Why Felt is Perfect for Sewing with Kids.
Sewing felt with kids is perfect in so many ways.
It’s soft, has a really lovely feel (which means, it’s wonderful for hand sewing), comes in an amazing array of vibrant colours, doesn’t fray (which means, it doesn’t need to be turned right side out), is widely available and economic to boot, and is great for appliqué whenever you want to add some fancy stitching to your project.
The only very slight drawback I can find is that the tiny fibres that make up a felt do not bond well to every fabric glue. So when using glue with felt, you do need to find a glue that works: thick PVAs (such as Aleene’s fabric glue) and even some glue sticks (Bostik Glu Stik is one) bond really well.
But all in all, felt is a wonderful fabric to sew, especially when sewing with kids. Over the last 10 years, I haven’t used anything else in my workshops.
What’s the Best First Felt Sewing Project for Kids?
I’m often asked, What’s the best sewing project to start my kids or students on?
A good sewing project for kids should have a number of things.
First, it should be easy-to-sew and able to be completed by young kids in a fairly short time. Cosmic truth: kids don’t like waiting days, certainly not weeks, for their project to be finished. They get excited and really want to see and hold what they’ve created in their hands. Then they feel, Wow! I did this! And that feeling is magic: once they experience it, you just can’t stop them coming back for more. Second, a really good project for kids should be creative and allow them plenty of room to use their wonderful imaginations. And finally, a good project should have kids making something that they can relate to.
So, what is the best felt sewing project to start your kids or students on?
I asked myself this question years ago, and set myself the task of designing a project that was super simple to sew, was full of open-ended creative potential, that is, was something that parents, teachers and especially kids, could develop in all sorts of fresh directions, and that involved kids in creating something that they could relate to and love.
Meet the Zenkis.
Zenkis are felt softies/stuffies that are simple to make, quick to complete, endlessly creative and loveable. And these qualities arise naturally from the unique zenki design which uses only two pieces of felt, a running stitch around the torso, and some stuffing to complete and which enables you to avoid fiddly time-consuming insertions when you want to give your softie arms, legs, wings, spikes or whatever else you and your kids dream up. The simplicity of zenki design is also, unexpectedly, great for creativity. I’ve been designing new zenkis for over ten years now and still haven’t reached an end to their creative possibilities.
One small warning about these little fellas: once you make a zenki, he or she has a life of their own. I’ve found they have very strong, very distinctive personalities (I didn’t foresee this), and something that people today might call “attitude.” Having said that, I love all my zenkis and they love me back. They are soft on the outside but also are soft-hearted wonderful friends. Something else, I think, that recommends them to kids.
What’s the Best Felt to Use in Your Sewing Projects?
I’d say wool blend felts are the best to use for sewing with kids.
Wool blend felt is made from a mix of natural wool and synthetic fibers such as rayon or polyester. The wool in the blend makes the felt a little softer. I use wool blend felts in my classes because they are high quality, strong, soft felts that are lovely to touch and hold, economical to buy and come in an amazingly wide range of vivid colours.
Having said that, acrylic/polyester felts are also great to use with kids but be aware, they can vary in quality. If you are buying acrylic/polyester felt, I would avoid ones that are hard and/or stiff, as they make pulling a needle through the felt an effort for your kids. And I personally avoid ones that are scratchy to the touch. They just don’t feel nice to work with. Also, be aware that some poorer quality felts will pill easily and I’ve even seen some that tear. Bottom line: check the felt out before buying, then you won’t have any nasty surprises.
Before closing, I should mention that you can get 100% wool felts: these felts are amazing and great to use for your special projects but definitely too expensive to use in your kids sewing workshops.
What are the Best Stitches to Use when Sewing with Felt?
Personally, I love using a running stitch: it’s easy for kids to master, makes their sewing quick and fairly simple and is an efficient stitch, that is, it’s especially useful where you want to finish a project in a reasonably short amount of time.
An overstitch, also called a whip stitch, is another great stitch to use with kids. It takes a little longer than a running stitch but some kids just love the simple movement of continuously looping their thread over the edge of the fabric. An overstitch, however, is less straightforward than a running stitch when sewing a zenki as you have to find a way to negotiate the arms, legs and other features that protrude from the edge and make the overstitch a poor option at those places.
Some fun stitches to familiarise kids with are a back stitch, which allows them to sew continuous unbroken lines and a whipped running stitch, which is a great way to show kids how they can turn their simple running stitch into something really special just by weaving their thread back through their stitches in different ways.
Embroidery Stitches
Also some simple embroidery stitches can be fun ways for kids to add decorative details to their work. A cross stitch is simple to sew and can be used for eyes, mouth or belly buttons. V stitches make great smily or frowning mouths. I use lines of separate V stitches to create the breast feathers of zenki birds like my little Spirit Owl or Inga. French knots are a wee bit fiddly to get the hang of but well worth the effort. I use them regularly to create the pupils of eyes.
If, instead of gluing, you want to sew on a piece of fabric, then a blanket stitch is a good choice. You can think of it as a slightly altered whip/overstitch.
What are the Best Needles for Sewing Felt?
When people ask me about needles, they’re often thinking about threading. In classes, I always have pre-threaded needles to help move things along for kids who are having trouble. But kids do love the challenge of threading their own needles. One way to help your kids if they’re having trouble threading, is to show them how to use a needle threader. Needle threaders are easy and economic to buy and a lot of fun for kids. And if you want, you can make your own in a matter of seconds from a small strip of paper.
As for needles themselves, my all time favourite is a chenille needle. It’s thin, pointy and has a large elongated eye that makes threading easier. Mostly, I use a chenille 22, even with kids. But you might prefer using a chenille 20. It’s slightly thicker than the 22, and has a slightly larger eye. Basically, the size of the needle you use with felt will be decided by personal preferences and the thickness of the thread you’re using. If you’re using embroidery thread, which is thicker than ordinary sewing thread, then a chenille 20 might be easier to thread than the smaller 22.
One last thing: please please please, do not fall for the myth that kids need large, thick, blunt needles. They don’t. You cannot sew felt with large, thick blunt needles. Hessian, yes, felt, no!
Free Felt Sewing Projects for Kids
If you’re looking free, fun, creative projects to sew then you can have a look at the projects from Sew a Softie in July 2022 or the 100+ Free & Easy Christmas Sewing Patterns or the free, mostly felt, projects from Sew a Softie in July 2020. Or just take a wander around my Sew a Softie blog or my YouTube channel and you’ll find heaps of easy, fun, felt sewing projects that you can make for or with your kids.
Books for Felt Sewing with Kids
And if you’re looking for books that guide you through the process of making and/or designing felt sewing projects for kids, then have a look a my books:
The Zenki Way: A Guide to Designing and Enjoying Your Own Creative Softies
Sew a Softie Workbook No.1: Kandinsky Inspired Softies to Sew with Kids
Sew a Softie Workbook No.2: Square Zenki Softies to Sew with Kids
