Sewing with children: "Getting creative with a feel for the rhythm!"

Sewing with children is fun and very meaningful, because little ones learn much more than just how to handle fabric and thread creatively.

The most important things at a glance

• in this article you will learn why sewing with children is so meaningful
• we explain what you should look out for when getting started
• and which fabrics and projects are suitable for sewing with children
• At the end of the article, you will find projects that are perfect for sewing with children
• Learning to sew fosters creativity and builds self-confidence
• Sewing together with children is true quality time

Why should you sew with children?

Sewing is a creative and extremely useful skill that children can learn from an early age. It promotes fine motor skills and concentration, and children can be proud of their own creations. Furthermore, sewing offers a great opportunity to spend time with children and be creative together. In this article, we will explain how to teach children to sew and which materials and projects are suitable for beginners.

We sewing enthusiasts look for challenges when it comes to our hobby. But what about children? Perhaps you have already asked yourself whether it makes sense to sew with children.

My colleague Birgit Kühr has been teaching sewing courses for children for many years and has a lot to share on this topic. You can find Birgit's website at Textilkreativ-Club. Feel free to take a look. You will not only get an insight into Birgit's work beyond SewSimple, but also have the opportunity to get free tips on being creative with children.

Sewing is a wonderful, versatile hobby that offers many possibilities. Birgit reports that sewing trains the following skills:

• Motor skills and fine motor skills: Handling materials and machines gives children the opportunity to develop their motor skills
• Self-confidence: experiencing oneself as competent is a far-reaching and fundamental experience for children
• Knowledge of materials: working with different fabrics gives children access to various materials and encourages them to learn new things
• Appreciation: Experiencing how long it takes and how much effort is required to sew a project oneself teaches children the value of products
• Respect: Children can learn to treat machines and materials with respect and understand that a well-treated sewing machine makes desired results possible
• Sustainability: Children can learn to repair their clothes, sew on buttons, and darn small holes
• Frustration tolerance: learning that you can succeed even if it is difficult; and that perseverance pays off
• Handling machines: Losing the fear of machines, materials, irons, etc., and becoming comfortable with using them is an important and formative experience
• Concentration: Completing a project requires concentration and patience for the individual steps. However, sewing is a hobby where you quickly have results in your hands. So the focus on the work is quickly rewarded.
• Creativity gives children the opportunity to learn a creative approach to problems and questions

At what age can you start sewing with children?

Although Birgit has sewn with kindergarten children, she generally says that children at the age of 6 are usually fit enough to engage with the topic of sewing on a sewing machine.

Before then, you can offer smaller sewing projects with needle and thread, such as sewing simple doll clothes.

Handling needle and thread is a very good start – also because it promotes an understanding of sewing in general. You can make it easier for your child by, for example, punching small motifs into sheets of cardboard. The young sewing fan can then stitch through the holes with needle and thread to see which motif emerges.

It is important to choose projects that are appropriate for their age and skills, and it is helpful to provide clear instructions and simple patterns.

Children should always work under the supervision and guidance of an adult to ensure they are sewing safely and responsibly.

What do you need to consider when sewing with children?

Safety first: It is important to make it clear to children from the outset what dangers can lurk when sewing with a sewing machine. And do so without scaring the child. Because if the worry of getting hurt is too great, many children won't really dare to get started.

This is how you can proceed:

• Explain the function of the sewing machine to your child calmly
• Look at the individual parts of the sewing machine together
• Use the handwheel to show how the needle moves up and down
• Let your child get a feel for using the foot pedal

My tip: If you don't feel confident enough to pass on enough sewing knowledge, you can watch my online course "The Sewing License" together. In it, I explain the basics step by step and guide you through tutorials.

Which machine should you use for sewing with children?

You don't actually need a special children's sewing machine to teach them to sew. But of course, it's nice if the machine your child uses is manageable and not too huge.

A good, but rather small sewing machine is just right. However, Birgit points out that it is very sensible to buy a sewing machine with a free arm. Then children have the opportunity to guide projects over the free arm. This makes handling round seams much easier.

Before you buy a machine, ask friends and acquaintances if someone has an old sewing machine they would lend or give to you. Even if the machine hasn't run for a long time, it is worth having it serviced and checked over. For around 50 - 80 euros, you can get a well-running, used machine.

