As much as sewing is an interesting art, it is mostly carried out by adults and to be more specific, the old people.
Kids are more affixed to smartphones and the internet, which means that in a few year’s time, sewing skills might be very rare.
Therefore, it is important to encourage kids to start sewing from an early age so that their interest might grow early on, and shift from being entirely on smartphones and computers to balancing between sewing and these current technologies.
However, as you consider teaching kids how to stitch, you should get them specialized sewing machines for their age.
Some of the things to look at before buying a kid a sewing machine are:
What are the features of a kid sewing machine?
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1. Finger guard
The thought of sewing through a finger just makes someone get goose pimples throughout the body.
Finger guards are a common feature on beginner sewing machines for protecting the fingers from needle piercings.
Similarly, sewing machines for kids should have this feature so as to protect them from this kind of harm.
This is very important because kids might not fully concentrate on the sewing task and this lack of focus might see them feed their fingers for stitching.
2. Pedal and start/stop button
These are the only two ways of operating modern sewing machines.
A foot pedal is always exciting to use because it makes the kids feel like they are pressing on a car’s accelerator.
However, after some time, they might get tired or feel uncomfortable and this is where the start/stop button comes in.
Therefore, you should ensure that the sewing machine has these two driving options before closing the deal.
3. Feet
As an experienced sewer, snap-on presser feet are very advantageous because of the convenience that they present to you.
However, this convenience might be disastrous for kids because snap-on presser feet can fall off easily, especially if they are of poor quality.
Without the presser foot, the needle gets exposed and this is very dangerous.
To avoid such a situation, it is best to have a screw-on presser foot, which should be firmly secured in place.
4. Stitch options
Advanced sewers usually like to have the highest number of stitch patterns for decorative purposes as well as to explore their creativity.
However, with beginners as well as with kids, less is more.
A sewing machine with about 5 – 10 stitches is good enough for the toddlers, and should at least have a straight, zigzag, and reverse stitch in its offering.
5. Sewing speed
Sewing machine speed is another important thing to consider. Generally, fast speeds are not good for beginners.
Instead, a slow but constant speed is the best option to have because the priority here is not to complete projects quickly but to enable the child to gain some good sewing skills.
Alternatively, if you get a fast-speed machine, it should have controllable speed settings so that the kid can operate at low speed.
Last Words
A sewing machine for kids is usually considered the same as a sewing machine for beginners.
This means that it should only have the basic functions plus have some safety features onboard.
That said, if you consider the 5 things above, you will certainly get the best sewing machine for kids.
