Then I pinned it closed, and tucked the ends into the fabric. I threaded the needle and knotted it so that she wouldn't lose the needle from the thread for her first sewing project. I will say the negative is that mistakes are more difficult to fix, because you can't simply pull out the thread to the point of the mistake. She didn't quite understand the pulling the thread all the way through on each stitch before starting the next stitch.
She was so excited to start the sewing part of the project, because she felt it was a big deal to be able to hand sew on her own.
I let her do it on her own while I stayed nearby to help with struggles. She used the overcast stitch as advised in the curriculum. She was really proud when she reached the end of the line.
I feel like she did well for her first time hand sewing.
We needed to go back and close the gaps so the herbs would stay in the pillow. It took a couple of tries for her to figure out what was needed. We sat right next to each other and took turns doing the stitches. It was hard for her to coordinate just where the needle should go on the closer stitches. Once she slowed down and figured out what was needed, she was so proud of herself!
Being able to switch gears from letting her have some independence to try her hand at sewing to snuggling up on the couch and working through the details together is one thing I love about homeschooling! I also switched gears on the needle and thread to give her that experience, and in the end, I think it made things easier. She actually only pulled the needle off the thread a couple of times near the end.
Now she's ready for sweet dreams.
