Project Runway for Kids

Beginners

collect crepe paper, newspapers, gift wrap

Take one large sheet and fold in half. Place child's shirt on top matching shoulders to fold. Trace with sharpie. Cut out. Draw line down center front only. Cut to fold. Cut neck hold. Sleeveless, a vest. With sleeves, a jacket. Glue sides.

Have fun getting creative--stickers. Cut picyures from giftwrap or magazines and glue on vest/jacket. Paint solidly or abstract. Glue on glitter, sequins, gem stones.

Intermediate

Get a twin size bed sheet or buy a couple yards of fabric. Fold in half. Choose a favorite shirt, jacket, dress from your closet. Match shoulders to fold and trace. Cut out through both thicknesses. Draw a line down the middle. For neck line, draw a smile or half circle. Cut
along trace lines on front only. Using needle and matching tread, use a running stitch to sew sides. Don't sew armholes. Walmart has a $30 sewing machine that is easy to use. However, every child should learn to do a straight stitch for future mending.

Gather together buttons, ribbons, patches, appliques, fabric scraps. Using fabric glue or needle and thread, decorate. Fabric paint can add special touches. Use trim, rick-rack, or ribbon and sew or glue around edges to cover cut edges. Older children can fold edges under and hem using a straight stitch.

Advanced

Take your child and go to fabric store and buy simple pattern if preferred. My daugjter cut up an old dress. Lay parts on fabric and pin. Cut out. Place wrong sides together to sew. I used pattern instructions to improve my daughter's reading skills. She followed written instructions and learned to use an inexpensive sewing machine she had gotten at age 6 for Christmas. Hint: set in sleeves should be saved for older children with more experience. Now is the time to introduce ironing. Once sides and shoulders are sewn, fold up 3/8 inch on front, bottom, neck, sleeves. Press as you go. Parent supervision recommended. Fold again. Press. Pin. Sew. Now all edges are hemmed.

At this point I had my daughter sketch what she had made several times. She decorated her drawings, chose her favorite, then we went back to fabric store to buy embellishments and fabric paint.

She made tie belts, learned to sew on buttons, sewed purses, decorated tees and sweat shirts.

Don't forget the runway show.

Using these same skills, my middle school students drew animal outlines on newspaper, cut out, pinned to two pieces of fabric, sewed together by hand and/or sewing machine leaving open 5 inches on belly. They turned right side out, stuffed, hand sewed to close opening and had a pillow.

We also used these same skills to make hand puppets.

Need more detailed info, email me: brenda.lauw@gmail.com