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Tuesday 24 January 2012

Learning to sew with hearts and buttons

A Valentines sewing project

Cakey has been interested in sewing for quite sometime. When she first asked to sew I was a bit stumped as I don't sew. Thankfully, I came across a sewing post from Childhood 101 that suggested using a stiff plastic mesh for young ones. I was lucky enough to come across just such a mesh as part of a cheap sewing kit in a $2 shop. The mesh came with a big plastic needle and coloured wool. I threaded the needle with wool for her and she was away. I was so surprised how quickly she picked it up and loved it.

Preschooler sewing project

Since our mesh experiment we have dabbled with a little bit of hand sewing here and there but generally sewing is not at the forefront of my mind. With Valentines Day looming I made her up a heart sewing kit consisting of:
  • some spare buttons,
  • felt hearts,
  • a large needle, and 
  • different coloured cotton doubled over so that the needle can't slip off.

Fine motor skills sewing

I did give her a real needle, the benefits of using the real thing outweighed the potential for hurting herself... and you know what, no blood was shed in this project! When Cakey started on the first heart she found it frustrating. She wouldn't pull the cotton all the way through and would quickly get the excess cotton knotted and have to hand it over to me. By the third heart she had it figured out. I didn't worry about proper sewing technique which is why some of the edges are folded over. After she finished each heart (ie. ran out of cotton) I would tie it off for her.

For more Valentines inspiration have a look at my Valentines Pinterest Board.

If this is your first visit to At home with Ali – welcome. If you like it, you can follow along via email, RSS, google+ or facebook. You can also find me on Pinterest and InstagramCheers Ali

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13 comments:

  1. absolutely fantastic, she can raid my sewing drawers on her next visit!!

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  2. This is amazing! My daughter just turned 3, so I hope she is ready for something like this. I am not a sewer, so this would be perfect for both of us to do together :-) Really really love this idea!

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    1. I am glad you like and I hope your daughter does too.

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  3. Those hearts are adorable !And didn't she do well with all that sewing!

    Thank you for sharing on Kids Get Crafty!

    Maggy

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  4. Fantastic project for little fingers Ali. Great way to introduce her into sewing. she did a great job.

    -Veronica

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  5. My daughter loves sewing, I should set up a little basket for her. Great job Cakey!

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  6. My son has been asking to sew and I've been meaning to do something like this for him. You did a great job setting this up for her, and she did a great job learning to use all of the supplies!

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  7. JDaniel has just started with sewing. I love the idea of mesh. He would be able to easily get a needle through the holes.

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    1. Yes it was the perfect place to start sewing skills... not that I have many sewing skills!!

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  8. What a fun thing to let her do. I need to get some of that mesh. I bet it would make for a good quiet time activity. Thanks for sharing on Monday Madness.

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  9. SOooo adorable! I have pinned this and seen it get repinned a LOT! So beautiful

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    1. Thanks Anna, and just as this comment appeared I was pinning your baking sensory tub which looks fantastic.

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