My DD (9) wants to sew. Help me teach her (us)

[light of mine]

My dd has been adamant for a year now that she really wants to learn to sew. Her friend makes doll clothes for her AG doll and bears, and she is really interested in it, but I don't sew at all-other than being able to put a button on a shirt.

I really need some direction in where to start. I did have her hand sew up one of the decorative pillows she keeps on her bed that was coming loose at the seam. We do have an older sewing machine that works (basic from the 60's), that I can thread up, but really have no idea how to use it.

[Little Forest]

I would put her in sewing classes at a local cloth store.
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[greengirl19]

If you have any sort of quilting store nearby, most offer kid's sewing classes. Without knowing how to operate your machine yourself that's the direction I'd go. You can do alot with hand sewing though, or potentially embroidery.

[Soliloquy]

At age 9 she can teach herself with very, very minor assistance from you.

Made by Me by Jane Bull

Sewing School by Andria Lisle

are two books I bought and my kids taught themselves. . One note-- the second book of Sewing School is for machine sewing. It recommends a specific sewing machine. We bought it and it was TERRIBLE. Thankfully we were able to return it. We bought a Singer from Amazon and it's been great.

[light of mine]

Originally Posted by Little Forest

I would put her in sewing classes at a local cloth store.
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Originally Posted by greengirl19

If you have any sort of quilting store nearby, most offer kid's sewing classes. Without knowing how to operate your machine yourself that's the direction I'd go. You can do alot with hand sewing though, or potentially embroidery.

Not really an option for us, as we live very rurally, no craft/fabric/quilting stores without over an hour driving. I can operate the machine basically (as in turn it on and sew straight

---------- Post added at 08:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:31 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Soliloquy

At age 9 she can teach herself with very, very minor assistance from you.

Made by Me by Jane Bull

Sewing School by Andria Lisle

are two books I bought and my kids taught themselves. . One note-- the second book of Sewing School is for machine sewing. It recommends a specific sewing machine. We bought it and it was TERRIBLE. Thankfully we were able to return it. We bought a Singer from Amazon and it's been great.

TY
I will look up those books. I had found a few at our local library, but they weren't very helpful.

---------- Post added at 08:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:32 AM ----------

Also, should I be considering buying a new machine? At this point, I really hate to, my machine is pretty basic, no attachments or fancy computer-y stuff. I looked up reviews of my machine model, and it had pretty good reviews for durability. It was my great-grandmother's, so it has sentimental value and I really don't have the room for 2 sewing machines.

[Aerynne]

I sew all the time and my sewing machine is from the early 60's. As long as it works, that's good. You can take it somewhere for a tune-up if you want. I think the old ones just keep going and going- they used to make stuff better back then.

I would look up youtube videos about anything you want to do, learn how to do it, then teach your dd. You could even see if there are any on your machine. Or you could let her watch the videos. Backstitching is a really important skill - do you know about that?

A pillowcase is a good first project- nice and basic, and something she can use every day.

I start my kids hand sewing before machine sewing, first with embroidery. But if she's already 9 you can decide if you want to let her do the machine first.

[CelticJourney]

Originally Posted by light of mine

Not really an option for us, as we live very rurally, no craft/fabric/quilting stores without over an hour driving. I can operate the machine basically (as in turn it on and sew straight [COLOR="Silver"].....

Can you find a local mom/grandma who might be willing to get you started. I helped several younger girls get started who were daughters of friends.

[Kiara.I]

Originally Posted by light of mine

Not really an option for us, as we live very rurally, no craft/fabric/quilting stores without over an hour driving. I can operate the machine basically (as in turn it on and sew straight

Neighbours? Homeschooling class locally? (The next community over from us has a mom who is teaching regular sewing classes for homeschoolers. )

Originally Posted by light of mine

Also, should I be considering buying a new machine? At this point, I really hate to, my machine is pretty basic, no attachments or fancy computer-y stuff. I looked up reviews of my machine model, and it had pretty good reviews for durability. It was my great-grandmother's, so it has sentimental value and I really don't have the room for 2 sewing machines.

