Customer Reviews

Alex Toys My First Sewing Kit

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is a nice introduction to sewing for about ages 5 to 9. The project ideas are pretty cute and the fabric and trims are colorful, so most kids will be excited about making the stuffed animals and the bag, at least. (We didn't have a book of the correct size for the book cover project, but used the fabric for something else.) The projects aren't too complicated for beginning sewers but are neat enough to interest a (slightly) more experienced young seamstresses. My one criticism is that the scissors are just toys, and do not cut at all, and the "thimble" is also pretty useless if your child really needs to push a stitch through.

I searched a long time to find a quality beginners sewing kit for my 6 year old granddaughter and finally found this one. I am happy to have purchased Alex Toys "My First Sewing Kit", as it contains EVERYTHING needed to create projects, start to finish, giving a child confidence to go the next step in a knowledge and gift she will take with her the rest of her life--sewing! Included are: Patterns for small animals, stuffing, colorful embroidery thread, needles, pins, pin cushion, buttons, measuring tape and scissors (though I read reviews about them being the only poor-quality item, so I bought the Metro 5-pc scissor pkg through Amazon--Excellent!). All of these sewing tools are housed in a sturdy, colorful and roomy case with a handle, keeping all items and projects organized in one spot.

Upon opening this sewing kit at her birthday party, my granddaughter forgot everything else and wanted to start a sewing project! I'd say this is my proof of recommendation of this terrific product!

Sewing is so much more than a delightful skill to have, and it's way much more than a hobby to pass the time. Teach your child to sew, and down the road you have also educated and clothed a family, and saved them untold amounts of money as time goes by.

This wonderful kit supplies your child with all that she/he needs to begin a sewing project immediately. There are lots of very easy projects, pre-cut patterns and a carrying case. You can start sewing right away!! It includes eight colors of embroidery floss, materials to make a notebook cover , materials to create little animals (and stuffing), trims, pins, pin cushion, and lots more.

Once you open the box, you are prepared to get going without another trip to the store, and with time, your child can become an excellent crafts person with a needle. Use your imagination and just picture the custom-made wardrobe to come!

Please let me start by saying that I have not actually USED this product yet. I purchased it as a gift for a friend's daughter who turned five, and before I gave it to her, I opened it up and photographed the things inside, so you can look at those pictures and the notes I wrote on them for even more information. However, I was so pleased with the quality and overall FUN-ness (to coin a word) of this product, that I am now back to purchase one for my own daughter who will be turning five soon. However, although I haven't yet used it, I can supply the following information:

1. The Box: The box it comes in is a little cardboard suitcase, brightly colored and patterned, with bright red stitching sewing it together. It has a typical suitcase-type handle made of metal and plastic that folds down flush against the box for easy storage, and those nifty metal clasps that one finds on tackle boxes or boxes for art supplies. It is easy for little people to open and close. The box is sturdy enough to keep using for the sewing kit, as long as you don't sit on it or anything.

2. The Supplies: Upon opening the box, you see a very FULL kit. It does not look like a thing or two overpackaged in a huge box; the box is stuffed. It contains the following:

-a paperback booklet explaining the projects along with sewing basics;
-a package of stuffing (which is probably not enough to do more than one or two of the projects, but will get your little one started, at least until you can get to Michaels or have Amazon ship you the stuffing of your choice);
-a packet of felt of various colors, cut into various shapes, such as animals, as well as rectangles;
-A packet of a few scraps of quilting cotton in bright colors and patterns;

a sewing kit containing:
-a cheap plastic thimble (worthless, but it's unlikely that a five-year-old would use a thimble anyway, especially with felt);
-a paper measuring tape;
-a pair of inexpensive sissors (I don't truly know how well these will cut fabric, though for snipping threads they seem like they would be fine);
-a "toy" tomato pincushion (I say "toy" because, although it will hold pins without a doubt, it is not stuffed very full, it is made of a lightweight cotton batiste or similar fabric, and it does not come with the usual emory strawberry for sharpening your needles, but after all, this is a FIRST SEWING KIT - not a "Last-You-a-Lifetime Sew-a-Rama Sewing System");
-a wheel of large-head multicolor pins;
-a few sewing needles;
-many standard skeins of DMC embroidery floss in bright colors;
-a packet of ribbons and trims, etc - again, not very many but enough to get a kid started with a project or two until mama has time to go through her scrap bag and find more things.

