[Maggie]

My nieces have taken a liking to their Aunt’s hobby (!!!!) and have requested sewing kits for Christmas. I am really excited about putting these together and would love ideas from the O & S community on what else to include.

They are almost 5 & 7 and there are no other kids in the house, their mom is okay with some sharp things but asked I use common sense.

Ideas So Far…
1. Lots of Fabric
Leftovers from past projects/stuff from my stash I haven’t found a good use for (and don’t think I’ll be able to use)…which of course I’ll have an excuse to buy more fabric 🙂

2. Lots of Ribbon

3. Kid Scissors

4. The Dullest/Easiest to Thread Needles I Can Find

5. Embroidery Floss
Easier than regular thread for little fingers to get through a needle

6. Pin Cushion for Needles

7. Buttons

8. Stick On Velcro

9. Pattern for Dolly Circle Skirt

10. “Made By Nora” and “Made By Etta” Labels

11. Thimble

12. Home Made Bias Tape

13. Container To Hold It All

[Sarvi]

How about washable fabric pen/chalk for marking off patterns, measuring tape, quilting ruler (again, for marking straight lines on fabric, such as for a pillowcase), one of those needle threaders like so:

http://www.gonesewing.com/catalog/CLQ4000-1.jpg

Maybe a magnetic pincushion? Elastic and elastic threader for a Lazy Days skirts? Seam ripper?

My only concern with blunt needles would be that like with dull knives, you have to use more force to do the job, and that can lead to accidents. I think it depends on the child and her manual dexterity. I jab myself constantly but my 5 year old practices pinning fabric pieces together using my sharpest pins and no jabs so far (hope I’m not jinxing that!).

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by Sarvi.

[Nicole]

I am with Sarvi on this one. I let my children use sharp knives, scissors, pins under supervision, from a young age. They learn how to handle them and are often better as they work better then blunt.
Otherwise, it sounds awesome.

My only suggestion is some pre-cut felt pieces so they can get stitching straight away.
How lovely, what a special Aunty you are!

[Sarvi]

Ooh yes, no need to finish the seams for felt. Clever.

[meleliza]

Also some plastic needlepoint canvas, blunt needles and yarn to practice the in and out of stitching.

[Maggie]

Thanks for all the advice everyone! The kits were a hit, and my stash got some much needed cleaning for the New Year! (I have hopes that by clearing out things I realistically won’t use it will allow me to focus on and use the rest of my stash!)

I packed it all up in boxes (9 inch wide by 9 inch long by 6 inch height) which I got in the paper-mache section of the art store. I lined it in some fancy pink/purple/teal polka dot wrapping paper and used the same paper to put their initials on the top.

We spent Christmas afternoon/evening making Dolly Skirts. Nora (the 6.5 year old) and I got out my mom’s old Singer Slant-O-Matic from the 60s and made a Lazy Days Skirt that she wore to school today.

Here is how I ended up dealing with the sharp things:
Pins: I got ones with large colorful heads so there is less of a chance of them getting lost in carpet someone stepping in them.

Needles: I found Chenille Needles had the right balance between sharpness, size (not so small they could get lost and stepped on), and big openings for little hands to thread.

Scissors: I got real but small scissors. Did you TSA lets you take on anything with less than a 4 inch blade?

Kid Sewing Kit:
– 18 Big Cuts of Fabric (Fat Quarter to 1 Yard)
– 15 Smaller Cuts (Under Fat Quarter)
– Mason Jar Pin Cushion & Pins
– Needles
– Measuring Tape
– Thimble
– A Dozen Assorted Buttons
– Elastic
– Precut Velcro Squares
– Fabric Marker
– Scissors
– 12 Kinds of Ribbon
– 3 Yards of Homemade Bias Tape in Three Colors
– 10 Colors of Embroidery Floss
– 20 “Made By Nora” or “Made By Etta” Labels
– Pattern for Dolly Skirt

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by Maggie.

Attachments:

1. 

   Lazy-Days-Skirt.jpg
   

[Liesl Gibson]

This is great, Maggie! Would you have any interest in contributing a blog post about this idea? I think it would be really useful to other readers.

[Sarvi]

What a wonderful gift!

[Maggie]

@Liesl I would love to!

[Nicole]

What a great idea, I can’t wait!

[Rachel Le Grand]

Maggie, I have been trying to get in touch with you. When you have a chance would you please check your messages here or your Flickrmail? Thanks!

[BeckyinFL]

When I was young, my mother would send off to the Wright trim company for a package of lace and ribbon bits and pieces. I remember this vividly because I was so in love with this kind of thing. She also took old Christmas cards and punched holes around the edges to make sewing cards for me that I threaded with shoelaces and yarn (dip the cut ends in glue to make them stiff). I also learned how to make a spin toy from a large button and a loop of string, though this isn’t really a sewing thing. Later we made simple mice as Christmas ornaments from felt scraps sewn together with embroidery floss in an overcast stitch. I remember that the hooks were fashioned from paperclips. Throughout, I was fascinated by fabric and sewing, and I’ve never lost that.