KidSewing Classes

I'm over the moon with excitement! I get to teach Kids to Sew, again!!!!!!

When I owned Needleworks (Northmount Drive in North West Calgary), I created a Children's Sewing Program. I had very high hopes for the program with visions of marketing and selling the program all over! I think I was having too much fun with the actual teaching to do any of the publishing and marketing. When I closed Needleworks, I also stopped teaching the Kids.

I've been teaching quilting classes at Pinheads Quilting Company in Airdrie for the last year and the girls (Cathy and Lori) jumped on board when I told them about my KidSew classes. We've scheduled Wee-Sew Wednesday for our classes 4-5:30pm.

AND I've been in touch with Anne at My Sewing Room and they want me to teach Classes there too!!!!!

So, I've resurrected most of the projects and will spend some time this fall re-working the patterns and projects for the kids to sew.

When I started teaching KidSew classes, I found that we all (teacher, parents and kids) had high expectations of the students and were discouraged when their projects were not up to adult standards. I soon discovered that creating and teaching very simple projects where skills were taught and practiced, were a stepping stone to future success. Each of the projects are a building block and will take as much time as required to complete. One child may complete the first project in 2 classes, where another may take up to 4 classes or more.

Any child can join us as long as they are in Grade 1 or higher. We keep the classes small so that each child is given individual attention. I require that all children start with the first 2 projects (tote bag and binder cover) even if they have taken sewing classes before. This is an excellent opportunity for me to evaluate your child’s skills and reinforce good sewing practices. An experienced sewer may complete the projects quicker and be able to choose another project in the class registration time.

The very first project the children sew are tote bags. We use a medium weight woven fabric (twill or light weight denim) and teach the children how to use pins and scissors correctly, how to use an iron safely and to sew with 2 different stitches on their sewing machine. This tote bag is a great first project because they practice each of these steps multiple times. We celebrate the finished project rather than critiquing the straight sewing! This tote bag then becomes the child’s sewing bag and all items related to the class can be carried back and forth to class.

The second project is a decorated binder cover. In this class the children are given opportunity to play with thread and the many decorative stitches on their machine. They practice threading the machine and adjusting the stitches. The binder is now their sewing binder and all their sewing project instructions are kept safe.

The third project is a small “stuff” bag. We call it that because we put stuff in it! This project originally had the name “draw string bag” but a six year old student decided Stuff Bag was a better name! In this project the sewer will start reading pattern instructions for themselves. They will be reviewing many of the skills they have learned in the previous 2 projects.

The forth project is a zipper bag where they learn the quilt as you go technique and inserting a zipper.

The fifth project is a thread catcher. This project again continues to reinforce the skills already learned with added skills of using 2 different fabrics, sewing buttonholes by machine and hand sewing.

The sixth and final project is a double sided blanket with flannel on one side and fleece on the other. We are now moving to larger projects with more fabric to manage. The added skill is working with 2 different types of fabrics and can be considered a first step to quilting.

These 6 projects will teach your child to use sewing tools correctly and safely. They will gain confidence and once these projects have been completed, your child should be able to tackle more involved quilting and sewing projects with great success!

I'll tell you more about Christmas projects later.

As with all learning opportunities, I encourage you to support your child’s efforts and accomplishments. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly. allison.meadowrosequilts@gmail.com.