Sewing Really IS Fun!
There are so many reasons to be excited about the collection of I Sew For Fun tools. From the beautiful turquoise and purple color to the feel of them in your hands to the usefulness of each tool. It seems to me that they are absolutely perfect for all ages, but I love that they are especially nice for children learning to sew. I enlisted the help of my youngest grand-girl, Rosetta, and we’re excited to share our thoughts on each of the 15 items in the collection.
We decided to make a simple quilted potholder because this project uses so many of the tools in the I Sew For Fun collection.
One of the greatest things for children is the Sew Safe Presser Foot. It protects little fingers from getting near the needle area. It snaps right on the low shank of most sewing machines. It really sets the mind at ease when children are learning to sew. If you already have experience sewing, this foot does seem a little bulky compared to others, but you very quickly get used to it.
We also really love the Seam Guide. This nifty little tool has a reusable adhesive backing that adheres to the sewing machine base and throat plate and makes sewing a perfect straight seam so easy; for children learning to hold that straight sewing line this is a great tool. It is also very simple to remove when not in use.
I’ve used a lot of pins in my years of sewing and I have to say that these Heart-Shaped Pins are amazing. They are long and glide beautifully through fabric. They are sharp, and that is exactly what we want in a pin but do be careful with little fingers. Placing them in the Magnet Pin Caddy keeps them handy and safe right next to our sewing machine. Probably the best thing about the pin caddy is that it has a lid so you never have to worry about the pins sliding off (even though I don’t think they would because of the magnet).
We all know that ironing seams open and flat is such an important step in sewing. For children, that can be a dangerous and difficult step. The amazing Roll ‘n Press tool takes care of that. This little tool works so perfectly. You literally roll and press your seam. We keep ours right next to our sewing machine; we never have to leave our chair to go iron. (Please excuse the little dirty fingernails of my left-handed grand-girl…she’s a total farmgirl.)
Every seamstress makes mistakes in their sewing. And having a seam ripper next to your machine and at the ready is vital. This Retractable Seam Ripper is the best. It is so safe for children since the sharp point retracts inside and then…it creates a thread cutter. How cool is that?
We now have our potholder ready to turn right side out and this is where the Point 2 Point Turner comes in so handy. The end isn’t so sharp that you have to worry about puncturing a hole in the fabric when you are pushing out those corners. It is also a very nice size for little hands to hold onto. (This handy tool has two uses; which you will see in a moment.)
I have felt that Wonder Clips were just about the best invention ever and I still feel that way! They work really great for things that are a little thick to pin. And they are so wonderful for children to use. We are using them on our potholder to hold the opening closed as we top-stitch around the edge.
Now you get to see the other use of the Point 2 Point Turner; the opposite end is a Hera Marker for making creases in our potholder to create the lines for quilting. We love this so much! The creased lines last for hours.
You can also use the Fabric Marking Pen in the same way. I do love the marking pen; the ink flows smoothly and is just the right point on the tip. The ink disappears with water.
We also experimented with the 5-in-1 Sliding Gauge to help us determine where to mark our quilting lines. This little tool has so many functions and ways to mark spacing for things from buttonholes to hems on garments and even has a circle compass.There are five different uses and I’m excited to learn how to use them all.
Along with the machine quilting, we decided to do a little hand-quilting on our potholder for fun because these Hand-Sewing Needles are the absolute best. They come in three sizes with this darling heart shaped case that keeps them safe. I like to use thicker thread for hand quilting; especially with little children because it allows for so much more control. The largest needle has a very large eye and made threading this thicker thread a breeze.
For myself there is no thimble I like better than the Protect ‘n Grip Thimble. It is flexible and even fits little fingers. It has a metal tip for pushing the needle through the fabric and it is very comfortable to wear.
Sometimes in hand-sewing it is really hard to get a grip on a needle, especially when you are a child and have to really tug the needle through several layers of fabric. That is where the Flexible Thimble Set comes in handy. You can wear them on your thumb and index finger and allows for such great grip on the needle.
The Spring Tape Measure included in the kit is so much fun. It pulls out easily and has a little button that retracts it back in smoothly. The thing I really love about this tape measure is that the numbers and the measure increments are very clearly marked. So easy for children to read.
There is only one tool in the kit that we didn’t use on our project today. It is the Clip ‘n Guide Bodkin. I’m embarrassed to admit that I had never used one before. I’ve always been the person that attached a safety pen to the elastic and worked to thread it though. Never again! This little tool provides such a firm hold on the elastic end and has a nice long flexible tip for threading elastic through the casing. We’ve been making hair scrunchies and this tool makes it so simple. (If you are a little confused on how this bodkin works, don’t worry. There are excellent instructions inside the packaging and it’s easy.)
To sum up my thoughts on all these I Sew For Fun tools I feel like I can’t say enough good about them. I think as someone that loves to see the next generation learning to sew and loving it, that having good tools to learn with is so important. These are the tools they need. I asked Rosetta what she would like to say about all the tools and she said:
“I love the purple and turquoise colors of them all and I just like to sit with them and figure them all out. They are really cool. My favorite tools are the pins and the magnet holder. Oh and the seam ripper.”
I couldn’t resist making a little pouch for Rosetta to hold all her I Sew For Fun tools. And guess what? Right now Clover is having an I Sew For Fun Kids’ Sewing Challenge with some of these tools as prizes. You can read about it here and help your child jump right into the challenge.
Happy sewing… and remember to make it FUN!
~ Dori ~
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