This year, Sew a Softie celebrates an incredible milestone— 10 years of inspiring creativity, confidence, and joyful making for kids around the world— and we couldn’t be more delighted to celebrate alongside its founder, Trixi Symonds. We’ve been proud sponsors and longtime supporters of Trixi’s work, and her passion for mindful, inclusive sewing education continues to inspire us year after year.
Through Sew a Softie and the Global Kids Sewing Party, Trixi has encouraged a new generation of makers to explore creativity with curiosity and courage. Creative encouragement at a young age is powerful— it’s imagination at its most open, expressive, and unfiltered— and Trixi has a remarkable gift for meeting children right there and inviting them in.
We’re so grateful for the care, generosity, and enthusiasm Trixi brings to everything she does, and for her continued commitment to nurturing young sewists across the globe. We’re thrilled to welcome her to Auribuzz today! Thank you, Trixi— and congratulations on 10 wonderful years of Sew a Softie!
*Note: We would encourage you to visit sewasoftie.com for more information, free patterns, and all the education and encouragement needed to dive into your sew a softie journey!
I started Sew a Softie after decades of teaching sewing to kids. My workshops revealed how much kids love sewing and how wonderful sewing is for nurturing their self-confidence.
The very first Sew a Softie event was a single day in July 2016 on which people from around the world would join in and post a free softie tutorial. Over time it grew into a global community of parents and educators helping kids learn to sew through fun, creative and doable projects. I created the zenkis— softies designed in a unique way from just two pieces of felt— that allow adults and kids to create the friendliest, simplest, and most unpredictable softies in the known universe.
Sew a Softie and the zenkis have generated quite a few sewing books over the years, the latest of which are the Sew a Softie Workbook Series. The third book in this series, Aussie Critters to Sew with Kids, will be available to celebrate ten years of Sew a Softie and this year’s Global Kids Sewing Party in March.
The Global Kids Sewing Party is a month-long event every March during which kids sew a softie and gift it to someone in their community. Families, homeschools, regular schools, libraries, sewing guilds, and youth groups from around the world join the creative fun a sew up a storm.
Over the years close to 20,000 kids have joined in from Zimbabwe to Canada and the United States, from Israel and the UAE to Cambodia and Haiti, sometimes with school groups of 500 kids sewing together. Often the kids decide how they want to participate: gifting their softies to nursing homes, animal shelters, buddy classrooms, or younger children. The Global Kids Sewing Party not only teaches kids how to sew but shows them how simple it can be to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
I’d also like to thank Aurifil who have supported Sew a Softie from its beginnings. The zenkis are proud that they are created with Aurifil’s wonderful array of quality thread. They tell me they feel like they’ve inherited good DNA.
HUGE thanks to Trixi for her kindness and compassion— we love that her ideas and creativity have inspired so many kids around the world to get started on their own making journeys! For more information on Trixi’s recommended supplies (including Aurifil) click HERE. To follow along with Trixi and Sew a Softie, reference the following links: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube