Our Children’s Sewing Journey

Getting Started – Scrunchie & Small String Bag

We’ll start with the sewing machine basics and two small projects to get everyone sewing straight away. Children will learn how to control the machine, sew straight lines, reverse stitch, understand seam allowance and begin using some of the sewing language they’ll hear throughout the course.

Box Bag

Our first bigger project introduces accurate measuring and cutting, inserting a zip, top stitching, making a strap and creating boxed corners. It’s a brilliant project for beginning to understand how flat pieces of fabric turn into something three-dimensional.

Seasonal Sewing

There will be opportunities for some seasonal makes along the way, including projects such as our Halloween Cauldron Bag, Fabric Snowflakes and Christmas Placemat. These aren’t just for fun — they introduce techniques including interfacing, wadding, fusible web, Sew & Fold and binding.

Pyjama Bottoms

This is where we begin to explore dressmaking. Children will learn about patterns, measuring themselves and choosing a size, grainline, pattern markings, cutting fabric, French seams, elastic casings and hems.

Fabric Flowers

A smaller creative project with a different way of working. Children will practise tracing accurately, sewing directly on a marked line and working carefully around shapes and curves.

Half Apron

The Half Apron introduces several really useful techniques including stay stitching, making a turned patch pocket, gathering fabric and creating a casing and ties.

Ruffle Skirt

We’ll build further on our dressmaking skills while learning about taking measurements, doing some simple sewing maths, machine gathering and creating a multi-row elastic waistband.

Fabric Bowls & Baskets

By this stage, we want children to start relying a little less on us! This project is an opportunity to follow instructions, use techniques they already know and work increasingly independently.

Pleated Skirt

A more advanced dressmaking project where we’ll work from a pattern and learn about pleats, inserting a zip, making an automatic buttonhole and even sewing on a button using the sewing machine.

Upcycled Jeans Bag – Independent Bag Challenge

Time to look at an old pair of jeans completely differently! Children will design their own bag, work out finished and cutting sizes, add seam allowances and think about how they can reuse existing features such as pockets and seams.

Summer Dress

One of our bigger dressmaking projects brings lots of previous skills together while introducing interfacing, facings, stay stitching, understitching, an elasticated waist, bias binding and hemming.

My Project

This is what we have been working towards. Children will choose and plan a project of their own and use their Sewing Portfolio and everything they have learned to work out how to tackle it.

They’ll still have us there when they need help, of course — but hopefully by this point we’ll be hearing a lot more “I think I know how to do this” and a lot less “What do I do next?” 😊