How old does my child need to be to attend a course?

We have two sewing classes for children, one for children in school years 3-6 and one for children in school years 6-9. If your child is in year 6 with very little to no sewing experience, they should join the year 3-6 class. If your year 6 child has made a few things using the sewing machine before, the year 6-9 class will be more suitable for them.

The classes are “drop and go” as unfortunately there isn’t enough room in the sewing studio to accommodate anyone who isn’t booked onto the course. Family members over the age of 16 are welcome to book a place for themselves on a child’s course, to learn alongside their child.

who will be teaching the courses?

Your child will be taught by two friendly tutors who are fully qualified teachers with a full DBS. Anneka, Jessica, and Jane rotate between the different courses, but your child will always have the same two on a course they attend. The tutors will differentiate the learning during the course to ensure everyone feels confident and capable, as well as challenged, and able to make a good quality product.

When are the lessons?

Crafty Birds runs a total of 6 courses per year for your child, which fall in line with school term dates. Each course varies from 5 to 6 weeks long. Course 1 runs from September to the October half term. Course 2 starts in November and finishes before Christmas. Course 3 runs between January and the February half term, and course 4 starts in February/March and finishes before the Easter break. Course 5 starts after the Easter break and finishes by the May half term. Course 6 starts in June and ends just before the Summer holiday starts.

The year 3-6 courses run on Saturday mornings between 9.30am to 11.30am, and the year 6-9 courses run on Tuesday evenings between 6pm to 7.30pm.

what will my child make?

During each five/six week course, your child will work on a project which they will complete and take home when the course finishes. Some examples of projects on previous and upcoming courses are:

• Applique drawstring bag

• Pyjama bottoms

• Christmas bunting

• Letter shaped cushion

• Zipped pencil case

• Stuffed felt animal

• Bucket hat

Your child will receive step by step instructions and lots of one to one help when they need it, and space to push forward independently when they wish to!

does my child need sewing experience?

No, your child will be taught all the basics to be able to make their product. Each course is carefully designed to ensure that the projects are engaging and achievable. The tutors will provide more help than they would at an adult’s sewing course, and if your child is struggling, the tutors will step in to support, and possibly complete a small section of sewing if this is what is needed to regain their confidence! So, do not worry if your child has little experience sewing, they will be supported all the way so that they are happy with what they make. However, if your child is an experienced sewer, the tutors can adapt their teaching and potentially add more challenging elements to the product so that they feel suitably challenged, and keep developing their sewing skills.

If your child is in year 6 and has limited sewing experience, I advise booking them onto a year 3-6 course. If your year 6 child has used a sewing machine before to make some products, the year 6-9 courses will be more suitable for them.

pricing structures

Please ensure that you have read about the Crafty Birds pricing structures before you book a course, because you will need to select the one you choose when you book your child’s place. You can find pricing structures by clicking here.