“Mom I’m Bored!” Summer Sewing Projects with Kids
“Mom I’m Bored!” I’m sure all of us that are parents, grandparents, or care takers have heard this from our kids. Summer time is here and the children are ready for some fun.
I have the perfect projects for you to try out with your kids.
I got the “Save-My-T-Shirt Pillow” from the book “Sewing School 21 Sewing Projects Kids Will Love to Make” by Amie Petronis Plumeley & Andria Lisle you can check out Amie Petronis Plumely and Andria Lisle’s blog at Sewing School for some fun ideas for kids!
I picked up the book from the library with my two year old daughter and 12 year-old niece. Which, I must say, visit your local library to sign-up for the Summer Reading Program, theres always fun free programs to sign-up for the family.
Clover has so many convenient tools for you to use, I love it!
For this project I had my two year old stuff the pillow and pick out from a box of old t-shirts that didn’t fit her anymore. My 12-year old niece cut the square pieces of the shirts with Clover’s rotary cutter, which is a lot easier to use than scissors. **Adult supervision is always required she also used a sewing machine for the first time, this is a great project to show young ones how to sew. In the book they teach children to hand sew using a whipstitch***
The tools I needed for the T-shirt pillow are as follows:
1. Clovers rotary cutter Art No. 7500 45mm
–NOTE ***Again, Adult supervision needed, and if your child is still not adapted to cutting with sharp objects, than this part needs to be done by an adult.*** The book says to use scissors and if you are more comfortable with scissors for your kids, then please do, only you know your young ones best.
3. Clover’s triangle Tailor’s chalk Art No. 432 Red,Blue, White, or Yellow (any color will do, whatever shows best on your t-shirt) What is great about this tool is that it fits nicely in little hands, it’s large enough so that it doesn’t slip out of hands and feels very much like a crayon does, plus no matter what point you use its ready to draw! Plus an upside for everyone is that its ergonomic on the hands, you don’t need a lot of pressure to apply a mark and the triangle shape is comfy in your palm. My two year old eventually used it to draw on fabric (this kept her busy, while the older child worked on cutting fabric)
4. Mini Patchwork Ruler 6″ or any size you would like. This makes drawing those lines nice and straight and to keep your rotary cutter straight.
5. Wonder clips Art No. 3156 These are much better to use than pins for kids, because it means no more poked fingers and tears. I would defiantly invest in some of these for young ones learning to sew, even for us grown-ups, because who enjoys getting poked anyway
6. Sewing needles (if you are planning on having your young ones sew by hand) I used the sewing machine ***Adult supervision needed*** I would suggest Clover’s Sashico Needles Art No. 2007
7. Thread (any color you prefer)
8. Stuffing ( I used the insides of an old pillow) some peeps even use shredded fabric scraps or yarn scraps.
Instructions:
1. cut your t-shirts into any size square you like and sew together front and back
(if the shirts are small, then you can create interesting pieced together designs)
2. next you stuff your pillow
3. Then sew up the side with a sewing machine or by hand using a whip stitch.
The project itself took 15min, but overall prep time is 30min, plus if you are in teaching mode with an older child who is using a sewing machine for the first time, it can take longer, it is a fun learning session and will keep your kids busy. Plus now they have a cozy pillow to lie on while they read or play!
There are also other fun ideas-like using the scraps to make clothes for their dolls and stuff animals, like the bear below:
You can also use the scraps of T-shirts to make a head band
Happy sewing everyone!