A basic machine is just fine to learn on. It's actually more important to learn the basics well than to figure out how to use bells and whistles. If your daughter starts sewing a lot, she will eventually come to figure out what she wants in a machine, and may start wanting a different one. Let her earn it and get it herself, and she'll do just fine. A well-made, durable, OLD machine that does the basics well is far, far better than a new, fancy, does-all-the-things machine that breaks in a year.

If she starts doing much sewing, the main thing you may need to look at next is a serger. They're not *necessary* of course, but they are handy.

[SewingGreenMama]

YOU TUBE!!!!
Spend an afternoon learning the machine together.
Start with a doll sized pillow dress.
I'll be back with a few links in a minute!

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---------- Post added at 10:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:32 PM ----------

Here is a decent video about the sewing machine and how it works.

If you click on her user name after the video it will bring you to her page, she has a short video introducing her co taught home ec course. It is a paid course but looks very complete and great if your interested. The link is in the information section below the Home Ec intro video.
If you can't find it let me know and i'll link it for you.

https://youtu.be/jmaZBTMzkoY

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---------- Post added at 10:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:20 PM ----------

Eh, I decided to link the course anyway lol.
http://homeeconline.blogspot.com/2011/03/home.html?m=1

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---------- Post added at 10:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:21 PM ----------

awesome pillow dress tutorial for an American Girl Doll.

Feel free to PM me with any questions. I love helping beginners!

https://youtu.be/8eX0kHACJiI

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[light of mine]

I have totally avoided this thread, because it just makes me nervous , super silly, but I may be afraid of my sewing machine. I did watch the videos you linked SGM, very helpful, and making an AG dress is up my daughter's ally. I am going to have a few hours to myself this weekend, and I'm going to try to get the machine started and just play around with it.

SGM, I wished you lived a little closer (I'm about 2 hours away from the big city), I would LOVE lessons, lol.

[Soliloquy]

If your machine works, don't replace it! You do have to be careful with repair shops and vintage machines, though. I used to be in a Yahoo group for my vintage Singer and there were horror stories of machines being ruined.

[Amythestmama]

Absolutely keep the old machine if it works. The newer ones are not as sturdy and tend to be way more picky. My dd loved my older machine, I sold it cheaply to a young woman who wanted to learn to sew thinking dd would be ok with using my fancier husqvarna Viking, but she doesn't really like using it saying she's afraid she'll break it.
Anyway. If the book someone recommend Made By Me is the one I'm thinking of, I really like that one. It's simple enough that anybody can follow the directions. My dd has made several things from it- pillow, etc.
Some kids learn better from watching video tutorials and I'm sure there are lots out there. Others learn better with trial and error. Just pick a simple 18" doll pattern out- simple dress or skirt and peasant top etc, and follow the directions.
First though, I'd have her start with sewing straight lines- take a clean flour sack dish towel and press it smooth. Use a ruler and pen to mark 4-5 lines the entire length of the towel about 1/4-1/2" apart. Have her sew the lines, staying on the lines. Then, provided on your machine, a 1/4" seam is about the width of the foot so have her sew a straight line based on her last marked straight line and then continue that for awhile. If your machine has markings on the footplate such as 1/4, 5/8 etc, have her sew around several pieces keeping the edge of the fabric on a certain mark. Once you've gotten sewing a straight line down, everything else can be figured out pretty easily IMO. But sewing a straight line at the right seam allowance is crucial to every item you'll ever sew. You can message me if you want with questions and I'll try to help.

[Soliloquy]

Some kids will be really turned off by being told to practice basic skills first, though. One of mine is like that. That's what I love about Made by Me. They just jump right in to making something. And there are pictures in the book of the projects that are obviously made by inexperienced kids so their finished project will not look woefully inadequate compared to the book.

My house was swimming in homemade stuffed animals, for awhile. . My dd taught herself to knit with that book. Then we got Knitting for Dummies from the library and she quickly learned to cable. She just made a hat that looks like it was made by a pro.

[2sunshines]

If she has a friend who is a proficient sewer, has she ever asked her friend if she was willing to teach her? That would be my first question, as a non-sewing mom.