Tips For Teaching Children to Sew

Nearly a year ago, I started teaching sewing classes for kids. At the time, my youngest student was just eight years old.

Right before I flew to South Dakota for Christmas, I decided I wanted to teach my granddaughter (that cute little girl pictured in that photo up there) to sew.  She's almost five years old.  From my supplies, I put together a kit which consisted of various colors of thread and a few needles.

Purchase this kit here.

I purchased this ballerina doll kit from a craft store. After reading through the instructions, this sewing kit mainly had you "gluing" one piece onto another. I did not want to teach her how to glue. 

Using the kit, I did a little prep work to turn it from a gluing project into a sewing project.  I used my sewing machine and sewed some of the items together like the ballerina's tulle skirt.  Then I sewed gathering stitches along the top of the tutu skirt. Next, I sewed the trim from the kit onto the ribbon to create the leotard.  I even sewed together two little sleeves.

Once I got to my daughter's home, my granddaughter was excited to sit by me as I showed her some basic hand sewing skills.  I taught her how to sew with a needle so that the thread doesn't become unthreaded as she sews.  To do this, I had her pinch the thread as she pulled the needle through the fabric.  I let her pull the gathering threads on the tutu skirt so it would fit snuggly around her doll's waist.  Next, we tied a square knot with the threads and hand stitched the threads to the doll's body so the skirt would not slip off and become lost (you know kids, right... always losing things).  We pinned the pieces onto the doll body and then she sewed the blue ribbon leotard onto the doll's body.  Using embroidery thread, we embroidered blue eyes and a little red mouth onto the doll's face.  

  

My daughter and I were amazed at how long my granddaughter sat next to me and sewed.  Usually, the attention span of a child this age is about 10 to 15 minutes.  She sat next to me for at least an hour maybe longer and stayed attentive the whole time.  After about an hour, this is the progress she made on her ballerina doll:

I recommend having all your supplies ready before you teach a child.  Involve the child in each of the steps of sewing like threading the needle, tying a knot in the thread and stitching.  Teach them how to thread a needle, sew with a needle and then how to knot the thread when they are done stitching.  The best way is to show the child and then watch them as they try to mimic what you just showed them.

Keep in mind the attention span of the child you're teaching. It'll help you keep your patience. Hopefully. Also keep in mind the project's simplicity. Children generally like the project you choose to be finished the day you start it, so choose something easy to start with. Do some of the prep work first. You'll be thankful you did.

We tweaked the pattern as we went. For instance, I did not like the all ribbon ballet shoes the kit came with, so I created some of my own using pink felt and some of the pink ribbon that came in the kit.

I'm so glad I took the time to teach my granddaughter how to sew.  It was fun seeing her little hands enjoy the power of sewing.  Go ahead and be brave and teach a child to sew.  Pass along this skill...you'll be glad you did.  xoxo Grandma

Linked to:  Threading Your Way

Fun book for beginner projects:

Refashion Licensed Apparel

My husband has several favorite sports teams he loves.  He usually makes sure our grandchildren have licensed apparel from these teams.  His favorite team though is the San Francisco Giants. He is a die hard fan! I love that he wants our grandchildren to learn to love his teams! Well, as you're probably aware, purchasing licensed apparel can be costly.  Months ago, I was given a child's San Francisco Giants sweatshirt. Sadly, the zipper on this sweatshirt was broken. What good is a sweatshirt you can't zip? Replacing the zipper would have been tricky on this particular jacket, so instead I decided to cut off all the team logos, because they were in perfect shape. 

I then purchased a fleece-lined black sweatshirt for $11.00 from Walmart.  I took those MLB logos, pinned them onto the new sweatshirt and using a close zig zag stitch (see the image above to show you the size and width of the stitch), I machine embroidered the logos in place.  I recommend using the same color of thread as the jacket.

In less than 30 minutes, I had a new Giants sweatshirt for my youngest grandson.

When I showed the newly decorated sweatshirt to my husband, he actually approved. Out of curiosity, I looked to see what a new SF Giants sweatshirt with a zipper down the front would cost, they were at least $40.  

