Little Hands Sewing with Felt

 My little girls have fallen in love with sewing. You know that makes a Momma happy. Little E is now 4 and really wanted to get in on the fun. L is 6 now and can cut out her own shapes and do everything on her own except thread the needle. I'm looking forward to when she can do that! I may need her to thread needles for me one of these days. 

 I cut the outline of the shapes out of craft felt...which is something I have to admit that I may have a slight hoarding problem with. If your little one is good with the sharper scissors I would encourage them to do as much of this as they can. My E is insistent that she's the "baby". She's the youngest of 4 and I think that's a position she is very proud of. She still wants me to do a lot of those things for her.

 

I love having them learn to sew with felt because it won't slip like other materials. I may sound like a meanie..but I don't worry much about the risk of them poking their fingers with the needle. They are gentle enough with it so if it's just a little prick it's not like it really hurts them. We all get a little prick once in a while. It's how we learn. I have been told to keep pins away from my 4 year old...she pins like a pro when I sew.

I give them a threaded needle with a knot on the end and show them how to start. That's all I have to do....that and help back track a time or two. I always give them the needle with the thread doubled and knotted on the end so they don't pull the needle out. Let them try to work out their own knots before you jump in. 

 

Another thing I like about letting them work with felt is that they can make designs in permanent marker.  E made her pumpkin face with a washable marker this time and that makes this not able to be washed or used as a handwarmer (or new most favorite project...post later). Other wise these stuffies are washable. This is a very inexpensive project for craft time and I've seen how my girls want to sit from start to finish with this kind of project.

 

 Because I'm so "thrifty" we fill our little stuffies with soft scraps from other projects. I have a recycled pretzel bin that I toss my tiny scraps in for things like this.

Pride in her accomplishment. 

Why I love New York in the Fall.

I would love to hear any comments on how you've found it fun to teach your little ones to sew. I've really dedicated this next year before E goes to Kindergarten to focus on arts and crafts skills. I've seen what it has done for my 6 year old.