I taught my GD to sew at about 7. First we sat side by side. She was not allowed to rotary cut because I was fond of her body parts. She did pick the patterns and we sized them for her American Girl 18" dolls. Once she got the 1/4" seam she was off. It wasn't long before she was all by herself. I peeked in from the doorway. If something happened out of the ordinary she was quick to call me. So we just kept getting harder on the projects. Now she likes to design her Halloween costume and allow me to help!