If you can't get a machine, look for the following features when buying one:

• the child should be able to carry the machine – but it shouldn't be too heavy
• don't buy trendy gadgets, but a normal, quality sewing machine (you can always put a sticker on it)
• the sewing machine should have a carrying handle so it can be transported safely
• the accessory box should be removable so that the free arm can be used
• if possible, the sewing machine should have a speed control, so the child can adjust the sewing speed to their skills

Recommended sewing machines for children include the following:

• Brother Little Angel^*: The machine costs a little over 100 euros, is equipped with a free arm and the most important functions; overall, it is uncomplicated and solid and can even withstand minor mishaps.
• Kullaloo Computer Sewing Machine:^* With a small display, adjustable sewing speed, finger guard, and all the features that a large sewing machine has. Also comes with a free arm. Not intended only for children, this sewing machine will accompany the little sewing fan for many years.
• W6 Sewing Machine^*: For around 150 euros, this sewing machine has everything you need for several years of sewing experience. Birgit acquired such an affordable all-rounder for her sewing courses, which is also easy for children to operate.

Which sewing machine settings should be taken into account?

If the sewing speed can be adjusted on the sewing machine, that is a great advantage. Because often (even for adults, by the way) projects simply go wrong because you are moving much too fast.

Many machines therefore have a speed regulator with which the sewing speed can be adjusted individually. The Kullaloo sewing machine is one where the controller can simply be set to the perfect speed. How fast or slow the sewing machine should sew can be tested in advance on a test piece.

Which fabrics are suitable for sewing with children?

It is best to use fabrics that don't have a "mind of their own." Anything that is slippery, elastic, particularly fine, or curls up nastily is not suitable for the first hours on the sewing machine.

However, patchwork fabrics, cotton poplin, or decorative fabrics are very suitable.

Birgit's tip: Old shirts, blouses, or discarded bed linen are wonderful for initial sewing projects. Children can conjure up great upcycling projects from them.

How should instructions be written so that children can implement them?

If you are looking for sewing instructions for children, definitely check in advance whether the instructions are action-oriented. It is important that every step is illustrated and explained. It is even better if there is an additional video. You can watch it together and thus understand the necessary work steps.

Ensure that projects are not too complex and correspond to the child's skills (including cognitive ones!). If children feel overwhelmed, it can happen that they lose courage and then no longer dare to finish their project.

My tip: Sewing books with intermediate steps will help you keep track.
My sewing book "Just Sew"^* is aimed at all sewing beginners and can also be used for sewing with children:

^*

Which materials are suitable for sewing with children?

When choosing materials and accessories, make sure to keep everything simple. A sturdy ruler, a good pair of fabric scissors, proper sewing thread, and tailor's chalk are also a matter of course for children.

Handling fabric scissors takes some practice, but is a fundamental experience for learning to sew. Please avoid scissors specifically for children, as they usually don't live up to their promises.

• It's a different story with professional scissors with rounded tips^*. Such scissors are available from Prym, for example. They are small enough to be safely handled by children. And they also offer the advantage that the risk of injury from the rounded blades is reduced.

• In addition, a small embroidery scissor^* should be on hand, with which threads can also be cut close to the fabric. The Paul scissors linked here are among the best available on the market. And, furthermore, the price is absolutely okay.

• Fabric clips are often a good alternative to sewing pins, as the risk of injury is lower.

• (Not only) great for beginners: A chalk pencil. I recommend the one from Koh-i-noor^*, a real classic that is refillable and well-made.

• A handy ruler completes the child-friendly equipment
  

Shopping list to get started

• small, child-friendly fabric scissors^*
• thread snips^* (not too pointy)
• fabric clips^*
• tailor's chalk pencil^*
• sewing gauge^*

What can children use to practice sewing?

Before heading to the sewing machine, children can practice sewing on paper. You can help them by having them draw geometric shapes and then sew over them with a straight stitch.

Once that works well, you can move on to fabric scraps. Keep going until straight seams and zigzag stitches work well. And then it's on to real projects. :)

How is the best way to start now?

First, of course, choose a suitable project and have the washed fabric ready. Is the fabric already ironed and the pattern printed out and cut? Of course, the pattern is cut with paper scissors, not the good fabric scissors!