This simple refashion resulted in a nice savings, a happy resourceful grandmother and a darling, warm grandson in his new San Francisco Giants sweatshirt.

Happy refashioning licensed apparel!  xoxo Grandma  

Handmade Christmas - Christmas Tree Hot Pads

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Whenever Christmas time rolls around, I am always stumped over what to give my neighbors. If you have a similar problem, then I have a simple solution for you. Ever heard of "A Handcrafted Christmas?" It's a group of creative bloggers who have joined together for a monthly Christmas Blog Hop where one of us will be making a fabulous handcrafted Christmas gift to inspire and re-create each month.  Our goal is to make a gift a month so that by the time Christmas rolls around we'll have at least 12 gifts ready for the holiday season.  

This is my month to host "A Handcrafted Christmas," and my gift is Christmas tree hot pads -- perfect for neighbor gifts.  You can use scraps of fabric and ribbon to make these because no two hot pads need to look exactly the same. One added bonus to this post is that The Warm Company has agreed to give one lucky winner a yard of their "Insul-bright" lining. Simply follow this blog and leave a comment below and you'll be entered.

1. Gather your supplies:  background & backing fabric 2) 9" x 9" (round all but the top left corner), lace and/or ribbon, Double fold quilt binding bias tape (cut in half) or extra wide double fold bias tape, Insulated lining like Insul-Bright,  tree trunk fabric: 1" x 2",  thin cotton batting is optional, thread, scissors and the free tree pattern found here.  For the tree pattern, make an rectangle 6 3/8" x 6 3/4" x 6 3/4" and cut out your trees.
2. Position the tree trunk and then layer the tree shape slightly on top of the trunk and onto the background fabric. 
3. Cut ribbon or lace and pin onto the tree, tucking the raw edges under the tree shape.
4. With a straight stitch, sew the ribbon and or lace onto the tree shape.
   
5. Change your stitch to a blanket stitch.  This is what it looks like on my sewing machine.
6. Starting at the top of the tree, stitch all the way around the tree's shape.  Make sure to pivot around all the turns.
7. Now you'll layer your hot pad.  The first layer is the tree, then the Insul-bright (insulated fabric), then a thin layer of batting, then the backing.  The backing is "sandwiched" between all the layers and the right side of the fabric will be facing out.  To keep my layers from shifting, I found that temporary spray glue worked the best and was the quickest way to keep those layers together.
8. Take your seam tape and measure 4.25".  This piece will be sewn together first to create the hang tab.  Starting with the top left corner, at 4.25" open up the bias tape and pin one edge of the tape all around the back side of the hot pad.
   
9. Sew the bias tape through all the layers.
10. Wrap the bias tape around the front side and pin in place.  
11. Fold the tab over until it touches the hot pad's edge and sew a square to hold the tab in place.
12. When finished sewing the tab, it will look like this.  Sew close to the edge of the bias tape and all around the hot pad.

Your Christmas tree hot pad should look something like this:

Now, I hate to ruin any Christmas surprises, but if you're lucky enough you'll be getting one of these along with some melt in your mouth homemade rolls. Now that those Christmas gifts are already out of the way, I can rest a little easier come December. 

To enter the contest for free insulated lining to make hot pads, join this blog as a "follower" and then leave a comment.  

The Prize: One yard of Insul-Bright shipped directly to your home. Thank you to The Warm Company for sponsoring this prize!  This product can be purchased at your favorite fabric/craft store.  Just ask for it by it's name. 

The winner, Suzi who personally contacted me.  I love it when someone takes the time to let me know what they think.  xoxo Grandma 

Insul-Bright can be purchased from here:

Awesome Airplane T-shirt

There's nothing better than creating something for a little child that they are passionate about. This little boy lives on an Air Force base and loves planes. So, I searched the web for an image of an airplane I thought he'd enjoy. So, if you're up for putting a smile on a little child's face, then follow the easy steps below! 

First, copy your image onto a blank word document and then stretched the image to the size you want it.  Print off two images of the design you want.  One image will be your pattern and the other will be used for placement of the pieces. Cut apart the image into pattern pieces.  Now, take those images and cut them out of scrap knit fabric.

