christinedelbrook

Good morning all. I have just joined and very excited to be a part of this. Was wondering about general pointers for beginners quilting/sewing classes for kids. Thinking about running a school holiday program and looking for some ideas, what you have found works best, what to avoid, age range, what project to start with etc Thanks a million.*

GagaSmith

I started my granddaughters with pillow cases, coasters and potholders. They are getting better and better all the time.
My 7 year old DGD, Morgan, was recently making coasters. After sewing around the sides and turning them right side out, she was quilting around the edges on her own. At one point I turned around and she was using the seam ripper. She held it up and said, "When I get my own quilting supplies, I am going to buy lots of these." Too cute.

GagaSmith

Forgot to add, welcome to the board.

christinedelbrook

Hi, lovely to meet you and thanks for the reply and welcome. Great ideas, want to start with something that is manageable but also that they will love and want to carry on with.

How gorgeous that you get to make projects with your littlies. Too cute.

marscrafter

Both my son (10 years old) and daughter (8 years old) enjoy making doll sized quilts for wallhangings. The key with the quilting was to set the speed on my machine to the lowest setting, so they could get used to feeding it through.

When my son was 9, he made a throw sized quilt with large panels and simple sashing. We did the pillowcase method of flipping the quilt inside out, adding batting and then tying the quilt.

The main thing I emphasized to them was to take their time and to make sure that the seams lined up correctly. One of the first projects I started them each on was a four or nine-patch block.

You could also make simple bags or pillowcases like GagaSmith mentioned.

christinedelbrook

Thanks and lovely to meet you. That's a good idea - wall hanging size and slowing the machines speed. A four patch would be good place to start to learn piecing. Tote bags are also very popular and simple. Thanks, that's great.

Pinkiris

Welcome from Wisconsin! You might want to try looking through the "Tutorials" section. There are lots of goodies on there, and you could decide if any of them would work for the age group you might be working with.

My personal advice? Don't let the kids near the rotary cutters!

Dolphyngyrl

pillow cases. I made a doll quilt of precut patchwork squares when I was little

cathyvv

My niece and nephew each made a big 4 patch as their first quilt. It was easy enough that they could finish it in a day.

Whatever you do, make sure the fabrics for the projects are 'kitted' out and cut before the kids enter the room.

christinedelbrook

Thank you all for the great suggestions, definitely wondering how to handle the rotary cutter situation. Probably best to pre cut for them but also want to teach how to use it safely as well. Small manageable projects sound the best I think. Thanks a million and a big thanks for the warm welcome.