It's best to start by threading the sewing machine and winding the bobbin. Once the machine is ready, you can prepare the pattern. See if your child wants to start directly with pins, or if fabric clips can reduce the risk of injury. Sooner or later, the moment will come when using pins becomes second nature. Then, pins with a grippy head, like the purple pins from Prym^*, are a good idea.

Learning to sew with children in 6 steps

You can do a lot to make it easier for children to get started with sewing. It is especially important to choose a time that is calm and relaxed. You should both be relaxed, too. The time window you choose for your first shared sewing experience should leave enough room so that you don't have to work with your eyes on the clock.

Step 1: Sewing by hand

So that your child understands the principle of sewing, Birgit recommends practicing sewing with needle and thread by hand first. A few simple stitches like the running stitch, backstitch, or mattress stitch are well-suited for getting into sewing. You can also practice threading the needle right away.

Birgit's tip: A double thread with a knot in it is well-suited because it cannot slip out of the eye. Especially at the beginning, excessive frustration should be avoided.

Step 2: Practicing ironing

Even if you avoid the iron yourself: ironing must be learned. And it is simply part of sewing. It works particularly well with a small iron, for example with a mini-iron from Prym^*. That is the iron Birgit likes to work with. The iron has a knob that children can use to guide it safely.

Birgit's tip: It is good to start sewing without steam. Literally. Because children can hurt themselves on the steam just as easily as on the hot iron.

Step 3: Explaining materials, terms, and accessories

Look at the basic sewing accessories together and talk about what the individual helpers can be used for. And also how to use them. It's best to try them out on fabric scraps so that your child feels confident handling the accessories.

Birgit's tip: It is important to clarify the meaning of sewing terms. What does "right sides together" mean? What does it mean to cut fabric on the fold? How do you sew "presser foot width," and so on...

Step 4: Getting to know the sewing machine

Next, get to know the sewing machine together. Winding the bobbin, threading the machine, using the handwheel, trying the foot pedal, raising and lowering the presser foot, turning it on and off – talk about the functions of the sewing machine.

It is very important to make it clear to children that the sewing machine is not a safe toy: cables should be positioned so that they neither sew over them nor trip over them. Keep long hair away from the take-up lever! Also, the foot should be off the pedal when hands are near the needle. It makes sense to show children how to guide the fabric while sewing and that their little hands should not be in the immediate vicinity of the moving needle.

Birgit's tip: If the sewing machine has a speed controller, set it to the lowest speed. Over time, the sewing speed can be adjusted.

Step 5: Cutting fabric and sewing the first seams

Grab a piece of cotton woven fabric and let your child cut out a rectangle. Then, iron the piece of fabric in half. Then the first seams can be sewn. You can talk about how the machine feeds the fabric, and how the fabric is guided gently.

Step 6: Finding and implementing first projects

As soon as the first seams are successful, you can move on to the first "real" project. Do not choose projects that are too large. It is enough if a few straight seams are necessary. Next time, it can be a bit more demanding. But not much. Take it slow and approach suitable projects step by step.

Which projects are suitable for sewing with children?

Children can start with simple sewing projects like cushion covers, bags, doll clothes, or toys. Projects like pencil cases or tissue pouches are also a good way to learn to sew. Especially at the beginning, it is important to choose projects with children that are appropriate for their age and abilities. It is also helpful to provide clear instructions and simple patterns so that children can learn to sew and practice independently.

Birgit recommends the following projects for the first sewing time:

• Sewing a shoe bag
• Sewing a wetbag
• Sewing a cushion cover with hotel closure
• Sewing a loop scarf
• Sewing a baby bandana bib
• Sewing a headband or hairband
• Sewing a doorstop
• Sewing a key lanyard
• Sewing a drawstring bag
• Sewing a placemat
• Sewing an origami bag
• Sewing a scrunchie

Sewing clothing with children

Of course, it's a very good idea to sew clothing with children, too. Unfortunately, most patterns are rather complicated. But if you choose a very simple shirt that consists of only two pattern pieces, you can get started right away and celebrate your first successes. Our children's shirt MEENE is an example of such a pattern, which is cut and sewn in no time. Of course, also with the sewing machine.

Do you have any more questions or suggestions on the topic of sewing with children? Then write to us in the comments! We look forward to reading from you.

Happy simple sewing, Sabine & Birgit

Frequently asked questions