teaching kids to sew with a sewing machine!
Does your child like to do crafts? Are your kids always looking for kids sewing projects to do? Why not try sewing, it’s an excellent life skill that can be used for years to come. Your child will gain confidence as they learn kids sewing machine skills to take with them throughout their lives. I will give you 5 easy tips to get started with your child today. Click here for a free download to help them practice their stitches on a sewing machine.
1. It’s not about being perfect it’s about enjoying the sewing process!
Frustration can happen if they are trying to get their stitches perfect or if their project turns out a certain way. Remind them for their first few projects it’s about learning and practicing, patience is the key! Another great reminder is for them to go slow when learning, they will want to press that pedal to the floor, remind them to go slow, and enjoy the process. If they take their time to learn and be patient it will pay off in the end and they will get a better product as a result. Choosing a fun project helps too!
2. Start them sewing when they are young.
Kids as young as four years old can start hand sewing and by the time they are six you can help them use a sewing machine, 8-year-olds can usually do their own projects if they have learned the skills of safety and how to thread their machine and basics of the machine. Ultimately you know your child best so use your judgment when starting them with a machine. I always encourage parents to get their child a “real” sewing machine, not a toy version for a kids sewing machine. This makes the child buy in more and helps them to realize that a sewing machine is a tool that they can use for fun projects or for useful things like clothing, or quilts.
3. Make sewing fun!
Turn on some music, or an audiobook while practicing their sewing. Let them choose their own projects. It is much more appealing for them to pick what they want to make, and the fabric they use. Color is such a fun way to add a personal touch and add their personality into the project, encourage them to choose colors they love working with. It might be helpful to pick 3 projects in their skill level and let them choose from there, then they can pick their fabrics, that’s half the fun! Help create a kids sewing kit just for them! How fun to have their own kit of supplies that is just for them!
4. Practice practice practice!
Repetition is key to developing hand-eye coordination which is important when using a sewing machine. Use some of our free Kids sewing projects here on the blog and encourage your child to practice frequently so they can gain muscle memory and understand the steps involved. It’s difficult to retain the information if they are not practicing consistently.
5. Draw the stitch lines for the seam allowance on the sewing project for your child so they can start to learn seam allowances and have a reference when they are first starting.
I have created some practice sheets for your child to use when learning to sew, all you need to do is print them out and they can use their sewing machine to stitch on the paper and practice a straight line, zig-zag, corners, and more!
If your child loves to sew, they would love to learn using our Kids Sewing Machine Course! It takes them from start to finish how to use their sewing machine, how to sew straight, and curves, and how to turn a corner. This course takes them through skill-building kids sewing projects to make along the way, it’s a great resource to learn how to sew!
Happy Crafting!
