In this kids sewing lessons level 4 we will work on sewing elastic,
using the iron, working with material and starting to use patterns with
these kids sewing projects. This is where they really learn and
experiment with the sewing machine. Kids are really getting the hang of
things now and they want to do more and be more creative.
The recommended age for the moderate level is starting at 12 year olds, however,
each child is different, so, the age is a rough guideline. If you are
just joining kids sewing lessons, look through our past lesson levels
before starting, regardless of age.
Always remember to wash your fabric before sewing with it, if it is
new.
Kids
Sewing Lessons 1 Using the Iron
Explain how to properly use your iron. Kids should use the iron with
adult supervision and be cautious to never touch the bottom with your
hands or leave the iron lying down on the ironing board. As you start
making clothes or using patterns, you will need to use the iron for
certain things, such as pressing a seam flat before sewing it to a
different piece. You can do a simple project, such as patching a hole
in a pair of pants or creating a new shirt with an iron-on transfer.
Learn how to use a seam ripper safely and properly. You'll need to
practice this a lot. There are times when you will need to rip seams
out. Even advanced sewers have to rip things out occasionally. On a
scrap piece of material sew several rows of stitches. Use the seam
ripper to rip out your seams. It may be frustrating to make mistakes
but ripping out mistakes is something everyone has to learn.
After practicing try these Recycle
Your Old Tie Projects.
Kids Sewing Lessons 3 Top
Stitching
Top stitching is just a basic stitch that is stitched over the top of
the fabric. It gives the project a finished look. Do this sewing
project to practice.
We did a project in the previous lesson using elastic. See Sew
a Hair Scrunchy.
This time we will make a casing to insert your elastic into and create
a waistband. A casing is like a tunnel that you will push the elastic
through.
Do this kids sewing projects to practice-
Darts are a long triangle, with the flat end on the edge of the fabric.
Pleats are shaped like a rectangle. Watch these two videos and practice
on scrap material.
How to Sew Darts
After
watching this video, take a piece of scrap material and
draw a triangle with a fabric pencil. (This is demonstrated in the
video.) Fold triangle and match ends. Pin at bottom point. Pin at the
top making sure the ends match. Sew starting at the bottom and
backstitching.
How to
Sew Pleats
To help understand what a pleat is and how to sew a pleat watch this
video.
You can practice folding and sewing pleats by drawing a rectangle on
the edge of a piece of scrap material. Fold your material so the two
long edges meet, pin, but you will only sew across the top edge and
then press with an iron.
Kids Sewing Lessons 6
Decorative Stitches
Different machines do different stitches. Every machine has a manual
that will tell you the stitches your machine does. Some stitches are
just for decorations, but some not only can be decorative, but actually
have a purpose. Some of these may include:
Blind hem stitch, which sews a hem without it
being shown.
Shell Tuck stitch. This sews a lace like edge.
Elastic stitch sews on elastic so that it can still stretch.
Read
through your sewing machine manual and discover some of the stitches
that can be done. Your machine most likely came with several pressure
foots as well like the buttonhole foot or zipper foot. We will learn
about these later on.
Practice on scrap material different stitches your machine can do. To
practice: Appliqué Shirt Project
Kids Sewing Lessons 7 Gathering
We learned the gathering stitch in the previous lesson. In this lesson
we are going to practice with gathering and sewing pieces together.
Once you are making things with patterns you may use this same
technique in sewing on a sleeve or something similar to this project
below.
Anytime you buy patterns and sew you will need to learn to lay out your
material and cut exactly. In this project, we will practice laying out
and cutting a simple pattern. All you need is a pair of shorts (for you
or a younger child) and a simple t-shirt.
Kids Sewing Lessons 9 Field
Trip Sewing with Your First Pattern
Perhaps you've been to the fabric store before and even bought material
for previous lesson projects. Read Fabric Store Field Trip then
come back to this lesson.
Read and print off the field trip. Pick out a pattern in your size but
try to stay away from buttonholes or zippers for now. Look for an
elastic waist shorts, lounge pants or elastic skirt. These are good for
a first project. In the next level you will be able to experiment
further. Right now we want to practice the skills you've learned thus
far.
On the back of the pattern it will tell you how much fabric
you need
for your correct size. It also will tell you the type of material
suggested for that pattern and if you need any notions or other items.
Notions are items to finish your clothing such as buttons or zippers.
The pattern will also tell you if you need interfacing, bias tape or
other items. You can look at other patterns for examples but save items
with zippers, buttons, etc for our next sewing level.
Pick out the material you'd like to use for your kids sewing project.
Stick to cotton or cotton blends when starting with patterns, more
slippery material usually only ends up in frustration at this point.
Kids Sewing
Lessons 10 Following a Pattern
For this first project try a simple pattern. Each pattern comes with a
sheet of directions. Included in the directions is how to lay your
material out, positioning your pattern pieces and step by step
directions to sew your project. This is a great guide to help you with
your project so read and follow the instructions. Wash your fabric
before using it. This helps the finished project to not shrink.
There
are arrows on your pattern pieces. These arrows should go with the
grain of the material. If you follow the layout in your pattern
instruction it will lay correctly. If not you need to be sure the
arrows go with the grain. If you don't, it can affect the way your
clothes hang when you wear them and sometimes they'll stretch and wear
out differently which eventually makes your project fit strangely.
Also, the arrow line should be measured from the selvage edge and be an
equal distance-perfectly parallel to the selvage. You should start with
your arrow line and pin it and then pin the rest of the pattern piece,
unless it's on a fold and then you pin to the fold first. Before you
start cutting it out, lay out all your pieces and doublecheck for
accuracy. Pin the pattern pieces to your material. When you are sure
they are all placed correctly you can start cutting.
Kids Sewing Lessons 11 Experiment
with Different Material
Sewing on satin material compared to cotton is a big difference. Satin
is slippery and hard to stay in a straight stitch. Find several scraps
of material with a variety of textures and sew several rows of stitches
on each. Practice stitching and compare what is easiest to work with.
See and feel the difference and how the machine will act differently
sewing these materials. A great place to find odds and ends of material
is in a remnant pile. These are pieces of material that are left at the
end of a bolt of fabric and are usually less than 1 yard.
Look back at previous projects and sewing levels for more kids
sewing projects from these
kids
sewing lessons Level 4.
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