I’m really excited to talk about these sweet little kits from bluefigU. We got to test out a couple thanks to bluefigU and SewMamaSew. Look for other posts this week reviewing other bluefigU products by the following bloggers:
LiEr of ikatbag
Alicia Brown of Felt With Love Designs
Kristy of Simply This Life
Cheri Paxton of Living DIY Style
When I asked my kids what they’d want to make, Connor (my soon to be 11 yr old) wanted to make the Li’l Wrap in peacock blue which was an art roll. He’s always drawing and has only sewn once before – usually he designs and outsources the work (to me). This project was a perfect fit for him because it’s simple and he has minimal sewing experience.
Gwyneth (my 8 yr old) picked the Li’l Briefcase in bubble gum pink. It was rated more difficult than some others, but she had some sewing experience under her belt so we thought we’d give it a try. She also picked out a Woodland Creatures adornment pack to embellish her bag.
Connor did his project first. We opened the package and found our materials cut out and a clear instruction booklet. The felt included was a very high quality dense felt that looks like it will hold up well.
Connor learned how to use a quilting grid ruler to make marks on his fabric. (I think he may want to borrow that ruler in the future – he called it “awesome”)
He also learned what a zig-zag stitch was an how to use it.
We used a piece of washi tape on the machine to mark the seam allowance. It helps a lot when sewing.
When he was done he said “Wait! That’s it? That was so easy! Wow!”
He’s been using the Li’l Wrap ever since. He loves the pockets.
And it folds up so nicely. Ready to go where he is.
Gwyneth was up next. I was a little nervous about her sewing a zipper, but it came with the tabs on the ends already (how awesome is that?) and the zipper had wide tape on the sides making it much easier for kids to put in and we didn’t even have to use a zipper foot.
She was very excited about the embellishments and picked a hummingbird and a squirrel and nut. She has recently gotten into embroidery and wanted to hand stitch them on with a running stitch which gave them interesting detail.
The handles were very easy and she needed no help with that. (I love that she picked turquoise thread to complement the bubble gum pink color and that she wasn’t afraid to let her stitching show.)
The gusset was a little harder for her. While she understood what to do, she did need some help. I think a slightly older child would have no problem with it. She also decided to make a zipper pull with one of the felt shapes from the adornment pack. She picked the bunny in the matching pink and sewed it on a stray piece of ribbon.
It turned out really well and she was so excited that she had made it! She already wants me to get her more kits!
I highly recommend these BlueFigU kits for kids! Thanks to BlueFigU and SewMamaSew for sending them to us to test out.
These are fantastic!
Thanks Rachel!
Wow, your kids did a great job!
Thanks! I’ll let them know you think so.
Both of their projects look great! I think my son would like to sew the Li’l Wrap as well. I’m hoping to teach my niece to sew and a kit would be nice for her too. 🙂
Yes, I highly recommend them. The Li’l Wrap is great for beginners.
These are so cute!! I passionately believe in teaching kids to sew! I teach local (honolulu, HI) sewing camps for kids and they’re so fun to teach because they don’t care that things aren’t perfect, they enjoy the process and are so proud of their work. These kits are great!
I agree! Even if it’s a hobby they don’t adopt, it is a useful life skill to know! OOOhhh! Sewing in Hawaii, so nice. Actually… anything in Hawaii… so nice. 🙂