I know I say this a lot, but it really is true: kids love sewing.
And whenever Sew a Softie in July comes around I look forward, perhaps more than anything else, to seeing all the kids that join in and sew with family and friends. They are often sewing for the very first time and it always amazes me to see how much they enjoy creating their softies. One girl, Zahra, not only taught her sewing class to make softies, she also taught her mum, who couldn’t sew at all, how to sew a softie!
I receive wonderful comments from these kids saying things like, “It was really challenging but I was so proud of myself when I finished in the end!” Or “I loved learning to sew my softie and now I want to keep sewing!” And my all-time favourite, (at least for this year), “I could have made softies all day!” I love that!
But I also love receiving comments from teachers like the one who told me that her students actually thanked her for letting them sew. Or comments from parents like, “My daughter has been carrying her softie around with her ever since she finished it.” Or when I hear how someone’s boys have “a continuing love affair” with sewing their own softies or that sewing softies was “the highlight of their summer vacation.”
One family even bought my latest book, The Zenki Way: A Guide to Designing and Enjoying Your Own Creative Softies and had a family sewing session: each making a different zenki from the book. It was a unique way to join in and a really lovely gesture. I was very touched and honoured. The zenkis were too. When I told them, they grew a few inches taller right before my eyes. They’re very partial to any kindness or flattery. 🙂
So a big BIG thank you to all you parents and teachers and kids and everyone else who joined in to make Sew a Softie in July 2021 a fun and exciting sewing experience. Especially to you kids! I’ve collected together some of the wonderfully creative Sew a Softie kids and their projects that made this years Sew a Softie in July so memorable.
And if you’d like to teach your kids to sew have a look at these free easy to sew tutorials that were part of the Sew a Softie 2021 tutorial hop.
