Dottie’s Kraft Korner:: Introducing Toddlers to Sewing.

I’ve been so busy this year that my beloved crafts have certainly suffered. I haven’t done much of anything for awhile and it pains me to see dust on top of my dear sewing machine. But some time in mid-April, my fingers started to twitch and the need to sew came over me. Perhaps it was the warmer weather and thoughts of easy sewing projects using all those pretty pretty cottons I saw online at  Fabric.com, Fabricworm, and SewMamaSew–naughty naughty sites that love to eat my money. I did know that I wanted to start small and bought a couple of bags of cotton fabric scraps from Etsy sellers.  I was determined to do something with them.

When the puffy package arrived at my door, I had to open it immediately. I was absolutely delighted with the colors and different patterns. But I wasn’t the only one.  Little Miss Peach played for nearly an hour sorting the cotton bits of fabric, pulling out her favorite scraps, making piles and cramming them into her pockets.  Clearly she has a love of fabric and I can’t lie–I’m tickled pink by it.

But when and how do I take ner nascent interest in fabric (and possibly sewing) to the next step and introduce her to the wonders of sewing? Then it hit me–sewing or “lacing” cards. I remember playing with them as a child and thinking I was quite the seamstress pulling that shoelace through the holes.  Lacing cards have been around for awhile and I adore the vintages one in particular–such great images!

Image via: Happy Hearts at Home.

Images via: MeetMeatMike.

Images via Betwitched Magic.

There are of course great lacing card sets available online too, like this sturdy looking set based on Cinderella from Etsy seller, Kris67.

Oh, and I love this wooden squirrel one. I think it’s my favorite–from TnTWoods.

And Melissa and Doug even have a great set of doggies and kitties that can be laced.

I also think lacing cards would be pretty easy to make–just color copy some lovely images, laminate them, go at it with a hole punch and voila–lacing card.  Just add a big plastic needle and thick yarn and you’re done!

Crafters out there–how do you get your kids involved in your sewing endeavors?

 

11 thoughts on “Dottie’s Kraft Korner:: Introducing Toddlers to Sewing.

  1. One of Ingrid’s favorite things to do is sit with my scrap bin (which has gotten enormous over the years!) She looks at all the fabric, matches them, talks about what we made with them. I love it! We got her lacing cards for Christmas (the Melissa and Doug ones) but she would put a string in them and then whip the whole thing around dangerously close to Otis’ face, so we’re going to try them again in a little while.

  2. i like this idea of a big bag of scraps for playing with. that sounds like something both my kids would like to do.

    we have those melissa & doug sewing cards and they do get pulled out every once in awhile. my son was 4.5 last december and in his third year of montessori and i was totally surprised when he brought home a felt xmas tree ornament that he had sewn strings of beads on to himself! it hadn’t even occurred to me that he could do that. i did let him sew a string of popcorn that month as well, but with a slightly blunt needle, as i’m a nervous nelly mother.

    not quite the same thing as sewing, but something i loved as a child of the 70s/80s was latch hook. could be a good starting point.

      1. i think i’m about to buy a vintage butterfly latch hook kit off ebay for my son’s bday.

        i’m struggling to remember what my unfinished masterpiece was. it is likely in my parents’ attic…

  3. Aspen has been playing with lacing cards sice she was 2 years old. She has multiple sets, they are stashed in cars, baseball field bags, and in all her toys. She loves them, and is very interested in my sewing projects as well. She has a natural love for soft and luxurious fabrics, so as soon as I am comfortable with it, I will be teaching her to sew. The yarn that we have in a drawer for projects entices her to cut…. so maybe later on the latch hook rugs and homemade pot holders!

    1. It doesn’t surprise me that she would be into sewing! I like the idea of them in the car, so you can pull them out when need be. Smart thinking Tyler!

  4. LATCH HOOK! I had Bert, Ernie, and Cookie Monster latch hook pillows. LOVE!

    And this is SO timely. Eliza was showing a great deal of interest in the sewing machine yesterday and I was promising her she’d get one when she was… er, eight. But sewing cards are a great idea! And making them would be such a fun craft.

    1. I’m so doing a post on latch hooks!

      Man, I got my sewing machine when I was ten and it was love at first site. I hope Miss Peach shows an interest in sewing. Crossing fingers. She’s never been awake when I’m actually at my machine.

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