sewn by kids: lazy days skirt

Here with the latest installment in our Sewn by Kids series, we have Laura from Cotton Reel Studio. Laura taught her daughter to sew by first having her sew over hand-drawn lines on paper. Then she dove in and sewed up our free Lazy Days Skirt pattern in one day. Read on to see how Laura taught her daughter to sew.

Name: Laura
Where can we find you on the Internet? Instagram, Website and blog

Pattern used: Lazy Days Skirt
Fabric Used: Cotton poplin from my stash

I got into sewing clothing when my eldest child was a baby, and one of the first outfits I made was an Ice Cream blouse and a pair of Puppet Show shorts. From that moment on, I was hooked on sewing. Both my girls have grown up surrounded by fabric, patterns, and machines.

As a fun activity during the school holidays, I asked my eldest (now aged 7) if she wanted to have a go at learning to sew and make a skirt to wear for a beach trip we had planned the next day. She was very keen to be let loose on the sewing machine and was excited to get to work.

I started her off by drawing a series of straight lines, squares and wiggles on a piece of paper which she could practice sewing on before we set to work on her skirt.

She really enjoyed this process. She liked choosing different colors of thread. The exercise was a good way to help her learn how to control the machine. She also decided that she liked using the foot pedal and having the speed of the machine turned to a slower setting.

The construction of the skirt was quite straightforward, with just one side seam and a ribbon hem. I made a seam guide for her by affixing a long strip of washi tape to the machine. Sewing the channel for the elastic was a little more tricky and required more concentration, but she managed it quite well with only a little guidance. The only thing I did for her was to insert the elastic and stitch the ends together.

She is super proud of her skirt and loved wearing it to the beach. She has yet to make anything else, but every now and again she asks to sew paper “pictures” on the machine, just like we did in her first lesson.

Have you taught a child to sew using one of our patterns? Would you like to write about it? Drop me a line at contributors@oliverands.com and let’s talk!

And if you’re here because you want to know how to teach a child to sew, we have a number of beginner patterns that are perfect for the job. Take a peek; you’re bound to find something you love!