I have mentioned this before, but I have a six-and a half year old who is getting into sewing—which completely warms my heart. She and I sewed up this little t-shirt skirt from 2 dollar store tees a week or so ago. She did the casing, threaded the elastic through it, sewed it together and closed the casing–all.by.herself.
And I got the lovely assistant job of trying to make her vision come to life with the small rows of ruffles on the “h” (which was quite the task).
Even the styling is all her….which also makes me laugh because the shirt under the sweater also happens to be the shirt that we cut the ruffles from and is so super-cropped that it is barely covered by the sweater.
But, she loves it. Is so proud of herself. And rightfully sew! I am too.
~Elizabeth
P.S. Any other beginning sewing projects to recommend doing with a 6 year old?
That is very cute!
I remember making doll clothes, doll quilts, and pillows when I was small. Nothing fancy like a skirt!
How about a peasant shirt or dress? There are so many examples in blogland from which she could draw her inspiration.
Your daughter could choose the fabric, deciding if she wanted the sleeves to be contrasting or the same as the body. She could choose the length of the sleeve and how to finish it at the bottom. She’d get to practice seams, casings and hems.
Can’t wait until my granddaughter is old enough to learn to sew 🙂
What about a nine patch doll or crib sized quilt?
oh how i love that! my littlest loves sitting on my lap while i sew. its a little tricky, but i cant help but imagine that she is into sewing as well:)
She did a great job!!! I agree with the smarties above me- a peasant dress or small quilt would be a cool next project. Or maybe a messenger bag?
My daughter just turned 8, and we’ve been sewing together for over a year. One of the first projects we made was a pillowcase. You can applique or hand-embroider on the edge. We’ve made bean bags, headbands, and doll clothes. We’ve made softies and a pincushion from felt (no need to finish the edges!) We made a drawstring bag and a basic zipper purse. Simplicity has several “Learn to Sew” patterns such as this one: http://www.simplicity.com/p-5036-childs-girls-sportswear.aspx that explain each step in laborious detail and are great for when you think she’s ready to read patterns.
I knew you all would have some awesome ideas!!!! I have made a list….thanks a million!
I knew you all would have some awesome ideas!!!! I have made a list….thanks a million!
I made a teddy bear sleeping bag recently that would be great for a brand new sewer! http://Www.ajennuinelife.blogspot.com ( sorry, commenting on my phone so I don’t have the post link).
My daughter had so much fun making a 9 patch quilt for her doll. And in a few weeks we will be making pillow case dresses together for an organization called Little Dresses For Africa. We also have cloth napkins in our future. Hope that’s helpful. Tell your daughter she did a fabulous job!
My son did a couple of rag quilts when he was 6. He wanted it for himself, so we did 6 very large 22″ squares (or 2 per WOF). I drew the chalk line at the proper measurement and he used my rotary cutter and ruler to cut them himself. Then he made the quilt sandwiches and I marked a large X on each of them with chalk and he just sewed down those lines. After that the piecing of the squares was easy. (I ended up doing the snipping cause his fine motor skills sucked and I didn’t want him to have to re sew every seam)
http://dollarstorecrafts.com/2011/01/cupcake-pin-cushions/ this is a very easy beginner handsew project. I usually just glue the “puff” of the cupcake in to the container with fabric glue instead of putting a hole in it but either way works. Plus the mini one is ADORABLE and the perfect use for scraps.