Easy Sewing for Beginners Podcast: Learn to Sew On

See the podcast show notes on my website here if you are viewing these show notes in a podcast app. Visit the Easy Sewing for Beginners pattern shop here! In this Easy Sewing for Beginners Podcast I chat to Emily Thompson from Nap-Time Creations all about sewing with knit fabrics! You can also listen to this podcast through iTunes! **This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may get a commission if you choose to click through and make a purchase. It doesn’t cost you any extra if you make a purchase and I sincerely thank you! What We Talked About in the Show: How knit fabric is different to other fabrics The best needle to use when sewing with knit fabrics and the difference it can make to your sewing Which presser foot to use when sewing with knit fabrics The different stitches to use when sewing with knit fabrics and why you shouldn’t use a regular old straight stitch! A great tip for getting starting for knit fabric Do you need to prewash knit fabrics? Sewing hems on knit fabrics with a regular sewing machine – twin needles  (and yes you can get a twin stretch needle) and woolly nylon Emily’s Facebook sewing group Nap-Time creations Sewing Group See the Facebook video where Emily sews a pair of pyjamas from start to finish….and her daughter in the background is just the cutest! Emily’s Pattern shop where you can find her patterns and here you can find her FREE ones Emily’s sewing story Rose’s adoption story Resource Recommendations Emily’s Recommendations Woolly nylon Serger/overlockers for sewing knit clothing Domenica’s Recommendations Clear elastic Sewing Pinspiration Emily’s Pinspiration Sew Can Do’s Ways to sew knits without a serger Craftsy’s Sewing durable seams on knit fabrics Domenica’s Pinspiration Pop up fabric container  Casserole carrier The best place to find Emily is Nap-Time Creations or her Facebook group. Happy listening everyone! Domenica The post ESFB 009: Chatting with Emily Thompson – Tips for Sewing with Knits for Beginning Sewers appeared first on Easy Sewing For Beginners.

