Sewing Projects for Kids' Clothes

Yoyos

"Yoyos" are fabric circles that look like flowers or little wheels. To make one, cut out a circle of fabric, iron in about 1/4 inch of seam allowance and run a gathering stitch along the fold. When the gathering stitch is pulled tight, it will create a little pouch. Tie off the thread and press so the opening of the pouch lies in the middle of one side. Stitch yoyos together side to side to make vests, hats or any other garment simply by following any garment pattern. You can also attach them to pins or jewelry as accessories.

A homemade dress can look elegant with the addition of ribbon embroidery. Ribbon embroidery differs from thread-based embroidery in that it creates a softer look and feel, combined with a thicker line as a result of the width of the ribbon. All you need is a ribbon narrow enough to fit through an embroidery needle with a wide eye. The embroidery can be as simple as a feather stitch or as complicated as the making of flowers if you use a variety of stitches.

Sew these decorative badges onto any garment or glue them onto a pin as an accessory. Rather than cross-stitching on fabric, use plastic canvas so the material is as sturdy as a badge. Any pattern found in books or online and cross-stitched on plastic canvas works well so long as there aren't any parts that narrowly hold together larger chunks. Once the picture is complete, rather than stitching a border, trim the canvas and wrap the floss around the hard edge for a finished look.

These T-shirts are simple and give children an opportunity to express themselves. All you need is a plain T-shirt, hook-and-loop fastener tape that matches the shirt color, and fabric letters. On the front of the T-shirt, stitch an 8- to 10-inch strip of the loop side of a 2-inch-wide strip of hook-and-loop fastener tape. Stitch the fabric letters to the hook side of the fastener tape and cut into individual squares. This way, the child can create a word or expression to put on the T-shirt using the letters.