Looking to teach your kids how to sew a running stitch? We’ve got you covered.
If you’re still struggling with the idea of teaching your kids to sew or can’t believe 5 year olds can sew then keep on reading. In my last post, Teaching Kids to Sew, I talked about sewing needles. In this post I want to talk about teaching kids to sew a running stitch. Once you know the ‘secrets’ of teaching your kids to sew you might just change your mind and try. Deep breath and read on…
Firstly, when sewing with kids, I always double the thread and tie its ends together in a knot. This prevents the needle falling off the thread (which can be frustrating for the kids) and means that they can concentrate on their stitches. Also, because the thread is doubled over, I will use regular cotton sewing thread with kids rather than the thicker perle cottons or embroidery flosses.
Secondly, I draw a line on the fabric so that the kids know where to sew. This is a simple way to pre-empt the needle from wandering all over the fabric. You’ll find kids looking around the room while they’re sewing and they may need a gentle reminder to look at their work while they’re sewing. A sewing line gives them something clear and concrete to focus on and helps them to control their stitches which eventually leads to straighter, smaller and neater stitches in their work.
The first stitches kids make can be pretty big and wonky. That’s ok. It’s how things should be at the beginning. Smaller, neater stitches will come with time as a natural result of continued experience with needle and thread. As a rule, I never get kids to undo their stitches. I prefer to let them continue their sewing and to see for themselves if they can get their stitches a little smaller and a little more on the line. It’s surprising how quickly kids get the hang of this. Even where the stitches are too large to perform some task such as keeping the stuffing in, I still prefer to let kids leave their work as it is and I simply get them to sew another line of stitches over the original ones. This allows the stitches to do their job, still looks good, and doesn’t leave kids feeling “I’m no good at this” or “I’ve done it all wrong”. The more positive the whole experience is, the more kids will want to do it again and again, and the more skilful they’ll become.
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