I believe sewing is one of those skills that everyone should learn...

Even if it is just the basics like sewing on a button. Kids have an appetite to learn new skills so here is a nice and easy beginners project (beginner moms can try too!)

What you will need:

• 2 rectangles of felt - felt is the perfect beginners fabric, it is easy to work with, comes in great colours and doesn't fray.
• 2 buttons
• a large needle, (I went with a sharp carpet needle and I am sure there are people cringing as I write this BUT like using a knife, I feel that my son he is less likely to having an accident using a super sharp needle since it glides through the fabric easily, a blunt needle would need more forcing and so making it easier to slip.
• embroidery ring
• a few safety pins
• stuffing
• embroidery floss

1. Put the felt in the embroidery ring, make sure it is pulled tight.

2. Sew two buttons onto the felt, these will be the eyes. You will probably have to finish each button off by adding a couple of secure stitches to the back or tying the embroidery floss in a knot. This keeps the project nice and simple for the child so they can get it finished in one sitting. (image 1)

3. Once the eyes are on, draw a line for the mouth, if you have an embroidery pencil or pen use that, if not normal pencil will do. Stitch the mouth. (image 2)

4. When the face is finished, take the felt out of the embroidery ring and lay the two pieces of felt together. Use the safety pins to hold them in place. (image 3)

5. Sew around the edge, leaving a gap for stuffing. As you can see he went over the edge a couple of times instead of up and down, I think it adds to the character :o) Remove the safety pins. (image 4)

6. Stuff with your favourite type of filling, polyfil in this case. 

7. Then sew up the hole, I put a couple of safety pins along the hole, to keep the stuffing in and the felt flat to make it easier to sew. (image 5)

8. Show it off to all your friends and family! (image 6)

Jo Ebisujima is a Brit living in Japan. She loves creating for children and helping parents to organize themselves and their children so that they can spend more quality time together. She writes about her work at My Organized Chaos. She can also be found at her personal blog jojoebi designs where she shares about her everyday life, Montessori, crafting, and raising a bilingual child in Japan.