109788✽
For the Cuties that have taught their kiddys to sew. What is an easy thing/item to start them out with? I was asked to teach a young girl about age 10 or 11 to sew. I thought of the sausage pillowcase, because it is just straight sewing and she would be so amazed when you turn it, heck I still am-lol-but it such l-o-n-g straight seams....When I worked once in a sewing factory some of the girls had never used a sewing machine before. They tested you by making you sew with no thread in the needle, on a piece of paper, following the drawn lines. Some lines were straight and some were curved. I later found out, they put the experienced sewers on hem leg. Guess where they put me? Right, when I told anyone I hemmed 340 something PAIR of shorts a day, it seemed unbelievable. That is almost 700 legs hemmed a day! Those babies/machines could sew though. They were very fast machines, and when I first went in the plant, it sounded like motorcycles running. You got used to it and they played music on the speakers to help. Each day was a different type music. They said production was best, when fast music was played and low, when Country music was played. I guess Country is more relaxing... Back to the young girl. I would like her to be able to make something easy,she could use and be proud to take home. Any ideas?- Toogie
Comments (28)
5469✽
My daughter made an apron in 4H. They used checked gingham, I guess because it was easier to cut straight lines. My granddaughter wanted to make what I was making, which was a purse, no zipper. Next thing was a pillow for her sister. Your idea of the pillowcase is a good idea. Joyce
1 comment
Thanks Joyce, a simple tote would be straight stitch lines and something she could use,too.
169064✽
I like your idea of a pillowcase. She could also make a very simple bag and attach webbing for a handle. I hope you get lots of other ideas. It will b interesting to see what were people's experiences. My first sewing project was a simple gathered skirt.
1 comment
Karen, its funny but we all remember our first items we made. I guess because we love sewing, it sticks in our mind. Seems like gathers would be hard, for a first time project, for children.
66927✽
by
graceandham
13 Feb 2015
+11✽
How about that bag, and then later, elastic waist pajama pants and a pullover v neck shirt?
2 comments
I like the idea of the PJ pants as she can wear it. Pick out some funky fleece. If she messes it up she can still wear it. Kay
Thanks girls, gives me food for thought.
12500✽
Toogie, my first sewing project as a child was a simple apron, gathered with just a band that tied in back at waist. That began my interest in sewing.
Hugs, Angel
Hugs, Angel
1 comment
That was my first school project but a different apron. I had already made my own gown at home. That was the first thing I ever made.
234507✽
I like the 10 minute pot holder, maybe a table runner, something with patchwork strips. Anything with straight seams will be great Toogie. Those pillowcases are amazing, the bag that I've just made was dead easy - it's just straight sewing and ironing! Anyway I'm sure you'll be fine. Have a look on Sue's question about her teaching the ladies in her Janome class, there are ideas there too. Love Chris
1 comment
Thanks Chris for your ideas and I'll look Sue's post up later.
85867✽
Toogie , you as so cute. When I was in high school, I worked a summer job at a local cannery on the green beans line. I made $75. a week when the doing rate was $40. a week or $1.00 an hour. You can imagine the hours I put in. I know it sounds crazy, but it was very sought out job. you brought back memories!!! Kay
3 comments
I am glad you get a 'kick' out of me! Memories, don't ya just luv 'em !
Aren't we glad those days are gone!
When I read about the green beans line, I think of that I love Lucy episode where her and Ethel were working the candy line. She couldn't keep up so she started stuffing them in her mouth-...did you like green beans?-lol
35675✽
Before she starts sewing on cloth, take the thread out of your needle & have her "sew" on lines & curves drawn on paper. Then show her how to turn corners with the needle down, again sewing a square following drawn lines. This helped my grand daughters feel more confident when they started to sew on cloth. YEARS ago my daughter made napkins for her Girl Scout sewing badge. They were not too good, but we use those things EVERY Christmas for the family dinner!! And laugh. Tell us what you chose to do. (I also did a pillow with my grand daughters. pieced together some squares, added the back & turned it & stuffed it.)
2 comments
All good ideas...now who besides me is having a senior moment?-lol- just kidding, but look at my post here about sewing on drawn lines on paper.
Yep, that's me...senior! LOL Be sure & let us know what you do with her.
