Is Your Child Ready to Sew on a Real Sewing Machine?
The switch from sewing on a button to running a sewing machine is a big one and can be dangerous if your child isn't ready for it.
It's up to you, the parent, to decide whether or not that time has come.
Choosing a Sewing Machine Although child-sized sewing machines are popular, they are not much use when it comes to actually teaching a child to sew.
If you check out comments online about those that sell for under $50, you'll find that most of them break the thread all the time, or are made of cheap, breakable plastic parts.
They also lack enough work space to put anything larger than a washcloth through, so try to find a machine that is approximately the same size as an adult machine.
You can always use a booster seat if necessary.
Beginners are notorious for messing up when they first start to sew.
They break needles, jam the thread, put the bobbin in backwards, etc.
so you may not be too thrilled about letting them learn on your own machine; especially not if you've just upgraded to a super model that threads itself, has 180 different stitches, and can embroider a pillowcase in 5 minutes or less.
Let them start using your older model machine, or buy one of the less expensive models available these days.
One that doesn't have all kinds of fancy extras that the child will not use until he has a lot of experience running a simple model.
Both Singer and Brother machines offer fairly plain models for around $75-$85.
Either would be perfect for beginners.
Actually Teaching a Beginner to Sew Most kids, watching their mother turn bright colored and printed material into a quilt or a garment are anxious to try it for themselves.
It's fun to teach beginners to sew, but every single one of them seems to want to run the machine far faster than their fingers can move out of the way of the needle so you have to be very cautious when first starting out.
Some fabric stores have beginner sewing books that can be a great help with this "desire for speed" problem.
There are some with dotted patterns that the child follows with an unthreaded needle in the machine.
The patterns are made up of curves and corners that insure a fairly slow operating speed.
If the child goes too fast, he will end up with a finished picture that has holes punched all over the place instead of in neat lines.
Until he or she can show you nice neat lines of holes, he isn't ready to actually start working on a project using fabric.
When you finally decide that it is time for a "real" project, choose something simple that the child will be able to use, or give as a gift.
A doll quilt for a girl or a tool apron for a boy are easy beginner projects.
Others you might consider, depending on the age of the child are potholders for Mom, a set of pillowcases, a cushion cover, or a simple doll to stuff.
An older child may want to tackle a full size quilt for his or her bed.
Be sure to encourage safety and patience from the beginning, and when they finish their first real project, you'll be just as excited as the kids are.
And, in addition, you'll experience a lot of satisfaction from having taught them a useful skill that will come in handy for the rest of their lives.
It's up to you, the parent, to decide whether or not that time has come.
Choosing a Sewing Machine Although child-sized sewing machines are popular, they are not much use when it comes to actually teaching a child to sew.
If you check out comments online about those that sell for under $50, you'll find that most of them break the thread all the time, or are made of cheap, breakable plastic parts.
They also lack enough work space to put anything larger than a washcloth through, so try to find a machine that is approximately the same size as an adult machine.
You can always use a booster seat if necessary.
Beginners are notorious for messing up when they first start to sew.
They break needles, jam the thread, put the bobbin in backwards, etc.
so you may not be too thrilled about letting them learn on your own machine; especially not if you've just upgraded to a super model that threads itself, has 180 different stitches, and can embroider a pillowcase in 5 minutes or less.
Let them start using your older model machine, or buy one of the less expensive models available these days.
One that doesn't have all kinds of fancy extras that the child will not use until he has a lot of experience running a simple model.
Both Singer and Brother machines offer fairly plain models for around $75-$85.
Either would be perfect for beginners.
Actually Teaching a Beginner to Sew Most kids, watching their mother turn bright colored and printed material into a quilt or a garment are anxious to try it for themselves.
It's fun to teach beginners to sew, but every single one of them seems to want to run the machine far faster than their fingers can move out of the way of the needle so you have to be very cautious when first starting out.
Some fabric stores have beginner sewing books that can be a great help with this "desire for speed" problem.
There are some with dotted patterns that the child follows with an unthreaded needle in the machine.
The patterns are made up of curves and corners that insure a fairly slow operating speed.
If the child goes too fast, he will end up with a finished picture that has holes punched all over the place instead of in neat lines.
Until he or she can show you nice neat lines of holes, he isn't ready to actually start working on a project using fabric.
When you finally decide that it is time for a "real" project, choose something simple that the child will be able to use, or give as a gift.
A doll quilt for a girl or a tool apron for a boy are easy beginner projects.
Others you might consider, depending on the age of the child are potholders for Mom, a set of pillowcases, a cushion cover, or a simple doll to stuff.
An older child may want to tackle a full size quilt for his or her bed.
Be sure to encourage safety and patience from the beginning, and when they finish their first real project, you'll be just as excited as the kids are.
And, in addition, you'll experience a lot of satisfaction from having taught them a useful skill that will come in handy for the rest of their lives.
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