i was wondering how old a child should be to teach her how to sew and if theres a place that has free easy small projects to
teach them with. i have a 10 yr old neice im going to have for a week or 2 this summer and wanted to see what i could teach her as shes probably going to inherit my stash if shes interested someday lol
carla

I started at age 5 w/ doll clothes from Mom's scraps - thought they were fabulous, but see them now & just laugh.

I'd begin with a simple project she can finish quickly - how about pillowcases - many tutorials available on Utube & this site.
Another idea - cloth napkins in pretty fabric.
If she likes these, then move on to a simple 4 or 6 inch squares pieced lap quilt.

start with something simple, a pillowcase, tote, etc. My first project was a potholder.
my sister drew lines, circles on paper. i had to be able to follow them sewing with an unthreaded machine before i could start sewing for real.
Let her pick out some fabric she really likes then chose what to make. she may even want to start with a quilt.
my kids grew up around me sewing yet had no interest until the quilt bug bit them. now they all sew and quilt, I'm constantly amazed at what they do.

Ten is perfect. I get a little nervous when I hear of 4 year old around machines on here. The coordination to keep the fingers safe just isn't there, but I've taught lots of little ones 8 and up. Potholders for mom - pillowcase for self, etc.

I started my granddaughters on pillows & pillow cases. Totes are easy and fun, They also made simple small stuffed animals for their new baby brother. They are 10 & 13 now. We just don't sit at it too long of a time. The attention span isn't long yet. Have fun!

If she has expressed an interest in sewing definitely take her to a class. Our LQS has summer sessions for children. If not your LQS, look online or at Joann's for a short project you could do together. If she is not interested in sewing, don't attempt to persuade her...it probably wouldn't be fun...simply ask her what she would like to do. Above all, whatever you do, enjoy yourselves and laugh a lot.

I sewed a bunch of Barbie clothes when I was little and had a blast. My mom gave me some of my dad's old holey clothes and a few socks (because I was little and cutting a sock in half to make a simple tube dress was definitely the easiest way to make Barbie clothes!) and her sewing kit and let me go to town. I didn't really make anything properly and I know for sure that a good few of the dresses I made involved me getting frustrated and just kind of wrapping the dolls in fabric and then wrapping the doll in string to make the dress stay (haha) but I DID really enjoy it and I still remember my mom helping me thread the needles!

I made my first dress for myself when I was 12. My grandma helped me. I had sewed by hand and a little on my mother's Singer treadle before that. Made doll clothes by hand when I was 6 or 7. When I took home ec, the first thing we did was learn the parts of the sewing machine and then we had paper with straight lines and spirals printed on them. We had to sew these until they were good enough to start sewing fabric. It was boring and frustrating but it sure helped learn how to feed the fabric.

My granddaughters are 8 and 6, but too far away for me to teach them and their mother does not sew. Maybe next time I go we can go buy fabric and make potholders.

My daughter is 2 and us a great fabric picker! She often sits on my lap while I sew. I'm teaching her on the treadle slowly. She holds onto the cabinet and rocks up and down on the pedal while I move the fabric. She has a ball and it tires her out.

Never to young to get em used to the "rules" and let them do the fun parts (that are not dangerous) I have an 18 mth old quilting buddy (a cousin) and she loves to sit on my lap as I sew sometimes, loves to hand me the next piece lol. Also teach a 10 yr old cousin, a 10 yr old neighbor girl (she has 3 brothers and likes to escape sometimes) on the sewing machine, and a little bit of cutting. My 5 yr old loves all of it (watching only with cutting and sewing machine).