Sewing For My Sanity

Simplicity 1290 You want your kids to do this

Sewing for kids is one thing. Sewing with kids is an entirely different experience. That’s where we are with Simplicity 1290. I have birthed two totally different types of children in the world. Like any good mom; I want to pass on all my skills to my kids. Easier said than done right, especially regarding something technical like sewing.

My first child just did not take to sewing at all. First of all, she is a lefty. Secondly, all of my tools are right-handed, so the moment she cut herself with the rotary wheel, she checked out of the entire sewing exp[erience.

Cutting the pattern paper, carefully

Mistakes were made, right? I mean, what kid wants to return to the experience of sewing when something bad happens? Little princess surfed my pattern collection drawers to discover a pattern that suited her aesthetic.

purple Ankara skirt cut piece for sewing
Simplicity 1290 skirt in Ankara cut out

The second child, on the other hand, was always in the studio. Unlike her older sister, she sometimes slept under the sewing table and often made doll dresses from mommy’s stolen fabric scraps. So, it should have come as no surprise to me that she wanted a skirt for the opening movie night of Wakanda Forever. In honor of the late Chadwick Boseman, a Howard University alum and the star of the all-star cast, Black Panther fans were asked to dress in white to mourn the loss of the king. Other dress alternatives were purple regal or Ankara.

Certainly, the little princess surfed my pattern collection drawers to discover a pattern that suited her aesthetic. Yes, at age 12, she knew the word aesthetic and which colors and styles did not fit her. Her sewing pattern choice, Simplicity 1290.

Simplicity 1290 Pattern features:

  • Easy fun
  • Single skirt pattern
  • Five views
  • No internal pockets
  • Lapped zipper

Fabric Choices for Simplicity 1290:

Use any woven. Ankara is perfect for this pattern. It’s stable without any stretch, and for small hands, it works great. Because I was teaching pressing techniques and grainline skills, Ankara was also a perfect choice.

Specifically, it holds hard wrinkles, requiring the student to use the pressing skill to the maximum, and it doesn’t ravel easily with overhandling. Also, because of Ankara’s beautifully repeated artistic patterns, teaching kids about grainline is extremely rewarding. My young sewist’s sweet face lit up like a holiday parade after she followed instructions and lined up the grain (see below).

We learned a lot about grainline and accuracy

Kids’ sewing skills needed:

This pattern is for any beginning sewist. You will most definitely need these basic skills to complete any of the views.

  • Cutting woven fabrics
  • Grainline basics
  • Installing a waistband
  • Installing a zipper
  • Hemming skills
She’s so proud of her new handmade skirt