Teaching friends to sew: Sew a Softie Kid Ambassadors

Around the world kid ambassadors are getting ready to teach their friends how to sew a simple softie.

In 2017 I added kid ambassadors to the Sew a Softie in July line-up. Sew a Softie was always about teaching people around the world to sew and a big part of that idea was teaching the next generation. Getting kids who could already sew teaching friends to sew seemed a perfect approach. Who better to teach kids than other kids?

Sew a Softie would provide the stimulus and they could do the rest…and that’s how the Sew a Softie kid ambassadors came into existence.

When I contacted online friends to see if their kids might be interested I was greeted with an emphatic YES! That first crop of kid ambassadors were a rousing success. I loved hearing the beaming comments made by parents, “my daughter is so excited she has started practicing her sewing skills” or “my daughter has been going to the library to research what softie she wants to teach her friend.” One of my favourites came from a Dutch mum who’s son, Tobias, is going to be a 2019 ambassador, “when I asked my son if he’d like to be an ambassador,” she wrote, “he was growing where he stood.”

Empowering children

When I first came up with the idea of kid ambassadors it was just about getting kids to teach someone else to sew and getting them to share their skills with other kids in their community. But I soon realised it becomes much more to the ambassadors themselves. It becomes something they are deeply proud of, something that empowers them with a sense of what they can do and what they can create by themselves and it gives them a glimpse of how they can have a positive impact on the lives of others.

 

Kid ambassadors teaching friends to sew around the world

In Barcelona, Elisenda hosted a Sew a Softie party on the balcony of her apartment. Down under in Australia, Hannah made her own Sew a Softie Youtube tutorial. And in the US, sisters Stella and Roxanne, designed their own softies, created tutorials for them and posted the tutorials on their mum Abby’s blog, While She Naps

In Memphis, Frank and his mum Amie, who co-authored the famous Sewing School books, took Sew a Softie on the road. Together they taught kids how to make pineapple softies. Finley, our only other boy ambassador, also hosted a sewing party with the help of his mum Janine, creator of Uppercase magazine.  And in Israel, Dana and her aunt Amalia hosted a lovely afternoon tea and softie sewing party.

Joining in

Sew a Softie in July 2019 is not far off. If you think your child might like to join in as a kid ambasador please ask them. And if you get a resounding YES then get them to fill out the Sew a Softie kid ambassador application form and I’ll be in contact. They don’t have to do anything big or fancy. Teaching a single friend to sew a softie is fantastic enough. They don’t have to post tutorials but I’d love it if they post a picture of their softie and any comments they might wish to make.

The kid ambassadors have become a unique creative group within Sew a Softie, they are the next generation, the growing tip of Sew a Softie and I have to admit, I’m almost as proud of their softies as they and their parents are and I look forward to seeing every one of them, Trixi.

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