Then use spray adhesive and temporarily mount the fabric in place onto the t-shirt.  

Use a fabric pen to draw any detail lines onto the pattern pieces.  To help machine embroidery work best on t-shirt fabric, add tissue paper or tear away interfacing to the inside of the t-shirt.  Using a zig zag stitch, stitch the design in place adding all details.

The above image is how your t-shirt will look from the wrong side of the t-shirt once all the machine embroidery is finished.  Go ahead and tear away any of the tissue paper or interfacing you want, cutting all loose threads as you go.

And, that's it! Pretty easy, right? The hardest part of this entire project is simply selecting the perfect image for the shirt!  Enjoy making these awesome t-shirts for any child with these easy steps.  xoxo Grandma

You might like these projects:

Boys & Bugs Shirt

Everyday Tank Tour - SF Baseball Style Shirt

Designing Boys Shirts With Bleach Pens

Baby Blessing Dress Using Mommy's Wedding Dress

My daughter's wedding dress was a classic: lace with short capped sleeves.  Since she was getting married in October, she wanted the dress to look more like fall. So, we paid to have the dress altered and had the cap sleeves removed from the dress and replaced them with lace, elbow-length sleeves (as seen in the below photo). I asked that the original sleeves be saved and given to us, just in case I might ever need to use them. Those original cap sleeves were my inspiration for this baby blessing/christening dress.

To make this blessing dress, I took those original lace sleeves and cut them down to make the sleeves for this baby blessing/christening dress.  In an ideal world, I would have had more of the lace to use, but I can't say I didn't try. I even went to the dress shop where I purchased the wedding dress to see if I could purchase some. Sadly, the store informed me that it could take up to three months to get orders from this company and suggested that I cut into the train of my daughter's wedding dress, which I did not dare do.  So instead, I cut the leftover lace into pieces as shown below and then pinned those pieces onto the bodice in a random pattern. I tried an organized pattern but it looked awful! Then, I sewed all those little pieces in place - a very time consuming labor of love.

The pattern I used was the same one I used to make my daughter's blessing dress over 30 years ago (photos of that original dress can be seen here). 

I altered Vogue pattern #2878 slightly by adding pleats to the skirt instead of ruffles and shortened the dress by about 18 inches.  My daughter felt the original dress was ridiculously long. 

After finishing this dress, it needed a slip to add some volume to the skirt. But I wasn't in the mood to make the slip that came with the pattern because it was almost like making another dress.  Instead, I made a skirt and then sewed it to the bodice of the dress.  Of course I didn't think of this step until the dress was completely finished, so I ended up hand sewing it into place.  

Just look at those old looking hands, those are my hands holding this precious baby on her blessing day. Didn't the dress turn out so lovely?

So grateful that my husband and I had a lot of SkyMiles so we could be there when our newest granddaugter was blessed by her dad at church - it was such a special day!  xoxo Grandma

Linked to:  Project Run and Play You might also like theses blessing/christening dresses:

Here

Heirloom Dress

Using Scraps to Make a Cross Body Purse for a Good Cause

I love it when I can create something fun from fabric scraps. This cross body purse was the perfect project for scraps. So, gather your scraps and let's have some fun! 

To create this purse, I took the leftover scraps from making this dress and sewed them together into larger pieces.  Using my larger pieces of fabric, I was able to cut out the Cross Body Purse pattern. You can do the same thing with all your scraps. First let me tell you about the cross body purse I made.

A charitable organization called Sew Powerful distributes these purses to young girls in poverty stricken countries.  If you haven't heard about this group, you're not alone. I first heard about this organization a few weeks ago. I received an e-mail from one of the companies that helps sponsor this project offering a free pattern to all those willing to make this bag for their charity group, Sew Powerful. The sponsor provided a link to Sew Powerful's site where I read about their program and why these purses are important to young girls.  Here's some of the basic information about this service project:

"CAN A PURSE REALLY TRANSFORM A GIRL’S LIFE?

