Looking for a good way to introduce your child to sewing? Simple enough for a beginner, this herbal dream pillow makes a great first sewing project. As he works, he'll learn key sewing skills like matching two edges and stitching them together. Working with aromatic herbs will engage your child's senses as he sews, and tradition has it that scented herbs bring sweet and restful dreams.
What You Need:
- 1/2 yard medium weight fleece fabric
- Double-sided tape, removable
- Tapestry needle
- Embroidery thread
- Contrasting thread for stitch guide
- Fresh aromatic herbs such as lavender, rosemary, sage, etc. (let your child pick the ones he likes best)
What You Do:
- Prepare the fleece. Cut an 8" x 24" rectangle and a 12" square. Use the contrasting thread to sew long running stitches (1/2" from edges) all around the square piece for your child to use as a stitch guide.
- Next, prepare the herbs. Have your child squeeze the herbs to release their scent. Then, lay the long rectangle of fabric flat, and place the herb bundle across one short edge. Have him loosely roll up the bundle.
- Set aside the bundle and pick up the square piece of fabric. Place the square flat on the table and put tape along the edges.
- Ask him to lay the rolled herb bundle in the center of the square. Then, he should fold the square over, matching the edges, and press all the tape together to seal, trapping the herb bundle inside.
- Now it's time to stitch! Help him make the first stitches. Show him how to follow your stitch guide, turning the pillow over to use the guide on both sides.
- When he's done, have him snip through your guide thread and pull it out, then remove the tape. Now all that's left is his own stitching!
Tuck the dream pillow under his usual pillow and let the dreams begin!
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