All of these items fit very nicely into the box, as I said - it neither looks chintzy and over-packaged, nor is it stuffed so full you cannot close it once opened. The kit is priced VERY nicely for what you get. My daughter was so excited about giving it to her friend, and kept saying how much she wanted one of her own, and the friend also seemed very excited to receive it. All that said, here are my few criticisms:

1.) Pink, red, orange, etc color theme is very specifically aimed at girls. Well, I think little boys might enoy making stuffed animals and doo-dads, too. Alex could either make a similar kit geared to little boys, or make an effort to make the box, materials, and trims more gender neutral.

2.) A few things in the kit are a little cheap - I'm thinking of the thimble and the paper tape measure. It might be better to leave these things out, as even without them, the kit is quite complete. The cheap quality of these few little items alost detracts from the high quality of the rest of the product.

3.) The kit says "age 7 and up"; Although a 7-year-old might enjoy it, I think it is quite age appropriate for a five-year-old, as long as assistance will be provided. In fact, I might say that a 7-year-old should have something a little more advanced than this. But then, it all depends on the child - mine is very good with crafts and things of this sort, and has done some sewing before. You have to decide for yourself. I wouldn't give this to a ten-year-old, though.

All in all, this product is great and I highly recommend it. Please look at my customer images for closeups of the included items and the box, and for more notes about the product. Enjoy!

This is a great kit for some one who wants to learn to sew. It's filled with lots of "stuff" so you can make simple, but challenging, projects. My 7 yr. old daughter loves it! Definitely requires adult guidance for younger kids, but even I like it so I don't mind helping!

My daughter loves crafts, and she's finally old enough to start learning how to sew. This kit is adorable, and my daughter is excited making her own stuffed animals. The embroidery floss holds easily in the needle's eye, but it is TOUGH to thread the needle. I suppose I could just give her a bigger needle, but then the thread wouldn't hold as snugly. Everything is precut, even the decorative trim pieces. It's a fun way to create some satisfying projects she can proudly display.

This sewing kit is perfect...especially if your little one already has experience sewing. Making a finished product before having practiced can be very frstrating. Practice stitches first! Make simple bean bags, etc.. The projects themselves are a little tricky, but with adult oversight can be satisfying...they are cute and bright! We seemed to be missing a doggy ear for one project, but other than that the supplies were in order. Hint: Let your child help separate the different projects into small baggies so you are ready to begin without confusion.

This item was O.k., for the fact that the embroidery thread was hard to pull through the fabric and hard to thread through the needle. This comes with a thimble, which has no use. The scissors could easily cut through the felt, so I don't know what other people were saying. The downside is that this is very frustrating for a child who is 6 and under and who is a first-time sewer. The material runs out very fast and so does the cotton. It is hard to stuff the animals. In my first attempt to try sewing, I ended up with an animal with the stuffing poking out. You could do a much better job by using a sewing machine. It took me 5 minutes to make one project, and I finished all the projects in an hour. (But the pincushion is very cute! We actually played hot potato with it! We took the pins out first!) Overall, this product is ok. I would recommend this if you are looking for something to get you started in sewing for you first-time sewers!

My 6 yr old daughter got this from Santa this year. She loves it! It comes in a cute little suitcase. There are lots of accessories. We have almost finished the elephant. We just need to sew on the ears. Great for kids that are not ready for the sewing maching yet. I think she sews better by hand than I do!

I purchased this for my 6 year old daughter, the contents of the kit are nothing more than a travel sewing kit combined with all of $3 worth of sewing supplies. No patterns were including only extremely basic instructions and little more. Included scissors don't work at all. The needles are regular sized needles and not of a large (and dulled type) that one would expect with a "first" sewing kit.

You'd do better to search inside the drawers of your bedside table and odds and end drawer and dump it into a bag than to purchase this useless kit.