Riley's Sewing Kit - A gift for my little DIYer in training

This week Riley is turning six years old. Can you believe it !?!? SIX !!! What happened to my little girl?  It seems like only yesterday that she was still sleeping in my bed with me and teetering around the house just barely learning to walk.  How time flies.  

Some people I have a hard time shopping for, but not Riley. She's my little mini me and LOVES to do craft projects. She could do them all day long. So when it came time to go shopping I had the perfect gift in mind for my little Do-It-Yourself'er and I just knew that she would be excited. It all started with a book I found at Hancock Fabrics a few months ago titled "Sewing For Children". It was full of fun and easy sewing projects for kids aged 3 and up. Dolls, purses, pillows... it was all in there with fun bright colorful photographs. Riley was going to love it!!!  Then I got to thinking.  This book would be perfect if it was paired with a sewing kit for her to get started on her projects.  Not just any sewing kit, but one made with love by myself with all items hand selected just for her.

The first thing I did was scan through the book to see what kind of projects were in there and what she might need.  The book conveniently had a list of items in the back that helped me get started.  Next, I headed to the store to gather all her goodies.  I like to create gift bundles that have a coordinated theme so I started with the book design.  It was most perfectly designed with pinks and purples (Riley's favorite colors) so I started from there.  The next item I chose was her sewing basket.  I found a super cute purple basket with a paisley flower pattern on it.  So cute!!!  The rest of the items just fell into place.  I just went down my list and picked colors that coordinated with the theme.  When I got home I packed everything together in her little sewing basket (how lucky was I that it all actually fit) and then I wrapped it up in some pretty pink flower paper and pink ribbon.  Luckily her birthday party was the next day because I just couldn't wait to give the gift to her.  I just knew she was going to jump up and down with excitement.

Listed below is what I put in her sewing kit.

Tutorial Book - I got the book Sewing For Children" by Emma Hardy.  It's geared towards children 3+ with lots of fun projects, easy instructions, and bright colorful pictures that will attract your child's eye.
Sewing Basket - I purchased a 12x12 basket/box made by Dritz.  It had a fun design in Riley's favorite colors.
Knitter's Needles - I selected these over standard sewing needles because they are much more blunt than regular needles.  I didn't want Riley pricking her fingers a million times.
Pins - The pins on the other hand are sharp so I'll keep a close watch with these.  I selected long pearlized pins in a rainbow of colors.  Make sure your pins have a large bright head on them so they're easy to find if they hit the floor.
Thread - I just purchased cheap thread in fun bright colors.  When she gets more experienced I'll start getting the better thread.
Scissors - I found some small craft scissors that were sharp enough to cut fabric.  I didn't want them too large and hard for her to handle.
Tape Measure - I just got a basic white fabric tape measure.
Air Erasable Marking Pen - This will be great not only for tracing patterns, but also in the beginning to trace lines for her to sew on so she creates straight lines.  I got hers in a fun pink color.
Embroidery Floss - This will be great when creating large detail work on her projects.  I picked out pinks and purples to match the theme of the basket.
5" Embroidery Hoop - I just got a small hoop for fine detail projects.  Now she can embroider words and pictures onto her projects.  I love the bright purple color hoop that I found.
Yarn - This will be perfect for making pom poms on projects, braided straps for purses, or hair on puppets.
Fabric Bundles - I originally was going to get fabric cut off of bolts, but was excited to find little fabric bundles of coordinating fabrics pre-cut and tied with a ribbon.
Felt - Fun and easy to use, I got a few sheets of felt in various colors.  I like the pre-cut squares.
Buttons - Buttons are great for all projects.  I got a large bag of buttons of several sizes and lots of bright colors.
Ribbon - I just got some simple 1/8" ribbon in colors that would match the theme of my gift box.
Iron-On Appliques - These will be great for her to iron onto shirts, pants, or a purse.

The next day was Riley's birthday party.  She picked our gift to open first and normally I'd have protested and have her open it last, but I was just so excited for her to open it that I just grabbed the camera and waited for the look of excitement on her face.  I was not disappointed.  She was soooooooooo excited.  She wanted to go through it all right then and there, but with other presents waiting we hand to set it aside.  It was definitely her favorite gift of the party in addition to the little kids sewing machine that her Auntie Lisa got her.  That's my little crafty girl.  I predict that she'll be a famous designer one day creating beautiful items for the world to see ... maybe cloth diapers?  Haha!  Probably not since she thinks my obsession with fluff is pretty kooky.  She's probably right.  : )