dublb

Okilovequilts34,have ya made any decisions on how ya are goin' ta proceed? Be sure & show us some picts of what they make!

BellaBoo

You can really tell about motor skills when teaching a young child how to sew. If motor skills are not developed early the kids have a hard time with dexterity later on. In the past very young girls learned to knit, boys sharpened knives and wove nets developing skills early. My generation it seemed every girl played Jacks and cut paper doll clothes very carefully. Boys played marbles and used sling shots. I was surprised that my DGD was the only girl in her 3rd grade class that knew how to play Jacks and could play through the rounds with out missing. Her teacher played with her at recess and all the girls gathered around to learn. Very few could could bounce the ball and pick up a jack. Many got mad they couldn't do it so the teacher had to stop playing with the kids that could. No child could is allowed to have low self esteem feelings these days.

slk350

I remember the first sewing project I made was an apron. It was in my Brownie class (1 st. grade ? ) and it was hand sewn. Don't know what ever happened to it. I do still have 4 cobbler type aprons my Mom made for me when I was a little girl. I also learned to sew on a treadle machine...wish I still had it. I want to teach my grandson (5 1/2 yrs) how to sew on my FW, but I don't know if he can sit still that long. LOL

rrhaigh

I have been teaching my 11 year old GD to sew. She started with paper and following the lines and dot to dots from color books. However, I felt that made her watch the "needle" rather than where the pressure foot is. So, once she started sewing on fabric and needed to make accurate seams I taped painters tape to the machine bed and had her use that for a guide. First she made a pillow case, then a blanket just putting two rights sides together and sewing around, turning it and then top stitch around. Next she made a bag.

Her all time FAVORITE is making STUFFED ANIMALS. She uses coloring book pictures for patterns. Puts the pattern on the fabric and cuts them out and sews them. I am amazed at how accurate her seams are and her corner turning is great. Doing these stuffed animals has taught her soooo much about details. Once she has sewn them and stuffed them she uses permanent marker to make their faces and sews buttons on by hand for eyes. She has made dozens of these and gives them to friends. She is so proud of stuffed animals and never seems to tire of making them!

Neesie

Isn't that akin to saying a child, who doesn't walk early, will never win a marathon?

itsjess

I don't like to use the sewing machine, so I taught my oldest son (6 at the time, now freshly 9) how to sew by hand. He doesn't like to do it now but he likes to tell me what to make. The youngest (when he was 6, now 8) can do his own thing with sewing and it looks more like fabric art than real sewing, but it's wonderful. My goal, though, was not utilitarian, it was to get the pleasure I get out of needle, thread, and fabric. My mother taught us first on plastic canvas... we made tissue boxes for our teachers every year for Christmas. Then we did printed fabric, and trapunto. (I think that's it, we made pillows but the top part was puffy to make certain things stand out, stuffed with stuffing.)

You will give these children memories that will last a lifetime, that I promise you.

RipStitcher

I just bought my granddaughter the new Elna Lotus. She's turning 7 in about a week - this was an early BD gift so she could start working on stuff to enter in the county fair in August.

Her first project that fed her ego in a BIG way was a simple sundress. I'm talking SIMPLE! Walmart sells that puckered sundress fabric that also already has a ruffled hem done. So we're talkin' one side seam and a set of turned shoulder straps. . She pinned on a fabric flower ($2 at Walmart) ... And she was soooooo proud of what she made!

Our most difficult issue was finding REAL scissors that she could work with her little hands. After really crappy experiences with Fiskars & a few other brands ( all chewed fabric instead of cutting) , I finally found that Gingher sells a 4" pair of rounded tip scissors - so they look like typical school scissors, but are heavy and have that glorious "dressmaker shears" feel of true Ginghers.

RipStitcher

PS... I get to "borrow" that Lotus for toting to classes, etc.

GrannieAnnie

As you should be. Pass along a big WTG! to both of them.

Momma_K

I admire any child willing to learn a new "home" project. I have my grand children on the machine now and again and they love it. There is so much undesirable things to find to do on the streets these days. Keep the youth home teaching them a family trade and you'll always know where they are.