Is your child interested in learning to sew? Or can they already sew and they want to do more?
Here are some great gift ideas for them. . .
A sewing machine! Here are some tips on choosing one for a beginner.
Seam Ripper Every sewist needs at least one.
Needles and thread When I sew with kids I use Size 5 embroidery needles for just about everything. They have a bigger eye, which makes them easier to thread.
Fabric Get a couple of fat quarters of fun prints – and maybe some of this fabulously soft cuddle fleece. Or get them a gift certificate to your local independent fabric store so they can choose their own!
Thread Get a spool each of black and white, plus another fun color or two. Don’t worry about getting thread to match a particular fabric. In my experience kids ALWAYS want to use contrasting thread in a favorite color. Get a skein of black embroidery thread too, for stitching on faces.
Stuffing This is my favorite brand.
Turn-It-All Tubes These are so much fun to use – and they make turning skinny parts right side out super easy. Watch them in action in this video. Get Turn-it-All Tubes here.
Patterns! I have lots of free patterns here. Print a couple out and include them with some supplies. I especially recommend this one. 🙂 It’s perfect for beginners. And, of course, my book Creature Camp is packed with kid-tested softie patterns. Read some reviews of it here and here. And get a signed copy here. I’ll draw a picture in it for you! 🙂
Extra Doodads Fill up some ziplock baggies with assorted buttons, rick rack, ribbon, beads, safety eyes, feather boas, yarn and other fun stuff for hair, eyes, scales and other add-ons.
See all my posts about sewing with kids here. It’s so much fun!
Best,
Wendi
Wendi, a bit off topic, but what kind of machine do you personally use? I’ve recently begun quilting and am finding that working with anything larger than a crib quilt is challenging. Does your machine have a large throat/workspace?
I use a Pfaff Lifestyle machine that has since been discontinued. It feels like a pretty standard workspace to me – though I’ve seen some of the new machines that seem a bit smaller to me.
I’m working on a series of posts and videos teaching a technique called Quilt As You Go. A few sharp-eyed readers have noticed that I’m using it on all the kitty quilt blocks I’ve shared so far. 🙂 It’s one of the first things I’ll be teaching in January and it may be just the ting to help you quilt larger projects.