Friends often ask me for tips on how to sew with your kids around, so much so, that i figure it’s time to post about it.
Here’s the thing. I don’t.
Actually, I”m pretty strict about it.
For a couple of reasons:
- Sewing is a job for me. As much as i prefer not to admit it, my brand/business whatever you’d like to call it is no longer a hobby on the side thing. It’s a 40+ hour a week job. The thing is, I stopped working full time so i could be home with my kids – so i made a rule that I don’t work when they are awake. Otherwise I don’t feel like I would be giving them my real attention. What that means is, no sewing when they are around. Period. Obviously, if sewing were still just a hobby the rules may be different. When Bunny was a tiny baby I used to sew a lot when she was awake and she just played in her playyard.
- Sewing equipment is dangerous. I very quickly realised when Bunny started crawling that my sewing was going to be a problem. There are so many dangerous sewing tools that could injure a child. Scissors, pins, awls, even rulers and tape measures – not to mention the sewing machines and overlockers themselves. That’s why i keep all my equipment packed away, up high where they can’t get to it, and only pull it out when they’re asleep or out the house, so theres no chance of injury. How paranoid other people choose to be is up to them – but I’d rather be super paranoid and know they have no chance of hurting themselves.
- Instead of leaving the pressure foot on the floor where its in the reach of children, try putting it on your sewing table and use your elbow. This isn’t something i’ve personally tried, but one of my best friends sews like this and says its changed her life.
- When you’re done sewing, don’t just turn off your machine – unplug it, and put the cables away. You may think this is over the top, but it’s what i do every single time, even though my sewing gear is in a room my kids don’t have access to. Just in case.
- Have something interesting for the kids to play with. Though my sewing things aren’t in the general area, my computer desk is in the kids playroom. I keep a few drawers of fabric i don’t care about in there for Bunny to “discover”. She likes to tuck her toy animals to sleep in the drawers and pull some yardage out to make a tent. It’s kind of planned exploration i guess.