Sewing Studio: Weather Buddies

Sewing Studio is a series of beginner to intermediate hand sewing for grades 3 - 8 which focuses on using a small pattern to sew a small plush out of felt craft sheets.  It is held about once every other quarter at the Randall Oaks Library, often switching between Needle Felt or Sewing Studio. 

This past program for Sewing Studio: Weather Buddy focused on creating a small weather themed plush.  Kids got to choose one out of four available patterns made by myself to sew.  They had the option of a happy sun, a content cloud, a sad raindrop, or a grumpy thundercloud.  They also had the option to customize their weather plush by embroidering or drawing a face onto their plush and choosing what color to make their plush. 

I teach the children to thread a needle, tie a knot for their thread, how to hide their beginning knot in their plush and to either use a running stitch or a blanket stitch to sew their plush together.

I started creating my own basic plushies when I was in middle school, and I wanted to be able to replicate that for the kids in the library and empower their creativity. 

In order to get started at home, you only need a few basic supplies you can find at most craft stores.

You will need a sewing needle, thread, fabric, sharp scissors, and a pattern.  You can draw your own pattern or find one online.   Sewing needle and thread are basic and you can probably find a small starter sewing kit that has most of what you would need. I recommend starting with 9x12 felt craft sheets of fabric for your first couple of projects. They are sturdy, hold up to a lot of abuse and come in a lot of colors and are cheap.  You can find them in most craft stores and even Walmart for $1.00 or less.  Fabric scissors are always the best for sewing projects, but before you invest in fabric scissors, you can use basic craft scissors for your first couple of projects with your felt.  Test out a project or two and see if you like sewing your own plush. 

Happy Sewing!

Listed down below are some handy materials available through our library to guide you in your hand sewing journey!