Many of the people who come to my Sew a Softie Facebook Group tell me the same thing:
I’m here because I want to teach my kids or grandkids to sew.
Summer holidays are the perfect time to begin. Hand sewing is portable, creative, screen-free, and easy to take wherever summer takes you. Kids love making something they can keep, cuddle, play with, or give as a gift, and sewing gives them the satisfaction of creating something with their own hands.
To help you get started, I’ve put together three easy summer sewing projects for kids. They’re fun, beginner-friendly, and designed to help children build confidence while learning basic hand-sewing skills.
These projects are suitable for beginners and are a wonderful way to introduce kids to hand sewing.
Travelling this summer?
One of the things I love about hand sewing is how easy it is to take with you. Pack a simple sewing kit in a zip-lock bag with pre-cut felt pieces, a few pre-threaded needles, thread, stuffing, buttons, sewing clips and scissors (kept by the parent if needed). It’s perfect for road trips, flights, café stops, family visits and quiet holiday moments.
Most of these supplies are probably already at home, but if you need basics such as felt, needles, stuffing or scissors, have a look at my favourite beginner sewing supplies HERE and my list of recommended felt suppliers HERE.
And if you have any questions along the way, come over and join us in the Sew a Softie Facebook Group. You’ll find a welcoming community of people who love sewing with kids and are happy to help.
These summer projects are all softies, actually a unique kind of softie that I call a zenki
Zenkis are perfect first sewing projects for kids. Made from just two pieces of felt, they enable kids to bring their imaginations into play and still complete their project within a fairly short time. Being able to see the results of their work is a big deal for kids!
And because zenkis are softies, they become more than just projects. They become companions, playmates and friends with their own personalities and quirks.
So let’s get started.
Oh, and if you’d like to meet more zenkis, have a look at The Zenki Way: A Guide to Designing & Enjoying Your Own Creative Softies
(This post contains affiliate links)
Square Zenki
Square Zenki is an old and very dear friend. He is the founder of the zenkis. He was the first. And he’s proud of his place in zenki history. He’s a square (naturally) which means that kids only sew straight lines and this makes the sewing very simple. And he requires only two pieces of felt and a running stitch around his torso. As Square zenki put it to me many years ago, That’s why I’m the simplest softie in the whole wide universe! (as i said, he’s very proud of himself!)
Square Cat
I chose Square Cat as our second summer camp project for a reason. People are oddly prejudiced against squares. In the otherwise free-wheeling Sixties, being called a “square” was definitely not a compliment! But once you’ve made Square Zenki, once you know how simple it is to make a real live softie from nothing more than a square, then you can create a whole world of square softies using the very same knowledge and skills. And that’s great for kids!
When they move to their second project, they feel that they know what to do and how to do it. So meet Square Cat who will give us all a hint of the endless creative possibilities hidden in the humble square.
Tok
Our final summer camp project goes in another direction. This isn’t surprising. Tok appeared one day looking lost and informed me he had arrived here, on this planet, from Somewhere Else. He was looking for his way home but finding his planet was like trying to find a grass seed in a praire that seems to stretch on forever. Anyway, I’m glad he’s here. He shows us how we can use other simple shapes to create fun imaginative characters with our kids.
Tok also introduces something new: his belly button is a great way to play with simple decorative stitching. Apparently, everyone on his planet has a distinctively patterned belly button. It’s the source of his super power. Your kids can decide what super power their little alien possesses.
Supplies to Get You Started
The basic supplies for these projects are simple :
For more details, have a look at my Best Sewing Supplies for Kids as well as my Easy Stitches to Teach Kids to Sew.
Looking For More Easy sewing Projects For Kids?
If your children enjoy these summer sewing projects, be sure to visit my collection of easy sewing projects for kids, where you’ll find plenty more beginner-friendly softies and sewing activities.
And don’t miss my post featuring 65 Free Easy Sewing Projects for Kids, which includes sewing ideas for children of all ages and experience levels.
You can also browse my Etsy shop for sewing patterns, ebooks and step-by-step projects designed especially for kids
And I have lots of tutorials on YouTube too!
Happy summer holidays and happy sewing with your kids, Trixi 🙂