My First Machine Sewing Book: Straight Stitching

by Winky Cherry

The My First Machine Sewing Book kit includes the book, fabric for two stars, and six practice papers. This fourth book in the My First Sewing Book series introduces machine sewing to children who have already mastered hand sewing. Children learn the parts of a sewing machine, then use practice papers to learn to stitch on straight and curved lines, turn corners, make big and little stitches, make lock stitches, and stitch a curved-line shape. Moving to fabric, they machine-sew and stuff a fabric star as they learn about seam allowances, tapering seams, and snipping and clipping fabric and thread. Additional fabric shapes to enlarge and trace are included on the final page. Winky Cherry's unique My First Sewing Book program teaches young children not only sewing skills, but life skills: responsibility, commitment, focus, patience, coordination, organization, and how to follow rules, all through the enjoyment of sewing. In six books, levels progress from simple hand sewing, embroidery, and doll making, to machine sewing, patchwork, and quilting. The three hand sewing books feature clever rhyming instructions for children as young as 5. The three machine sewing books are for children ages 7 and older. All six titles have simple, clearly-illustrated instructions. Each book builds on the previous books, and each book can stand alone.

Genres: Sewing

40 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1995

Reviews

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been afraid of my sewing machine every since I got it years and years ago. I think I'm way better at being able to control my crafts (knitting, spinning yarn), so the fact that I felt that the machine was more in control than I was bothered me. So, when i saw this book (meant to be used by 7-to-11-year-olds), I figured it might do the trick. I didn't realize until I sat down to go through it that most of the book is written in 4-line poems, which is kinda funny and probably good/cute for younger folks.

I liked the practice pages, which meant I could just sew holes through the paper on the lines without having to deal with the thread / potential jamming issues right away. I made a couple copies of each of the pages and went through them one at a time. It really helped me learn to control my speed and how to guide the paper in front of the needle. It didn't take more than an hour to do that and start dealing with thread. I had some scraps lying around, so I just sewed around on that for a little while.

The book I had also came with four small pieces of fabric to make two stuffed stars. I made one at the end of the first day and went ahead and made the second the following day. My hand sewing skills are sorely lacking, but maybe I can work on that soon.

[Winky · Rating 5 out of 5]

now available as a second edition......