Gifts for Kids Who Love to Sew
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Whether you have a budding seamstress or an experienced one, chances are you may be looking for some sewing gift ideas. Today I’m sharing some ideas for beginner & pro sewing kits for the holidays.
For the Beginner’s Sewing Basket
- needle & thread– for hand sewing and for machine sewing
- sewing scissors– we like the Featherweights by Gingher because they are easy to use for smaller hands
- fat quarters– these are roughly 18 inch square pieces of fabric you can purchase cheaply and it grows the fabric stash pretty quickly for small projects.
- pin cushion & pins– I like quilting pins because they are easier to get through fabric for beginners. Making friends with pins early on is important.
- measuring tape– some like the kind with the dispenser, but any of them are good. Getting used to handling one is nice even if a beginner doesn’t measure fabric all the time.
- sewing machine– see a post about Choosing & Learning a Sewing Machine. Having a good machine that is easy to use is important. Purchasing a machine for a student makes it easier for them to get familiar with a machine. One of the keys to R13 turning a corner on her own sewing was to have her own machine which runs so trim and it’s so easy to use. It makes a big difference!
- Doodads– things like buttons, rick rack, fabric markers give projects dimension and add to the fun. We never have a shortage of doodads.
Ideas for the Advanced Sewing Student
- bendable sewing ruler– allows you to trace on a curve when drafting patterns (also used in quilting)
- thread– lots of it and in many colors. Always a need for thread at our house.
- serger– R13 loves her serger which was a gift from a sweet online friend. Sergers cut and finish a seam at once making it easy to finish seams professionally.
- dress form– so your student can work on dressmaking while the outfit is on the form. It’s lovely to see how things are coming together and to work on a hem, etc.
- doll dress form– R13 uses hers all the time to design and make clothing for her American Girl dolls. Doll clothes are a great way to learn skills in dressmaking for bigger sizes.
- How to Make Sewing Patterns– a no frills book on how to draft sewing patterns. R13 much prefers to make her patterns than make something off of a commercial pattern. This book was difficult for her when she first received it, but she has now declared she is “up to the level” of this book.
One thing I’ve tried to do with R13 is to keep her on the front edge of learning the skill of sewing. I always aim to provide her with materials and resources she’ll have to “grow into”. I know that sewing is something she enjoys and she will be tenacious enough to learn something new. All I have to do is provide her something that I know matches her goals with sewing.
She uses the internet a lot, sewing blogs in particular, because you can visit several to learn a technique. R13 says she’ll visit more than one to see a skill explained more than one way. Pretty clever!
Blog, She Wrote Links for Sewing Instruction
- Sewing Machine Unit Study– a unit I wrote on how the sewing machine works and the difference between the various types of machines.
- Sewing Library– need more ideas for sewing books? Check out this link at R13’s blog, Miss Bliss. More Sewing Library is a list of additions.
- Teaching Sewing in Your Homeschool -a series of posts on teaching sewing at home (whether or not you sew). Great ideas here for the beginner and advanced alike.
- Sewing Adventure Box– Ideas for what to include for a sewing adventure
- Studio Space– don’t forget about workspace for your sewing student! Carving out workspace is one of the most important ingredients to seeing good work progress. Nothing fancy just a table and permission to leave projects in progress will do.
If you have any questions about things I didn’t mention, leave a comment. What favorite things do your kids have in their sewing baskets?
Need more gift ideas? Visit Christmas Gift Guides at iHN.
