Sewing School Camps 2019

 

Are you ready for the summer?!  We are!  Sewing School camps will be held at SummerFest hosted by Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal School in Memphis, TN. We have 4 great camps ready for your crafty kids!

For the past 15 years, summer camp has been where ideas, techniques, and projects have been developed for the Sewing School book series. While we have fun making quick projects during our weekly Sewing Club, camp allows sewists the time to build upon new skills while stitching up creative and meaningful projects. We hope your child can join us this year!

Below is a quick snippet about each camp. For registration details, please follow this link.

Sewing School Camp Week 2 (June 10-14)
8am-12pm, Sewing School Jr. for boys and girls rising in SK and 1st grade
1pm-5pm, Sewing School camp for boys and girls in rising 2nd - 8th grade

This is where everything began!  Open to both boys and girls, campers will learn the basics of sewing both by hand and on machine. Projects include stuffies, pillows, bags, and wearables. Campers will also have the opportunity to work on projects of their choice. No sewing experience necessary. Students with their own sewing machine may bring them to camp for the week.

Craft Challenge Week 5 (July 8-12)
8am-12pm for boys and girls in rising 2nd - 8th grade

Take the craft challenge! Each day, the campers' creativity will be challenged with a variety of unique materials and crafty skills.  We can't wait to see what everyone makes with a lost sock or if they can create a unique pencil holder for their desk. Who will be named the Craft Champion?!

In Stitches! Week 5 (July 8-12)
1pm-5pm for boys and girls in rising 2nd - 8th grade

You'll be in stitches at this crafty camp! Campers will learn a variety of hand-sewing techniques such as cross-stitch, embroidery, and weaving. New skills will be used to create fun projects like pillows and bags. Bonus - campers will go home with their very own hand-sewing kit.

Sewing School Fashion Design

This is the book I've been wanting to write for so long! I started sewing mainly to make my own clothes. In high school, I started wrapping pieces of cool fabric around my waist, securing it with a few safety pins, and calling it a skirt. Finally, I learned how to use a sewing machine and started making my very own Zippy Skirts. I have made dozens of these flirty skirts and each has its own personality. Next came dresses and tunics.

At Sewing School Camp, kids were wanting to make their own clothing too.  Many campers would trace their bodies on fabric and attempt to make pants or shirts. The results were often hilarious and sometimes successful, but always a learning experience for both the maker and myself. I began to develop patterns that were simple enough for new sewers, but also cool enough to wear out in public.

The result is Sewing School Fashion Design. Three basic patterns that can be altered and mixed and matched to create an entire wardrobe. Yes, full-sized patterns are included and fit a variety of sizes from age 8 to teens. They also work for smaller adults too! (I'm a size large.)

The Sewing School books have always encouraged kids to make projects their own and clothing is no different. We call these Fashion Mashups. Add a hood to your dress or use 4 different fabrics to make your shorts. Pockets are needed for sure and embroidery adds a big punch.

What would your perfect outfit look like?

I am so excited to have Sewing School Fashion Design out in the world and can't wait to see all the amazing outfits kids start sewing!  You can get your copy on-line at Amazon or Powell's. Please ask for it at your favorite bookseller or fabric store!

Kid Art Embroidery Workshop

I'm super excited for the Kid Art Embroidery workshop for adults at The Art Project  in Memphis, TN. 

When my kids were small, I was enchanted by their artwork. The creativity, wobbly lines, and fearlessness. They also developed their own unique style. Phoebe was busy drawing long-legged princesses and hearts while Frank focused on complex vehicles that involved a lot of wheels and straps for holding things together.

This angel was embroidered for a good friend. 

Her child was in my kindergarten class.

As a crafty mom, I wanted to capture their artwork beyond putting it on the fridge. I also wanted to connect with their world somehow. So, I began to embroider favorite drawings. As I stitched along their lines, I felt closer to them and knew that I was creating a keepsake. Throughout the years, I have also embroidered drawings for friends and family. They are such sweet gifts.

Phoebe's artwork

My embroidery

Embroidery is one of those crafts that is so perfect. It's timeless, portable, and full of possibilities.

At The Art Project later this month, I look forward to passing on this fun project to others who are eager to learn a new skill or just want to hang out and sew with me!  We'll be transferring an original drawing onto muslin so that it fits inside a 7-inch hoop. The hoop will also become a clever hanger for the finished work. I'll go over a variety of stitches so that the best stitch can be chosen to capture the details on those sweet drawings.

For more information and to sign-up for the workshop, visit The Art Project website.   If you don't live in Memphis, but want to learn more about Kid Art Embroidery, check out my post from many moons ago.

Silly Spider Web

I am excited to stitch up these Silly Spider Webs with a group of 2 and 3 year olds at the next Toddler Sewing and Storytime.  The little beads add color and double as "bugs" that the spider caught.  They are so easy and fun to make.

I was also thinking that they'd be a perfect craft at a Halloween party!

Materials:
Any size of embroidery hoop (I used a 7in)
burlap (we used orange)
lacing strings or yarn
plastic needles
pony beads
plastic spiders
hot glue
Halloween-themed ribbon

If you are sewing with younger children or a large group, it's best to go ahead and fill the hoop with fabric.  Once you have the fabric in there tight, just trim around the back.

Thread a ribbon with a lacing string, tie a knot a the end, and get to sewing.  Encourage the kids to sew all around, any which way.  Every so often, stop and add a pony bead "bug" or two or three to the web. When the string runs out, knot it off in the back and start again with a new string.

When the web is finished, hot glue a plastic spider to the web.  Add about 12 inches of Halloween-themed ribbon to the top for a hanger.

