Christmas and toys go together like Peanutbutter and Jelly! Now that the holiday season is truly upon us, everyone wants to know what the top toys that the kids in their families will be clamoring for. Well, Walmart has an awesome way of figuring it out–they hosted their now annual “Chosen By Kids” event and had thousands of kids play with all kinds of the newest toys back in October. Then the kids told Walmart what toys were the most interesting and fun:
Walmart is featuring the Top 20 toys Chosen by Kids this Christmas, and as one of the Walmart Moms I get to play with and share 5 of those toys over the next 5 weeks! Not only that, but the top Chosen by Kids toys are also on the Top 100 Gifts list–so that means free shipping!
The first week they are highlighting creative toys. Walmart has tons of toys to encourage creative fun in kids–I don’t know about you, but I really try to encourage the kids to actively DO things instead of passively absorbing media all the time, and doing crafts is a part of that.  I was able to preview a creative toy from the Chosen by Kids top 20 toys: the Sew Cool Threadless Sewing Machine — just $29 in store!.
Now if you are like me, you are wondering just how in the heck something can be a “threadless” sewing machine. Well–it actually is more like a “felting” machine. You use the felt fabric that comes with the machine (they make refill packs like the Sew Cool Jumbo Fabric Kit ) and the needles as they pierce the fabric make the fibers mesh together in little tiny spots of felting. So the fabric really does stay together without any thread.
When you open the Sew Cool Threadless Sewing Machine you have everything you need for your youngster to start making projects except for the 4 AA batteries to power the machine. The instructions state Alkaline batteries. You have 3 pre-printed and cut projects (a little stuffed cupcake, an owl and a little purse) and then 8 sheets of fabric that you can use to make your own projects (the instructions come with additional patterns you can use if you like). There are also felt embelishments and some push through buttons.
The fabric is a thin felt. The directions clearly state to only use the Sew Cool fabric refills, but I have a friend who has used regular felt just fine. I’d be careful though–there is no way to change out the needles–so if you break them using improper fabric you will be in trouble.
The needles are probably pretty sharp-but they are completely secured behind a hard plastic shield. There is absolutely no way that anyone can get their fingers under there to be stuck by anything sharp.
To really see how it worked I had Princess try out a project with me. You just turn on the Sew Cool in the back, then press the big blue button to start the machine. Place the two layers of fabric (never more than 2 layers) on the machine and start pushing them through the needles. There are no “feed dogs” so if you don’t push, the fabric doesn’t move.
It really did secure the fabric! Princess sewed along 3 sides, then we stuffed the little pillow and sewed the bottom shut. I actually did that part because it was a bit trickier to squish it down enough with the filling and all to get it under the needles. She though that it was pretty fun. Her biggest comment was how nice it was that the set made cute projects that a kid could use or play with when they were done.
We’ll be giving this toy to my niece, as honestly it is too young for a 13 year old who has taken home ec (although they call it home and careers these days) and can use my real sewing machine. However I think it’s a fun toy to encourage a love of sewing and crafting in a smaller child, like my 5 yr old niece, who wants to sew but isn’t old enough to be trusted with the big machine.
Don’t forget, there are plenty of ways to shop at Walmart this holiday season. You can order online for delivery to your home with free shipping on orders over $50 and on ALL top 100 gifts. You can order online for convenient pickup at your local store (free of charge). You can put your purchases on Walmart’s Holiday Layaway. Of course you can always do price match and use coupons, plus now with Savings Catcher you can just enter your receipt online and “catch” any savings you’ve missed from other stores.
****This is a sponsored post****
Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I’ve received product samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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