140717✽
I think it is very important to develop some hand sewing skills before using a machine. She would get a better feeling for fabric and thread and how they behave, I would start her off with a square of Binca fabric and soft cotton embroidery thread. If she does a row of as many stitches as you can show her on a 20cm square, this could then be sewn onto a piece of fabric to make a tote bag or cushion cover.<br /><br />
I once worked in a hairnet factory - folding them and putting into little cellophane packets. It was a relief to have a day on horse blankets!
I once worked in a hairnet factory - folding them and putting into little cellophane packets. It was a relief to have a day on horse blankets!
1 comment
LOL Sue, assembly line work does get boring after a while..that is if you could slow down!..great idea about getting the 'feel' of fabric.
2162✽
I started sewing round about the age of 9-10. My first item was an apron, no bib part to it, but had a band and a seam down the centre of it. Also had hand embroidery on - an initial ??. Was great fun to do.
Regards
Nicky
Regards
Nicky
1 comment
An apron/smock was my first school project in Home Economics. It was more like a sleeveless top, with ties and button back.
1686✽
I like the idea of a basic tote bag with a simple outside pocket. You could perhaps embroidery her initial or a simple design on it to personalize it. But it would be a great item for her to show off to her friends. Pillow cases are good but you can't take a pillow everywhere.
1 comment
Very true about pillowcase. The tote may be what we do.
5369✽
I love all the suggestions - one thing you could try is putting the paper with lines on a small quilt sandwich. This way she would get used to doing lines, while quilting at the same time. The end product would be a nice pot holder or trivet... ?
1 comment
Nice idea, thanks
14995✽
I taught my daughter to sew on a hand cranked singer over 42 years ago she was just five years old and had to sew along lines to get the feel of how things worked she only hit her finger once and learnt to keep them away from the needle after that. Pillow cases are a great starter s it is soon done and only involves straitght lines but better still gives her almost instant reward. of something she can use on her own bed and say she has made it. Paper piecing as another good way for her to master doing those straight line and a pot holder is simple to make and again give a fast reward. Big plus is she can give it away as a small gift.
1 comment
Well someone would have to teach me paper piecing first!-lol- I really never have done this, no joke.
173695✽
I think a simple lined purse with strap would be an excellent second project.
1 comment
Me too Christine.
20088✽
As a 4-H sewing leader I pick a different pattern to use as a common project to start the year. Over the past years we have made a rag quilt pillow, aprons, small wallhanging, I taught them five different quilt blocks and they each made a small wallhanging with four of them. We did the sausage pillow cases a few years ago and they were a hit!!!!! Most ended up using the idea for gifts and the mothers loved them too! This year we are making simple sewing machine covers and mats with pockets for underneath...it is a simple simplicity pattern. Some other simple projects are elastic waist shorts, skirts or pants. Hope that this helps and that you have as much fun as they do!
3 comments
You are doing a good service teaching young girls. I really am proud of you for doing this. We need a new generation of homemakers.
Being ia member of a Home Makers Club I say Amen to that Toogie. I do believe we are a dying breed. They no longer teach , sewing, cooking etc. in H.S. They with cdo teach Home Ec. but those things are not covered. Instead they teach how to work outside the home and manage a household's business along with Child care./Lillian
i agree about the dying art of hand sewing and machine sewing plus other DIY crafts. i try to offer lessons to all young family members.i taught the pillow case and curtains first. one young lady liked the the pillow case so much she made a teacher gift plus made sev more for friends at school n sold them for about $5 a piece!
8230✽
You have been given lots of good ideas. i have taught many young girls to sew and one fun thing I did was tape a stick of gum (still in wrapper) on the bed of the machine as a guide for keeping the seam straight. Just measure over where you want the seam allowance and guide the fabric along the gum. It is high enough that if you go off it is easy to notice and really helped on the long seams. When the girls had their sewing done, they got to take the gum off and chew it! One other thing is if you let her pick the fabric she likes, she will like the finished project no mattrer what it is.
2 comments
I don't have unwrapped gum taped to my machine but I do have freezer tape down when I hem a large drapery hem, to keep it straight.- If we decide to do the pillowcase, I was going to give her mom a list, & tell mom to take her and let her pick out her fabrics.
When I read the hint, I thought of those fat cubes of gum that come in paper wrappers. Now that would make a nice guide to keep the fabric in line.
669✽
Last Spring break my 2 grandchildren Liam age 6 and Emily age 9 stayed with me for a few days. They wanted to sew, so we made owl pillows. They picked out the fabric, I helped them cut out the pieces with scissors, and had them hand sew them together and stuff them. They turned out really cute, and Emily and Liam were super proud of their pillows. Just goggle owl pillow patterns. There is a you tube video on how to make the pattern and sew it. It was a lot of fun. Now I need to find another project for this year.
