When we started our North American geography unit, I went hunting for other resources to complement my North American Saints set. I was absolutely thrilled to find Jen’s Sew-A-Saint projects because on my daughter’s wish list has been learning to sew. Thanks to her Aunt Caitlin, who purchased Saint Kateri for her, we were able to have our 2nd ever sewing lesson (the first was a small tag blanket for her new baby cousin).
Jen’s Sew-A-Saint makes for the perfect project to introduce sewing. I love that the saints comes printed, crisp and clear, on beautiful fabric. The front and back are clearly outlined, and easy to cut out, even for a child. It really gave G as sense of independence to be able to complete so much of the project herself.
Once the cutting was finished, I showed G how to place the pieces right sides together and to pin them. She got the hang of it quickly. And again, her success is definitely in part due to the brilliant design of the product. The saint figure is a simple shape and just the right size for a child to work with. There was ample amount of pinning for her to feel that she got good at it, but not so much that it became drudgery.
Next up was the fun part: the sewing. I’ve got no pictures of this step because G was sitting on my lap at the machine and our hands were busy. But G loved it. My machine is a knee pedal, so she gets to help make the machine grow, and is just starting to learn how to maneuver the fabric through the machine. Again, the design made this a perfect project for a beginning sewer. The shape and gentle lines made it possible for her to be much more of a help than I was anticipating.
And the final step was turning it right side out and stuffing it. G was so thrilled to watch Kateri take shape. She has barely put her down since.
We will absolutely be purchasing more Sew-A-Saints in the future, and I can’t recommend them enough. It was such a fun addition to learning about this wonderful saint.
For other Saint Kateri resources, make sure you check out Formed.org. They have a wonderful Kateri audio book that G loved. And if you haven’t already purchased Adalee Hude’s coloring book, you should. In addition to many other wonderful pages, it has the most beautiful St. Kateri that I’ve ever seen.