If you live in the Memphis area, we'd love to have you join us at Toddler Sewing and Storytime!  It's on Tuesday, October 27, 9am, at Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal School.  RSVP and info at enroll@gslschool.org.  This fun event is free for kids ages 2 and 3 and their grownups.  Costumes are optional!

Happy Halloween!

Summer Camp Time!

Summer Camp is where it all began!  I look forward to each summer where I can just sew with kids. Their wonderful imaginations and creative spirits never cease to amaze me!

This summer, I am excited to be teaching not only Sewing School camp, but also Urban Scout - a new camp that combines all that I love about teaching kids.

Sewing School Camp

June 8-12, 8-12

boys and girls, rising 1st - 8th

Grace-St. Luke’s Especial School Summerfest

Click here to register and for more information

Boys and girls will have fun creating original fabric projects including pillows, stuffed animals, clothing, embroidery, and more! Both hand and machine sewing skills will be taught.  This camp inspired the Sewing School books.  No needle experience necessary!

Urban Scout

June 22-26, 8-12

boys and girls, rising 1st - 5th

Grace-St. Luke’s Especial School Summerfest

Click here to register and for more information

A shout-out to city-dwelling kids to stop and take a closer look at their surroundings and appreciate the nature around them.  Campers will participate in a variety of traditional scouting activities such as knot-tying, gardening, camping, and sewing, all with an urban twist.  This camp is new this year and incorporates all that I love about crafting and learning with kids.

Hope to get the opportunity to create with your child this summer.  If you live far away or can't make it, don't worry, I'll be sharing all the best ideas here on the blog and on FaceBook.  

I got some new craft books!

 What a happy day when the postman delivered these two new craft books to my mailbox this past week.  I had fun looking through them and gaining new inspiration and ideas for sewing camp.

First up is Annabel Wrigley's We Love to Sew - Gifts.  The newest book in her sewing books aimed at young girls, is filled with fun and useful ideas.  I am a big fan of her Little Pincushion Studio.  It's so fun to see what others are making with kids.

 I love this mirror - I can picture it hanging in a school locker.  It's also a good introduction to patchwork.

 These bowls are just too cute!  They are a wonderful use of scraps and I think kids would love sewing the rope.  I can't wait to make one myself.

 The instructions are clear and full of photos.  Just right for sewing with kids.

Next up, is Stitch Love by Mollie Johanson.  Her blog Wild Olive is a favorite of mine, and I am a proud member of her 50 States Club.  Her book is full of adorable animal embroidery patterns.

 Besides just having cute patterns, there are some clever projects such as this possum sachet.

 The embroidery patterns are simple, but filled with personality. Mollie gives clear directions for how to transfer patterns and different stitches.

 While written for adults, I am excited to share some of these patterns and ideas with my sewing campers this summer.  I know they will love them!

Happy sewing!

Toddler Jack-O-Hoops

What a cute lil' pumpkin head!

At Toddler Sewing Club, we made these adorable Jack-O-Hoops.  Modeled after the ones we made last year, I just changed up the materials to make them toddler-friendly.

 Materials Needed:
*Embroidery Hoop - about 8 inches (really, any size is fine, but this is what we used)
*Foam sheets (you can also purchase these individually at craft stores)
*Orange burlap
*Plastic needles
*Lacing strings (you could also use yarn here, but I like how the lacings strings make it hard to unthread the needle)
*Green ribbon for "stem"

To prep the project, put the burlap into the embroidery hoop and then trim the excess fabric around the back.  Next, cut out a bunch of fun mouth, eyes, and nose shapes from the foam pieces.  Punch at least 2 holes in each piece.  I used a standard hand hole punch and had no problems with this.  Older kids can make their own face shapes.

Before sewing on the face, I encouraged the kids to make a lot of different funny faces with the shapes. We talked about our ears, eyes, noses, mouth, and hair.  They had fun identifying the parts and making faces.  Once the perfect face was chosen, we started to sew!

 Parents helped by holding the shapes in place while the toddler did the sewing.  Older kids were more independent.  I love the look of concentration on these little sewers!

To finish it up, poke a length of ribbon (about 2 feet) through the metal fixings on the hoop and knot at the top.  A perfect stem!

Jack-O-Hoop

I am crazy excited to share the Jack-O-Hoop with you!  This is one of those projects that emerged from some brainstorming with Sewing Club teachers and turned out better than we ever expected.  If you sew with kids, you should add this to your must-do list this Halloween!

Materials needed:  Embroidery hoop filled with orange cotton fabric (any size of hoop will work, our larger ones are 10 inches), black felt, sewing thread and needles, chalk, wine cork, green felt, green chinelle strip, hot glue

First, cover the embroidery hoop with orange cotton fabric.  Make sure the fabric is in the hoop really tightly!  Trim the fabric close in the back of the hoop so that it will not poke out the edges.  For Sewing Club, we pre-made the hoops for the kids.

Next, draw the face shapes onto felt with chalk.  Cut them out and place on hoop.  If sewing with kids, remind them that the metal screw is the top of the hoop so that the face will not be upside down.

Sew on the face.  Some kids might need you to pin the pieces in place.  They can just use one long piece of thread to sew on all the face pieces like in traditional embroidery. 

I love the top that fellow Club teacher Katie designed.  First, hot glue a wine cork to the top of the hoop near the metal screw.  Cut out a felt leaf and glue it onto the cork.  Ideally, the leaf will hide the metal screw.  Then, add a curled up green chenille strip.  Twist it around the metal screw.  You can also add a ribbon for hanging.

 

 Once you get going, you'll want to stitch up an entire pumpkin patch!

The possibilities are endless as you'll see from the many cute examples I couldn't help but show you!

 Happy Jack-O-Hooping!