Teaching Children to Sew: Your Sewing Space

WHERE?nAlthough we would all love to have our own sewing /craft room, most of us have to find a small corner in the house where we can sew. Through experience I have learned, that if you want to learn something, or more importantly you want your kids to learn something, the source needs to be readily available. Otherwise, "out of sight, out of mind". nI started very early having "centers" around the house (primarily in the areas where we "lived" the most) for my girls. Some years we even gave up furniture in an area in order to have TOOLS for learning. A Reading center, Music center, Building center, Science center... If things were out (neatly organized, of course) and readily available, there was never a question that they would be used.nSewing was no different. We started sewing in the laundry room, which when everything was set up - the table and machine, we couldn't wash our clothes. So the girls were only sewing when I set aside the time for it, and it had to be put away immediately afterwards.nWhen we moved to an area where it could stay out all of the time, the girls improved rapidly, as did I. Why? Because we could see it, we wanted to sew more often, and the girls didn't have to always wait for me. **With my 3 year old, at the time, there were limitations.nAdded BonusnMoms, we rarely have a chunk of time where we can complete a whole project from start to finish. This set up is a huge advantage for us as well. I will see that I have 15 minutes to spare, and I can sit right down and sew several lines and then walk away!nSEATINGnWe've talked about where, now let's talk about your child's positioning. It's very important that your kids are comfortable while they are sewing. It is also important that they are sitting high enough to look down on the needle and their hands. If they are older this is easy. If they are young, you have two choices for those little bodies. n1. Buy a small child's table. nPROS: this is very comfortable for your child. nCONS: if you are sharing machines, it isn't real comfortable for you.n2. Use a regular table. If needed, use pillows to raise your child on the chair. For their feet, find a storage box to place the pedal on.nnPROS: you can use what you already have, and it is much easier to share the machine. nCONS: at first it may feel a little awkward if your kids are real little. When my 3 year old started sewing, she worked at a child's table. This was because she never knew where to place the foot she wasn't using, when she sat at the larger table. However, by age 6 she preferred being at the "big" table with us.nWhichever one you choose, just make sure they are comfortable.