Hello sewing friends! Tamar here from Tamar Hope Designs! Today let’s talk about teaching others to sew! I believe that we should always find opportunities to teach what we know to the next generation. It is a fulfilling and beautiful way to touch the children in our lives and pass our knowledge down through the years.
This month we are doing a Sewing Camp challenge in the Sunflower Seams group! It’s going to be so much fun! But if you’re reading this later, you can still make use of all of the lesson plans and resources for teaching a child in your life to sew!
The biggest thing to keep in mind is to follow the child’s lead. You want the learning experience to be enjoyable. If your pupil is getting tired or has a short attention span, keep the lessons short.
You also want the child to experience success. You know how important it is to cut and sew accurately for a good finished product. Resist the urge to sew part of it for your child, but don’t be afraid to guide their hands if they are struggling. And don’t be afraid to teach them to rip out a stitch if it isn’t accurate enough to result in a decent finished product. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but you do want to help them make something that they will be proud of. If your child is young, you can have him/her sit on your lap and you can control the machine while they guide the fabric with help. However, help only as much as you absolutely need to. I find that typically, if you keep your expectations high, you will be surprised by what kids are capable of.
Let’s get into the lessons! Download the lesson plans. Feel free to take multiple days on each lesson if your child is young and has a short attention span. On the flip side, if your child wants to keep going, feel free to take as many lessons at a time as your child can handle.
Day 1
It is important for kids to learn how to sew accurately before they dive into a project. If they just skip right to a project, it will be frustrating for them. Before you teach anything about threading the machine, put an old needle in your machine and have your child sew along lines on paper. Here are some templates for you to use.
Day 2
Learn the basics of the machine and practice some stitches on scrap fabric. Then let your child pick out their fabric and pattern. I recommend letting your child pick out their own fabric and pattern. They will be more motivated to finish the project if they are excited about the project.
Day 3
Prep your pattern pieces and cut your pattern pieces out. For younger kids, I recommend tracing the pattern pieces on the fabric with washable marker. Then they can cut out the pieces following the marker lines.
Day 4 and 5
Start sewing!!! Go through the first half of the directions on day 4 and the second half of the directions on day 5. Feel free to take a few extra days for kids with shorter attention spans.
I hope you found these lesson plans helpful! And I sincerely hope you enjoyed teaching a child in your life to sew! It’s such a great skill to pass down to the next generation. If you are reading this in June 2025, make sure you head to the Sunflower Seams group and post pictures of your progress on the Summer Camp progress posts to be entered to win a prize package for your newest sewist!!!
Happy teaching!
Tamar