1 comment
I know they enjoyed this and their time with you. They are probably looking forward to their next stay.
6122✽
What an intersting conversation!! My granddaughter started with a pillowcase in very soft fabric that she wanted to make for her mother after a mastectomy - what a great project and her mother loved it. It's interesting tht they get interested at ages 10 (give or take) - and the interest lasts a lifetime.
1 comment
That was so sweet of your little grand daughter, makes me teary-eyed.
612✽
I used to work in a fabric store. We offered a class for young girls and taught them to sew a pillow case and pajama bottoms. Both have fairly easy seams to sew and they enjoyed making something they could use.
1 comment
Makes sense to me, thanks
11927✽
How about a simple tote bag? Hugs. Nan W
1 comment
Sounds like a good project or a simple bag for books.
111390✽
When I first started we made an apron... Good luck!
1 comment
Thanks, the first I made at school was an apron. I had made a gown at home before that... I think I have told this story before here, but this is how I learned. I have 2 sisters. Our mom sewed, as did my grandmother. Mom got us girls a pattern, since she wanted us to learn to 'read' a pattern guide. It was a sleeveless gown with a high yoke. She told each of us to make our own gown, if we had a question come to her, but try to figure it out ourselves first. I was the youngest and my oldest sister and I finished our gowns and were so proud! Mamma was too... We always said we believed our middle sister would have rather slept naked! -lol-She hated to sew and so mom had to make her gown.
1334✽
First project with my GDs (6 and 8) was to sew two straight seams on the pre gathered/fake smock fabric to make a sundress that they could wear immediately. First seam (after learning to measure their length and add hem) was a 1" hem, then straight down the side. We tacked on extra wide ric rac for straps. The seams weren't well finished as you or I would do but it gave them a "finished" product. Their mother wisely profusely praised them when she came home from work and now we are up to zipper cases.
1 comment
Good for you! I love to hear of young ones being taught sewing.
2346✽
Toogie, at 10 or 11 years old they should be able to handle a bit more than a straight seam. If they can program our VCR's, Ipads & Smart Phones, a little sewing challenge will be a walk in the park. Most kids will give you what you expect. Expect great things!! Maybe a case (quilted) for their phone or Ipad. My grands also use my serger. I show them the knife on it & they have instant respect for it!
Cindy
Cindy
32948✽
by
jofrog2000
20 Feb 2015
+2✽
Well, I cast my vote for a pillowcase. She gets to choose fabrics, and it will be fun to sew it and turn it right side out for the surprise. I wish I had known how to do it way before I did. It's one of my favorite things to make. ( I also do a french seam for the side, so there are no nasty threads hanging out and it looks so nice. Plus, it goes so fast she won't lose interest as you are going.
Jo
Jo
1941✽
by
Patricia109
20 Feb 2015
+2✽
Toogie, these books are great to use. http://www.palmerpletsch.com/childrenbooks.htm
45918✽
Hi Toogie, when I started to teach Caitlin my have a lend grand-daughter to sew we made a simple cushion and she loved it, she still won't let anyone else touch it. If you did something like this she can add different embellishments to it that would cover some hand sewing skills.. If it's a bag design you decide on Loralye posted a link to free bag patterns yesterday at www.thesewingloft.com. they have some really nice ones there
2 comments
hope this link works
nope.. still figuring out how to.. sorry
3290✽
This first thing I always taught kids to sew was a drawstring tote bag. Simple to cut out, zig zag edges, make a casing at top, join tog. leaving top casing free and then insert 2 cords running oposite direction so when you pull from each side it closes completely. They all loved it and was finished in a short time. Their next project was a pull on skirt. Great fun!
145305✽
I never taught my daughters to sew, they just learned by watching and doing small tasks.Playing with my buttonbox, sewing buttons to a piece of fabric, helping pin the pattern to the fabric, etc. It just "happened" the same way they learned to cook and knit and crochet and embroider. They saw me do it and wanted to help. Which slowed down the proces of course, but that's the way they learn, and eventually they were all quite good at it. I don't remember when their first complete solo project was, but I know (after doll's clothes) it was a skirt by one and a short by the other.
23581✽
by
aussiequilter
23 Feb 2015
+1✽
I remember my mum teaching me to make head bands ,I made them for all the girls in my class I was 8 years old