The purses you provide are used in local schools and clinics in Lusaka Zambia as part of Menstration Hygiene Management (MHM) programs. This simple gift – combined with re-usable sanitary pads and health information can make a tremendous difference in the lives of adolescent girls. Read about the amazing results of our 2014 Sew Powerful Purse Project here. Our ministry partners work hard to educate and inform the girls in their community so that they stay in school and grow in confidence and self-esteem. It really is sew powerful!"

If you would like to help a good cause and you enjoy sewing, this project is for you. To make this purse, you'll need to download the free pattern by registering here.  

So, to get started, gather together all your scraps and sort them out according to ones that work together. 

Once you've got your scraps all organized, sew them together like the two scraps above using 1/4" seam allowance to make large pieces. Once your pieces are sewn, iron all the seams open. Then lay the pattern pieces onto your now larger pieces of fabric and cut out your purse. 

Note: reinforce any seams that were cut before you sew up your purse. 

Then sew together this scrappy purse.  From start to finish this project took me about 3 1/2 hours to make. The pattern is marked as an intermediate level.

It makes me happy to use my skills to serve others.  I hope you will join me in making purses for this service project. The concept behind it is such a blessing to others.

I really like the look of all these fabrics patched together.  The finished result adds a lot of interest to this purse.  Aren't these the prettiest fabrics?  They are from a collection called "Up Parasol," which I found on Pattern Jam's site.  Happy purse making! xoxo Grandma

Linked to: Threading My Way; Charity Sewing, Nap Time Creations

More Purse Links:

Bike Sling Bag

Spring Bag

Seahorse Bag

How to Make a Cascading Ruffle & a Black Lace Toddler Dress

Everyone needs a little black dress (or two or three...). Who says toddlers can't join in this philosophy?  This stunning black lace dress you see on the left was handed over to me by my daughter to refashion for her own little girl.  I transformed it into a classy toddler dress with a cascading white and black dotted ruffle. This is my second attempt at making a cascading ruffle. The first you may remember was here.

This dress request came about a few months ago when, per my request, my daughter sent me several links to toddler dresses she loved. The first dress was finished before my trip in May to see this sweet girl. I also took this partially sewn black dress along for a fitting. When I showed her the second dress, she told me that she only meant for me to make one of the dresses, not both. Being a little of an over-achiever, of course I had made both. I'm sure they will get plenty of use when my daugher has her second daughter in a few short months. 

First, a few details about the dress and then I'll share with you how to make this type of cascading ruffle. 

Along the hem of the dress I added a beautiful three and a half inch wide lace layer to show off that beautiful lace detail.

Since I didn't know how to make this type of cascading ruffle, I asked the smartest seamstress I know, Catherine Griffith. She happens to be married to one of my nephews and blogs at Cathgrace.  She explained to me that I needed to cut a circle into a snail's shell shape.  Thank goodness for her expertise! Since the white polka dot fabric was a little sheer, I lined my dots up before I cut out this ruffle.  Here are photos I took of the process she described to make this ruffle:

When you hold your fabric up, it naturally twists into a cascading ruffle.  After determining the length needed for this toddler dress, I cut off the narrowest end of the snail shell shape.  I pinned and then basted the cascading ruffle onto the center of the neckline.  Then I sewed the dress lining all around the neck area.

For the back closure, I added a 7 inch black zipper to the outside of the dress. Then I sewed five inches of white grosgrain ribbon onto the end of the zipper pull.  If you want to add this accent to a zipper, just make sure you fold the raw edges inside the ribbon and stitch them along the bottom of the ribbon and as close to the zipper hole as possible. Trust me on this one.

 
In case you're wondering about the cups my granddaughter is holding here, the weather was over 100 degrees where this cutie lives. So to keep her cool while snapping a few photos, my daughter gave her cups filled with ice cubes.  As you can see, she loves her ice!

Have a cool summer! xoxo Grandma

You might also like:

Toddler Cascading Ruffle Dress

Linked at: The Dedicated House, Threading My Way, The Dedicated House, Creating My Way to Success