Hello Friends;
When my granddaughters were younger, they were so inquisitive of my sewing machines. And honestly, If I wanted to get any sewing projects done, I had to hold them. They have grown up watching me sew and they are so appreciative when I sew them something,
Fast forward to Christmas last year and I hooked them up with their own sewing machines. I started out with teaching them what everything was, its functions, how it worked, how to thread it, and the bobbin, how to raise and lower the foot, how to cut the thread, how to use the foot pedal etc. Showing how to use the foot pedal and keeping their hands away from the needle while guiding the fabric is a must to teach. We wouldn't want any harm to the fingers. Controlling the pedal is tricky. I started out with it completely detached from the machine and just let them get the feel of how fast it presses and how hard or soft it may be to press. This taught them to hold back or press a little harder. They finally got somewhat the hang of it. Then I plugged it up and turned it on. I let them practice seeing how the needle goes up and down and how fast according to how hard you press the pedal. They needed the visual for the next part. I then showed them how to place the fabric under the pressure foot and let the foot back down and told them to keep their fingers a good distance away from the needle. Then and only then were they allowed to press the pedal and start to sew slowly. They have yet to go too fast.
I started them out on scraps of fabric and just let them practice. I explained how important it was to focus and not play around and get distracted. This can cause accidents. The intensity says it all.
I also fixed them up a sewing kit with the proper tools they will need right now and things I wanted to teach them. Good scissors, seam ripper, needle threader, hem gauge, tape measure, pins, pin cushions, etc.
I am getting to the point where I am going to start teaching them to pin fabric pieces together and sew them without running over a needle and to take the needle out and put in their cushion as they sew.
I got a little ahead of myself one time and thought they were ready for maybe a rotary cutter. They loved it and were good, but the oldest got a little slice on her finger, and she wanted to put it down for a while. Needless to say, she picked it back up. That is a good thing.
They have begun to create little things just by using their imagination, and they are cute. Next, I will be showing them how to put pattern pieces down, pin, mark, and cut out.
When teaching children to sew, you take baby steps and most of all let them have a good time.
These skills are becoming a lost art. I remember watching Little House on the Prairie in episodes where Ma is sewing Pa a shirt or the episode when Mary took on a job of mending for the little ole lady to help pay for something. Boy, they sewed the hard way. By hand. They had to be extremely good for those clothes to stay together. I remember the old sewing machines that had the foot pedal at the bottom that rotated a spinning wheel for the needle to go up and down, and you had to keep pedaling for it to spin. How many remember that?
Oh, how I wish we could get back to teaching these old homemaking skills. We are losing our children to so many things today that just make things way too easy.
By the way, these little sewing machines are kid-friendly and beginner sewing machines but have so many functions. They have 12 different stitches, I believe. They are pretty durable, too. They come with a warranty and from Walmart in case you would love to get one for someone.
I hope I have given you some kind of encouragement to teach a child to sew, drag your sewing machine back out and work on a project or two, or maybe go buy a machine and learn. In my 20's I knew I wanted to learn to sew, and my dear hubby bought me my first sewing machine and serger. My momma taught me some basics, and I went from there. I remember my momma and grandmother making me and my sisters dresses and little lace panty cover-ups all the time. Those are such good memories. I'm glad I am now carrying on and passing down this life skill to my grandchildren.
I hope you have enjoyed this post. Have a very blessed day.
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Tracy
Keeper of the Home
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