sewing with kids

I made this top, See Kate Sew's Pippa Peplum Top in under 2 hours from start to finish.  There's an adult version too, and she's having a sew-along on her blog.  But honestly, it's such a simple and straightforward pattern that I  hardly even needed to read the directions. 

Oh, and look!  S got a sewing machine for Christmas.  This is the one she got.  Its a Janome 3/4 size Hello Kitty sewing machine.  I admit, I am a sucker for hello kitty and that color.  We started lessons the day after she opened the box, then her friend (her birthday twin) joined us for a 3 day sewing camp.

 

I used a couple of blogs to help with lesson plans.  Ikat bag was helpful with the types of projects that 5 year-olds can handle.  I referred a lot to this post.   Welcome to the Mouse House has an ongoing series on teaching kids to sew with a lot of good info and tips. 



 

 

The girls completed one project per session, which lasted about 2 hours each.  They were super-motivated and such great listeners.

 



 On the last day of our sewing camp, both girls completed this skirt.  It's a very simple reversible skirt with an eyelet trim and elastic waistband. 

Of course, they both needed a lot of help and are not totally independent, but I'm pretty impressed with the progress they've made.