A week full of creativity
Our March Break French Sewing Workshops were a huge success and a great opportunity for the kids to “sewcialize” in French! It’s important to me that SewKids! offer classes in both French and English. In my area, there is a shortage of French language programs for kids. Most sports and art programs are offered in English only. As a Francophone mother, I can appreciate having additional resources available to me to help reinforce my children’s learning and strengthen their French language skills. The number of schools these days that offer a French Immersion program is higher than it’s ever been. Parents are looking for more opportunities to immerse their children in the language outside of their typical school setting. We are happy to oblige and offer a fun and creative alternative.
Sewing for the very first time
The 6-9 years old students experienced sewing for the very first time. They had no previous exposure whatsoever, they had not even held a needle. They were curious and excited and full of anticipation as to how the day would unfold. They were eager to jump in.
At first, it didn’t even matter that there was a project slated to do, all they wanted to know was how to operate the sewing machines. I can certainly understand. These were kids from the ages of 6-9. They wanted to try this grown-up toy. I remember being a kid a feeling so empowered because I was capable of operating a sewing machine. It was a big deal for me.
We started out by reviewing all the safety precautions. I likened it to driving a car. They first needed to get their driver’s license before they could really know how to sew. I did a demonstration of how to properly thread a machine, wind a bobbin and we ran through the various stitches and lengths. The more interesting the stitch, the more they wanted to hop on to their machines and try. Finally, they got their chance – and they were off to the races!
Natural born artists
It’s always exciting for me to watch the kids sew and create. Children are truly natural artists and they are so proud of their efforts. They are happy to try new things are so forgiving about how less than perfect their work is. This is a good lesson to be reminded of. Another is to just create without thinking. You end up with something truly unique.
Fun projects, amazing experience
The projects varied from making monogram pillows to monster stuffies, unicorn and emoji backpack charms with a big furry pom pom, and an adorable mermaid rag doll. With all the cool projects we did, I really believe the kids had the most fun “driving” the sewing machine and making random furry bracelets and a million tiny pillows for their dolls.
It was less about the project and more about the experience. They were in the moment, they were engaged and they were oozing with creativity.
There were very few moments of frustration. I explained that it’s part of sewing. Yes, the thread breaks a lot and the machine can get jammed but as you learn, it gets easier. And they were ok with that.
At the end of each long day, I knew that the workshop had been a success. Not because of the great projects they had made, or the fun they had laughing and creating but by the fact that they didn’t want to go home… they just had to make one more thing… “another pillow for my doll”.
In the days following March break, several parents contacted me to express how happy their children were with the sewing workshops. Their testimonials were very positive and their children were now prompting their parents to buy a sewing machine for the home. I couldn’t be happier, this is what SewKids! is all about. This is the reason why SewKids! exists.
For all our friends in the SewKids! online community, we will be sharing these projects over time. Be sure to stay tuned to the SewKids! Youtube channel for tutorials coming soon.
