Thursday, May 18, 2017

Sewing Early


 Falling in Love With Sewing at an Early Age
Childhood hobbies can be easy come and easy go. Do you have memories of a childhood hobby which you started with oodles of enthusiasm? One that dwindled into a sad declaration of “I don’t want to do it anymore!”
“Tough! You’re sticking with it,” may have been your mum’s response as she eyed your new guitar or violin or whatever the tools were of your fading hobby.
Then there are those that stick and bloom. Sewing is one that sticks for many, the one which children fall in love with.

Starting Gently
If your kids show an interest, teaching them to sew is a great opportunity to bond with them, to make fun and beautiful stuff, and create some amazing family memories.
Many parents wonder how young is too young to put a kid in front of a sewing machine. Some kids start as young as 4 years old; it all depends on your child. A good rule of thumb is, if they’re interested, encourage them and teach them to do what they can learn at a young age and with your supervision. Certainly, a six-year-old is ready to learn.
Will they stick with it? You don’t want to buy all this sewing stuff to put in storage. The best approach is to encourage their interest in sewing gently with the right tools and fun projects.

Little tools for small hands
Don’t get a toy sewing machine for a kid who wants to learn how to sew. This sends a message that they’re just playing at sewing and their interest is not serious. Instead, go shopping and pick out a kids’ sewing machine together. They can look at the style and colours while you figure out features like speed control and automatic needle threaders, which are important for a kid who’s just getting started. 

No, it’s not a girl thing
Sewing is great fun for both girls and boys. If your son shows an interest in sewing, rest assured that it’s a very suitable skill for a boy. Think of Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger. Sewing with kids doesn’t have to be all frills. There are some great boy things to make, such as hand puppets, which are great for family fun times.  

What shall we make now mum?
The kinds of projects you pick together will be the key to continued interest. For younger kids, pick things that they can make fairly fast. Stuff they can make for themselves is a great place to start. Look for bright colourful projects to make like headbands for girls and belts for boys.
Don’t let your kids interest in sewing fade away. Not every kid who learns how to sew is a fashion designer in the making, though you just never know! But even if it’s just a passing fad, it’s one they will never forget.

Guest Blog written by: Sally Perkins