scissors, a felt needle book and a tape measure. As soon as I put the camera down she used the measuring tape to tell me that she’s 9 feet tall. We’ll work on that.

She’s made a whole lot of progress in terms of remembering how the needle can’t take the long way around.

Here she’s starting what she says will be a candy cane pillow for her Mimi. Sorry to spoil the surprise, Mom.

The greatest threat to K’s new organizational tool: Little sister.

Ann is currently offering 10% off with code ELLESOPHIA10 at checkout. I think the project kits would make thoughtful small gifts or stocking stuffers, and the “My First Sewing Bag” is a lovely invitation for a growing girl to make sewing their own.

Completely unrelatedly, the Spoonflower I Spy Swap 2 is full and participants are placing their orders now. Amazing how much learning happened in the first round that’s made the second round much less challenging. We have swappers from all over the US and from Canada, Australia and the UK. A number of US swappers have offered to help cut fabric for perfect strangers overseas so that they too can participate without crazy shipping times and costs. That makes me feel warm and fuzzy to think about. All in all, so far, so good.  

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Comments

  2. Anita says

    Love this! I don’t have kids, but my nieces (ages 4 & 6) are totally craft-obsessed as I am, and they’ve been wanting to learn how to sew too. They would flip over this.

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  4. Katy Cameron says

    Looks like a cute kit. I remember trying a number of sewing and embroidery projects when I was little (one of which my gran still bravely displays on her living room wall 25 year later) I think it too a while for some bits to click lol

    Chuckling at the little hand sneaking in to grab the scissors in the last photo too

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  5. Alisha says

    And for boys? My six year old son has been sewing alongside me for over a year. He knows how to work my machine, load the bobbin and sew a straight line. I still thread the needle, though. :o) Many beginning sewing projects are geared to girls. Even he thinks his friends would laugh at him for sewing because “It’s for girls.” Uh, NO! I’m showing him how many clothing designers are men.

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  6. Manda says

    I’m not much of a sewer, admittedly. So I am terrified of teaching my kids to sew. I’d appreciate any advice in the way of resources. My 5.5 year old is asking for a sewing machine for Christmas. I told her for her 6th birthday we would get her a machine. *shudder*

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