Winter break will be a great opportunity to stay in with the kids and work on projects, so I was excited when Storey Publishing sent me a copy of Sewing School: 21 Sewing Projects Kids Will Love to Make by Amie Petronis Plumley and Andria Lisle (who are from my husband’s hometown of Memphis). I think this would make a great gift for any child in your life.
Amie is a kindergarten teacher and both of the authors teach a summer sewing camp together, so they bring a hands-on, practical approach for kids aged 5 and up, written in clear language so that children can read and follow instructions on their own. The authors mention the Montessori and Waldorf teaching styles in their introduction and I can appreciate the independence that comes from teaching kids to sew. My kids loved their sewing experiences in the Montessori classroom and that experiential learning process is what I miss most about the approach. I think all kids (girls and boys) can benefit from learning to sew by improving their fine motor skills, gaining a sense of independence and having the opportunity to be creative.
There are twelve basic introductory lessons in the book followed by 21 simple projects for kids to make, with pattern sheets included at the back of the book. There’s also a section on mending and making recycled projects, in addition to a chapter about fixing that dear stuffed animal who has seen better days.
The photos are of real kids sewing with quotes throughout, which helps make it accessible. Each of the projects has step-by-step photographs to make it easy for your child to follow. And if you don’t know how to sew, you can learn right along with your kid. Projects include an apron, coasters, softies, a blanket, wallet and more. Maybe this book will help bring my almost-eight-year-old out of her crafting strike. We’ll see.
Please leave a comment below to enter to win a copy of Sewing School. This giveaway is for the U.S. and Canada only. Please enter by midnight (eastern) Saturday, December 18 and I’ll announce the winner on Sunday.
i’d love to teach my son to sew
my daughter wants to learn to sew. here’s hoping that we win and we can both learn
This one looks interesting! Planning on teaching the kids to sew over winter break–they’ve been asking while watching me crank through the Christmas gifts.
I would LOVE a copy of this book for my kids. I have an art giveaway on my website right now too, FYI. Thanks!
this would be fun to do with my boys!
What fun!! I’m from Memphis and would love a copy for my kids!
We bought my daughter her very own sewing machine for Christmas – if I don’t win, we’ll be sure to buy this for her birthday (Jan 1). Thanks for the heads up!
I LOVE this book and can’t wait to get my hands on it… Merry Christmas!!
I would love, love, LOVE this book. I’m working on building my boys’ crafting interest. Today my oldest started AND finished weaving a pouch. This book would be a good resource for more ideas!
Thanks for reviewing this! I’m starting a sewing club at school and I’m looking for ideas just like this!
I would love to have a copy of this for my children! Thank you for the opportunity:)
MY daughters would love this book!
Thanks for a chance to win.
I’ve just been sewing for a few months– this would be a great help!
Perfect! -I have two kiddos that would love this book!
I’m glad to see I’m not the only one that has little boys that want to learn how to sew!
My daughter would love this book – and it probably wouldn’t hurt my son to check it out either, right?
I would love this book for my dear daughter! Thank you!
My stepdaughter would love this book! She is asking to sew things all the time but with a toddler running around, it’s hard to find a good time for me to help her!!
This book looks fantastic! I’d love to add it to my crafty library!
What a wonderful resource! My son is absolutely FASCINATED with my sewing machine and would love to make his own projects.
i teach children to sew and this would be a wonderful addition to my resource library!
My kids would love this
oh my goodness!!! really want to teach my girl to sew this year. i think that she would really love this. thanks for the introduction. happy holiday!
This book looks great! Thanks for putting the word out about it!
Two little girls that have more time to knit and sew than I do would love this book. I can not believe how much they teach themselves out of books like these. Thanks for the chance…Merry Christmas.
Looks like a lot of fun projects!
I saw this book at my local bookstore but didn’t have a chance to glance through it before my one year old demanded that we move in another direction. I’d love to have it at home to work with my two older girls on some projects just for them!