I love sewing books! They offer so much in the way of inspiration for the next sewing project and are even lovely just to browse through. I recently ran a kids sewing workshop and found a whole stack of books with sewing projects for kids. I was especially interested in the books that also teach kids how to sew in the form of built in lessons. There are so many out there! I narrowed the collection down to 6 (hard task!) based on the layout, lessons, use of photo illustrations and the kids sewing projects provided in the books. I’ve chosen books that any child could pick up and follow by themselves (depending on reading and comprehension skills, of course), but these books would be perfect for any parent wanting to teach their child to sew and are wanting a little bit of guidance. So let’s check them out! This post contains affiliate links (meaning I receive a small commission if you make a purchase through my link and it doesn’t cost you any extra) and I truly thank you if you choose to make a purchase through any of them    My Top 6 Books With Sewing Projects for Kids Along with Great Lessons to Learn How to Sew 1. Sewing School by Amie Petronis Plumley and Andria Lisle My personal favourite! Sewing School is the first book from Amie and Andria (you can check out their blog here) and it has a focus on teaching children to hand sew. The book offers twelve lessons to work through that teaches skills from threading a needle to stuffing a softie and there’s even a little pop quiz at the end of the sewing lessons. The step by step photo illustrations are really well set out and easy to follow. The book is bright and enticing for young readers and offers 21 sewing projects to try out some of the new skills learnt in the lessons. There’s a good range of sewing projects that include things to hug, hold, give, wear and recycle or repair. I love the Take-It-With-You Project. It’s a cute little cozy blanket with a little softie pocket pal. Awww! The pattern templates are stored in a pouch at the back of the book and do not require any enlarging. A big tick from me! So this would be the first book to check out if your child is showing an interest in learning to sew. You can take a look inside the book on Amazon here. 2. Sewing School 2: Lessons in Machine Sewing by Amie Petronis Plumley and Andria Lisle Sewing School 2 focuses on teaching children to sew with a sewing machine. The layout and structure is very similar to the first book with thirteen lessons for children to learn the essential skills needed for using a sewing machine. I even reviewed the sewing machine that they used in this book! It really is a cool little machine. If you’re looking for videos to learn how to use a sewing machine I’ve put together a mini video course here. There are 20 projects to try in this book ranging in projects to keep in the bedroom, bags and pouches, games and things to take and use outside. The wall pocket project would have to be my favourite from the book. It might help the kids keep their rooms a bit tidier! Boys or girls would both love the project ideas in this book. Again, the pattern templates are provided in a little pouch at the end of the book. This book is a great book to progress to if your child loves the first book or wants to move straight onto learning how to use a sewing machine. Take a look inside the book on Amazon here. 3. Creature Camp by Wendi Gratz with Jo Gratz Wendi Gratz was one of the first online sewing teachers I had when I was first learning how to sew. I fell in love with her style of teaching through video and the softies that she created. You can check out her great website here with loads of free lessons and tutorials. Anyway, So when Creature Camp was published I jumped at the opportunity to add it to my sewing book collection. This book focuses on teaching children how to sew softies with a combination of hand sewing, embroidery and machine sewing skills. There is an initial ‘Basic Skills’ chapter and then other advanced skills are taught throughout the book along with the softie sewing projects. There are a total of 18 softie projects to try and the pattern templates are provided and don’t need enlarging. This book is actually a really good reference book for adults wanting to learn how to make softies as well. Wendi provides great instructions for creating 2D softies as well as 3D softies with a ball or cube shape construction as a couple of the examples. There’s even more advanced skills like sewing gussets, adding zippers and making reversible creatures. I absolutely love the reversible butterfly project in this book! So this kids sewing book is not only a great book for kids who want to learn how to sew softies, but a great book for adults too! I picked up a few extra tips from this book, that’s for sure. Take a look inside the book on Amazon. 4. Let’s Sew by DK Books Let’s Sew is one of those books that I happened to come across in the Library one day and was pleasantly surprised by it. It contains a ‘Getting Started’ section, which focuses on the basic skills needed for hand sewing followed by 12 easy sewing projects for kids. The projects can be really simple like creating sewing cards, but also includes a more challenging sock horse sewing project. This book would be perfect for parents looking for simple sewing projects to do with a preschooler and older children would be able to follow the projects independently as the book has an easy to follow layout. All the pattern templates are full size and provided at the end of the book. This book probably is limited to children up to 10 years of age, but is a great starting point with bright photo instructions and simple sewing project ideas. Take a look inside the book on Amazon. 5. Crafty Dolls by Jane Bull Crafty Dolls is the perfect book for any child wanting to know how to make a doll (called Lottie Rag Dolls in the book) and an assortment of clothes to go with her. There is a stitch guide at the end of the book and other skills needed for hand sewing a doll are provided throughout the book along with the full size templates. This is a bit of a different layout to the other books that have the stitch guide and other basic skills in the front of the book, but it still has great photo illustrations to demonstrate how to do each stitch or skill. I love the extra projects for how to make mini dolls, doodle dolls (which is drawing onto fabric and then sewing the drawing into a cushion shape) and finger puppets too! The book also has a section on knitting dolls as well, so a little added bonus! This book would be perfect for any child wanting to learn to sew and make their own collection of dolls while they’re at it! Take a look inside the book on Amazon. 6. Stitch by Stitch: A Beginners Guide to Needlecraft by Jane Bull I have quite a few Jane Bull books in my collection! Stitch by Stitch includes a range of hand crafting skills including embroidery, needlepoint, patchwork, applique, knitting and crochet so it’s not just about learning how to sew. There are about 30 or more projects to try in this book so to me it’s a valuable book with so many skills to learn from it. Each section starts with great photo illustrations to teach the skills needed for the different needlecrafts. The sewing projects in the book are based more on decorating and embellishing existing bags or clothing, but includes a few sewing projects like a small tote bag and needle case. I do love the stitching doodles in embroidery hoops idea though! The projects would be great for children 7 and up and the instructions are set out in a clear, easy to follow format. All the templates are provided in the back of the book. A great book to learn from if your child is wanting to get a taste of different types of needlecraft and be inspired to create their own designs from the projects and ideas in the book. Take a look inside the book on Amazon. The internet and Pinterest are great, but sometimes I just want to sit down and check out sewing books to learn and be inspired by. It helps me to focus and not get stuck in a time sucking search for ideas and inspiration online (happens all the time!!!). I hope these book suggestions have helped you narrow down a book or two you might like to get for your child who is interested in learning how to sew. A little tip: I tend to use my public library collection to check out books I’m interested in buying these days. If I like the look of it after I’ve borrowed it and had a browse through, then I buy it. It’s saved me a ton of money and I’m not stuck with a whole heap of books that I didn’t end up liking. The books above are definitely winners! Have you come across a great book with sewing projects for kids that is also great for learning how to sew, too? If so, I’d love to hear about it! let me know in the comments section down below. Until next time, happy sewing! Domenica The post Top 6 Books With Sewing Projects for Kids appeared first on Easy Sewing For Beginners.

See the podcast show notes on my website here if you are viewing these show notes in a podcast app. In this Easy Sewing for Beginners Podcast I chat to Trixi Symonds from Coloured Buttons all about her sewing adventures and her newest creation, Sew A Softie Day! Hear more about Sew A Softie and how you can participate. If there was anything that we talked about during the show that you would like to find out more about, then keep on scrolling to find the podcast notes! You can also listen to this podcast through iTunes! **This post contain affiliate links, which means I may get a commission if you choose to click through and make a purchase. It doesn’t cost you any extra if you make a purchase and I sincerely thank you! What We Talked About in the Show: Sew A Softie Day - Find out more and get involved through the Facebook group Find all the bloggers who are getting involved with Sew A Softie Day and links to their tutorials (if they have been published) Participate in Sew A Softie Day by posting your photos of your handmade softies or of you participating in Sew A Softie Day to Instagram with the Hashtag #sasday2016 Don't forget to share your creations in the Facebook group as well! You'll be in the draw to win the fabulous prizes Trixi talks about! You can find Trixi's Zenki softie tutorial over at Coloured Buttons from the 1st July. Trixi's Tool Recommendation Wax/Chinagraph pencil.  This pencil is great for drawing on the felt and will easily rub off when you're finished. I'm getting one to try it out! //   My Resource Recommendation The Sewing School Book by Amie Petronis Plumley and Andria Lisle - A great book for any child looking to get into hand sewing. You can check it out on Amazon or if you live in Australia I recommend checking out Book Depository. Thanks for listening and happy sewing, Domenica ????   The post ESFB 007: Chatting with Trixi Symonds – Sew A Softie Day and Hand Sewing appeared first on Easy Sewing For Beginners.

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