Tag: DIY

Summer Sewing Project Ideas for Kids

May 10, 2026

School will be out for the summer here in about two weeks. CraftLAB projects have already been decided: oven mitt for Mother’s Day, BBQ apron for Father’s Day and a patriotic wall hanging/pillow for July. We’ll have quilt camp right before the girls return for the 2026-2027 school year.

Looking for budget-friendly ideas of what do with your own kiddos? Check out your local public library for sewing and craft books for kids. Look through the Libby app to what kid’s craft magazines or general sewing magazines are available digitally. If you have a stash of old paper patterns, start there.

Otherwise, create a Pinterest board and start searching using the projects listed below. It’s not a complete list – just somewhere to start. You should have no problems finding free patterns online. Be sure to pin the projects you and your kids like so you can find them later. Most of the time, there’s a Youtube video to accompany the project pattern.

Kitchen inspired: potholder, oven mitt, chef hat, apron, fabric jar opener

Travel inspired: quilted sunglass case, pocket tissue holder, tote bag, key fob wristlet, zipper pouch

Back-to-school accessories: bookmark, composition book cover, diagonal zipper pouch to hold tablet, lanyard, reusable snack bags, cord keeper

Sewing machine inspired: sewing machine mat, sewing machine cover, pincushion, fabric bins/storage pods, drawstring bag to hold foot pedal and cord keeper to corral power cords if machine is taken to classes or put away after each sewing session.

Here area a few websites that offer free project patterns and sewing tutorials:
All Free Sewing
All People Quilt
Apple Green Cottage
Fabric Editions
Missouri Star Quilt Company
Sew Can She
Sew 4 Home

Sourcing fabric and other supplies without going broke.
Hopefully, you already have a sewing machine, basic sewing supplies and a scrap bin your kiddos can pull from. Consider using outgrown clothing, and old linens (sheets, tablecloths, etc.) to create an upcycled project.

If you need fabric and supplies, ask your friends and family before going out to purchase anything. Your aunt who’s an avid quilter and lives two states away will be thrilled to send you a box of supplies. Check with your local library to see if they offer a craft swap or have a community craft supply closet available. Or check with a local buy nothing group.

Check your local independent thrift stores, yard sales and estate sales for supplies.

If you live near a larger city, look to see if there’s a fabric, fiber and textile association, quilt museum, chapter of the American Sewing Guild or a creative reuse facility. In Atlanta, we have SEFAA, SQTM and the ASG Atlanta Chapter. All three organizations host “yard sale” fundraisers and destash events throughout the year. We also have a creative use facility known as Scraplanta. They sell donated textiles, craft supplies, office supplies and stuff of all kinds at very reasonable prices.

For the best everyday prices on fabric and supplies for kid’s projects, look to Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree (and sometimes Amazon). Hobby Lobby is another option (and better for fabric IMHO) – if what you need is on sale. Michael’s tends to exclude cut-to-order fabric from coupons, so I don’t shop there very often.

Local fabric stores, quilt shops, yarn shops and art supply stores are another – but usually more expensive – option. A fun field trip idea: plan an excursion to a local fabric store. Give each kid $10.00 and allow them to purchase a couple of fat quarters for a future project. Bring along a picnic lunch and eat at a local park afterward.

Time spent sewing and crafting is good for kids. It teaches them life skills and lessens the amount of screen time.

Updating CraftLAB sewing machines

April 20, 2026

The upcoming school year will be one of change as my private students will be heading off to college or new private schools. CraftLAB sessions will continue with new faces already joining in on the fun. I am also assisting guild members with teen sewing programs at area libraries.

All three current CraftLAB sewing machines have been recently serviced and are in good working order. Two were made by Brand A and one was made by Brand B. The kids gravitate toward the Brand A machines, even though the Brand B machine is “prettier” and does a lot more fancy stitches. They tell me the Brand A machines “work a lot better”. Translation? Brand A doesn’t jam and chew fabric like Brand B does.

It will certainly be easier for everyone (including me) if the Brand B machine were re-homed and replaced with another Brand A machine. The existing machine they all like the best has two additional color options available. Students were happy to provide feedback and chose the red & white version. If it’s not available, they would prefer another one like the one we currently have.

I spotted a used Brand A machine at a local sewing machine shop a few weeks ago. Ken’s Sewing Center in Alabama has the Brand A variation that the kids liked now in stock. I’ll give both dealers a call tomorrow. Regardless, I’ve already ordered the wide extension table from another online retailer! Those little tables are hard to come by and are about 1/3 the cost of a custom acrylic Sew Steady table. Monies received for selling the Brand B machine will cover the purchase of our new CraftLAB machine.

Is it critical that I replace the Brand B sewing machine? Absolutely not! Updating the CraftLAB machines to a common manufacturer keeps things simple for me. That’s the real reason I’m considering buying a new machine.

Edited to add: I shopped the two local Janome dealers to look at the red TravelMate 30 (TM30). Floor model price at one dealer – $349.00 and sealed box price at the other dealer – $449.00. Honestly, I really wanted the red & white Elna 450 because I knew it would fit inside my wheeled underseat travel bag. I called Ken’s Sewing Center to ask some questions about the Elna 450 and the salesperson offered to throw in the 1/4″ foot with guide at no extra charge. I placed an order!

FWIW – Sewing Parts Online is also advertising Elna 450 sewing machines for the same price as Ken’s Sewing Center. If you live in the Nashville area, it might be worth a short drive to pick up as their lead time was 7-10 business days for an online order delivery. My new machine from Ken’s Sewing Center should be here on Friday afternoon (2-3 days).

One year after the Joann’s closure…

March 30, 2026
Former Joann store in Alpharetta, GA is still vacant nearly a year after closing.

I stopped by Sewingmachine.com on the way home from a recent pet therapy visit. A former Joann store sits next door it – still vacant. The bankruptcy case is ongoing.

While I occasionally miss Joann – sorry Michael’s, no amount of Knit & Sew Shop is going to fill the void for me – I’ve found Hobby Lobby and the sale section at 2-3 local shops can generally fill in what my stash lacks. Fabric swaps with friends and the guild’s free table round out any needed items for community service projects. I’m pretty sure my overall spending on fabric & notions has gone down since Joann closed.

Quilt shops and sewing machine dealers in my area simply aren’t marking things down to sell through as in the past. At the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo in mid-March, a local dealer was offering classroom use Janome 9480s with the ASR for $5,799. This special price was so secret that the classroom machine price wasn’t even listed on the tag. You had to ask. It was only $300 less than the show price of $6,099 on a brand new model. Two weeks after the show, the dealer is advertising the same classroom machines in its email blasts – without a price. Why all the secrecy?

Joann helped keep sewing machine prices in-check. If I needed to replace a kid-use sewing machine, I knew I could get a decent machine for about $250 the very same day. Can’t do that now! Even sellers on FB Marketplace aren’t discounting things very much. I’m not willing to pay $650 for a used sewing machine for CraftLAB. We’ll continue touse the ones we have.