Trixi Symonds is the voice behind Coloured Buttons and Sew Together Grow Together. From Sydney, Australia, Trixi has been sewing and creating with kids for more than 20 years. As soon as we connected via Instagram, I knew Trixi was a kindred spirit. She designs fun and colorful kids's sewing projects and is full of inspiration.
Last week, Trixi interviewed me, and I thought it would be fun to turn the tables on her.
The most
popular sewing project you make with kids?
They love
any project that has a baby…projects like Star Mum and Bub or Koala and her
baby are always hits…especially with girls but the boys really get into them
too…and if they make a project without a baby they often want to make a smaller
baby version of it before they go home…they also (especially the boys) love
designing their own monsters/aliens and projects like pillows where they can go
crazy adding all sorts of odds and ends as decorative features.
One
piece of advice you’d give to parents who want to teach their kids to sew?
I think the
most important thing for parents to do is to just step back and let their kids
do everything …let them choose the project,
the fabrics, the colors of the thread, the way they want to adapt the design …
let them make mistakes and sew with their own wonky stitches …and never do the
sewing for them …just let them have fun and lap up the whole experience …I’m
always struck by how proud kids are to have made something all by themselves.
Why should
kids learn to sew?
I think it
just gives them so much …it’s a low tech low cost really fun activity that kids
can take and do wherever they are …I’ve had kids who are lagging behind at
school come to my workshops …hand sewing really opens their eyes to their own
potential …it’s something they can see their progress in over a short time and shows
them they can really succeed at a skill that is not only very useful but also
creative …and it’s something that kids can enjoy and express themselves through
for the rest of their lives.
How did
you get into teaching kids sewing?
I was originally
trained as a primary school teacher and started giving after-school craft
classes to kids about 20 years ago …then I began quilting and fell in love with
hand sewing …I really loved everything about it …so I began designing hand sewing
projects for my young craft students and discovered two things: (1) kids love hand sewing …they were just so
excited to do the projects and (2) they weren’t getting this anywhere else …after
that my fate was sealed …my craft classes became hand sewing classes for kids.
What things
have surprised you in teaching kids to sew?
The biggest
surprise by far was learning how amazingly well little kids can sew …my
youngest daughter was just three years old when I finally caved in to her
constant pleading to join in a class and sew one of the projects with the “big
kids” …but ”surprised” is probably too mild a word for my reaction …I was
really floored by the fact she could do it at all …and of course, but I’ve said
this before, I’m always surprised at how much they love sewing.
Why do
you like sewing?
It’s hand
sewing I really love … I like making things, I have since I was little …and I
love the feel of the fabric …and the possibilities you have with using fabrics
…I especially love using old fabrics, either because I like the old fashioned
colors and designs or because I like recycling old fabrics from things like my
kids’ clothing that gives your work this extra depth and meaning as it stirs up
all these memories associated with the fabrics history.
Best
sewing experience?
There was
this one bubbly really lovely girl whose mum brought her to my classes because
she thought hand sewing might help her …her daughter had difficulties at school
and especially poor manual skills …at first she just couldn’t get her stitches
on the line but she improved really quickly …I just remember how happy she was
with herself…and she kept coming to classes and workshops for years.
Worst
sewing experience?
Mrs.
Penglas’ sewing class in primary school …we had to make bloomers …I don’t know
if anyone reading this has ever heard of “bloomers” or still knows what they
are …but I remember I was always in trouble and being shouted at.
Favorite
sewing experience?
When
parents come to pick up their kids and look at their work and say “I can’t
believe my child made that!”
You can find Trixi's adorable koala project here and purchase her wonderful book Sew Together Grown Together on Etsy and Amazon. I can't wait to try out some of these clever projects with kids!
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