I was a little surprised by how much I enjoyed this workshop, because my most recent experience with sewing before this was 7th or 8th grade Home Economics, which I did not enjoy.  (But then again, not much was fun about middle school.)  Once I settled in and got the hang of it a bit, I really enjoyed the calm meditative act of sewing.  I also got a kick out of searching for materials to make the features of the doll.

I think this could be a good project for any age.  Before trying the project, I would have thought it would be good for younger children, but now I think that High School students could find a lot of satisfaction in making their own monster.  I don’t know if I would attempt to teach it, because my own skills and expertise in sewing are so rudimentary, but I would definitely think about it, especially if I had the materials available.

The conversation in class about how much to do for the kids was a good one.  I don’t know exactly what age would be good to start children sewing with a needle.  Maybe for young children you could use glue or use a fabric that would allow them to use a duller needle.  I remember taking an after-school puppet-making class in second grade and we used a lot of hot glue, which was dangerous in itself now that I come to think of it.

Here are some more images of the process.