The Sara Project

This post is sponsored by Baby Lock but all opinions are my own.

I get asked quite often if I sew with my kids and the answer is YES! I have 4 kiddos ages 12-4 currently and while it is tricky to find the time with our busy schedules we have managed to carve out some time for it. My oldest kiddo and I have established some fun traditions when it comes to making time to sew together. Every President’s Day weekend my boys go on a fun boys trip so we take advantage and work on a project together. I also try to make time every summer to sew up something fun with her to wear to back to school. This year my daughter will be wearing uniforms to school so we decided to sew up a cute dress she can wear to church and a fun upcoming trip we have to New York. My Baby Lock Brilliant sewing machine is the perfect machine for the beginner sewist who is looking for a machine they can grow into. It has every function you need and after sewing on it for 5 years now it still works like new. Totally recommend!

We chose the May Dress pattern by Dhurata Davies, and the cutest navy and white bow print fabric I received from Beglarian Fabrics a few months ago. I have been saving it for just the right dress pattern and when I saw the May dress I knew it was just the one we had been looking for.

The pattern only goes up to a size 10 so we slightly expanded the size to fit my 12 year old, pictured below. It worked out just right. I also added a little more length than the pattern called for to suit her height. This is a great pattern for beginners, simple seams with a little bit of gathering and button back closure. My daughter sewed the easier steps and I helped with some of the more complex steps like gathering the large bottom tier and setting in the sleeves.

I had my daughter tape the pdf pattern together by herself and she quickly realized it’s the least fun part of a project. I also had her cut the pattern out herself. I’ve found with our limited time to sew, I try to teach a few things per project but not everything. We usually only have a few days to complete it and are often interrupted by younger siblings so I do my best to teach a few skills while also keeping it light and fun.

My boys are also interested in sewing and we have worked on a few projects together over the years. It’s such a great (and somewhat rare) skill to have!

If you’re new to sewing with kids, here are a few fun ideas to get you started!

1. Learn how to sew on a button!
2. Practice sewing straight lines, and backstitching
3. Learn the difference parts of the sewing machine
4. Practice basic sewing techniques! Some examples could be sewing gather samples, hemming a skirt or dress, hand stitching,
5. Learn how to print and assemble a pdf pattern
6. Practice cutting out a pattern from fabric
7. Practice unpicking stitches
8. Learn how to measure your body and read the pattern instructions
9. Learn how to use an iron properly, and when to use a press cloth.

A few fun kids sewing resources I’ve loved over the years have been:

1. Made Everyday– Dana has the cutest projects for kids including PDF patterns. You’re going to have a tough time picking just one!
2. Sewing For Kids: 30 Fun Projects to Hand and Machine Sew book. There are so many cute projects in this book, we’ve enjoyed trying a few of them out!
3. The Mini Slouchy Bow Bag Pattern: My daughter and I have gotten into thrifting lately, and after I saw Faye Studios video making these adorable quilyted bags out of a thrifted men’s shirt, we had to make our own. We had so much fun picking out the shirts and learning some fun quilting techniques and basic sewing techniques. Really cute project!
4. Tote Bag- you can’t go wrong with a simple tote bag. I made one with my son and he loved the experience. You can find all kids of free tutorials online and on Youtube.

I hope this helps you feel inspired to sew with the children in your life! It’s such a great activity to do together and an even better skill that they will use all of their lives!