Choosing the right project is a challenge for those of us who sew with kids—or with anyone who is still learning, for that matter! The key is to make sure that they have some challenge or new skill, plenty of repeated skills, and an end-product article or ensemble that they are excited about wearing. A few times this process has gone terribly wrong for me and my charges. Fortunately, we came out of it on the other side—stronger and wiser!
Scene One: my daughter's first year in 4-H. My daughter had been sewing by my side since she was four, but she hadn’t really done any garment sewing. I would say what she had been doing was “playing”. Now, we parents know that a child’s “playing” is their work—they are working to make sense of the world and how they fit in to it. She had done that—but I hadn’t really taught her to sew yet. Yes, she could control the machine, knew about back-tacking, could thread the machine, and she was motivated. I think I was more motivated, though. I thought my 8-year old could handle a simple sleeveless dress— no darts, no zipper, but facings at the neck and armhole.
Scene Two: A few years ago I worked with a young lady who bit off more than she could chew (with my acquiescence—I hadn’t completely learned the lesson from my daughter’s dress, evidently), and we almost lost her from sewing because of it. Thankfully, her mother talked to me about her daughter’s concerns and we broke down the project into manageable chunks that seemed more reasonable. We decided that she didn’t have to make the top that she had been planning; the wool jacket and slacks would be more than enough for the project. I changed my “charge-y” style a bit to suit her personality. I encouraged and praised more than I had been and we got through the tough time. That was four or five years ago. I am pleased to say that, each year since then, she has chosen more and more advanced articles/ensembles and has learned to break down seemingly daunting projects into more do-able pieces. She is headed to fashion design school in the fall, thanks to her talent and our willingness to work together to choose appropriate projects for her—adding a few new skills each year that have added up to some outstanding ensembles with excellent workmanship.
Some points to remember:
One of my great satisfactions is seeing the kids that I have worked with remember and use a skill that they learned last year (or last week). So gratifying!
More another time about a logical progression of skills and some specific suggestions of things to make. In the meantime, you might like this chart that will help you with that task: Sewing Skills Progress Chart
Teach ‘em to sew—you’ll learn and they’ll learn!
Linda
Scene One: my daughter's first year in 4-H. My daughter had been sewing by my side since she was four, but she hadn’t really done any garment sewing. I would say what she had been doing was “playing”. Now, we parents know that a child’s “playing” is their work—they are working to make sense of the world and how they fit in to it. She had done that—but I hadn’t really taught her to sew yet. Yes, she could control the machine, knew about back-tacking, could thread the machine, and she was motivated. I think I was more motivated, though. I thought my 8-year old could handle a simple sleeveless dress— no darts, no zipper, but facings at the neck and armhole.
Boy, was I wrong!I had decided that I would make a dress for her from the same pattern at the same time, so that I could demonstrate every step for her. Then she would go to her machine and do what I had just done—in my dreams! We had our respective dresses cut out, and we started to sew. I don’t remember if she had even stay-stitched yet, but at some point early in the game, it became clear that she was panicking about the project and that she didn’t really understand how the facings would go on, be trimmed and understitched, and create an edge. I realize now that I was asking for just too much abstract thinking from an 8-year old. In addition, I was asking her to use fine-motor skills that probably weren’t “there” yet, either.
How did I solve it? I admitted that I was wrong. We back-tracked and started with the more traditional first-year sew-er project in our 4-H club. She made a simple pair of pull on pants—from inexpensive cotton that had a small print in it (which helps to camouflage tiny errors in our sewing, by the way!). It was perfect! There was a little bit of curved seaming (at the crotch) but mostly straight sewin
g; she learned to make an elastic casing and insert elastic, she learned how to finish seams and hand hem using a catch stitch. That was a plenty-long list of new skills for one young girl. (I finished the pretty little dress that she had begun and she wore that to Fashion Revue for the times before and after competition, when she wasn’t in her just right pants and the cute little purchased sweater set that she wore with them.) Please pardon the photo quality--taken before I had a digital camera.
Finding the right balance between your enthusiasm (or your reluctance to get too complicated), your student’s enthusiasm, budget, goals, etc. is a challenge. When it is your own child, it may be easier to read skill levels and aspirations(although some people say that they can’t sew with their own kids—that would make me sad—sewing has been a wonderful bond for my daughter and me).
How did I solve it? I admitted that I was wrong. We back-tracked and started with the more traditional first-year sew-er project in our 4-H club. She made a simple pair of pull on pants—from inexpensive cotton that had a small print in it (which helps to camouflage tiny errors in our sewing, by the way!). It was perfect! There was a little bit of curved seaming (at the crotch) but mostly straight sewin
g; she learned to make an elastic casing and insert elastic, she learned how to finish seams and hand hem using a catch stitch. That was a plenty-long list of new skills for one young girl. (I finished the pretty little dress that she had begun and she wore that to Fashion Revue for the times before and after competition, when she wasn’t in her just right pants and the cute little purchased sweater set that she wore with them.) Please pardon the photo quality--taken before I had a digital camera.Finding the right balance between your enthusiasm (or your reluctance to get too complicated), your student’s enthusiasm, budget, goals, etc. is a challenge. When it is your own child, it may be easier to read skill levels and aspirations(although some people say that they can’t sew with their own kids—that would make me sad—sewing has been a wonderful bond for my daughter and me).
Scene Two: A few years ago I worked with a young lady who bit off more than she could chew (with my acquiescence—I hadn’t completely learned the lesson from my daughter’s dress, evidently), and we almost lost her from sewing because of it. Thankfully, her mother talked to me about her daughter’s concerns and we broke down the project into manageable chunks that seemed more reasonable. We decided that she didn’t have to make the top that she had been planning; the wool jacket and slacks would be more than enough for the project. I changed my “charge-y” style a bit to suit her personality. I encouraged and praised more than I had been and we got through the tough time. That was four or five years ago. I am pleased to say that, each year since then, she has chosen more and more advanced articles/ensembles and has learned to break down seemingly daunting projects into more do-able pieces. She is headed to fashion design school in the fall, thanks to her talent and our willingness to work together to choose appropriate projects for her—adding a few new skills each year that have added up to some outstanding ensembles with excellent workmanship.
Some points to remember:
- Assess the skills and experience that the child already has--it's good to repeat and reinforce skills that have already been used in previous projects.
- Discuss what new skills you think would be a logical addition in the next garment(s)--you want to add at least one or two new skills, but not too many!
- Discuss how all of that can be manifested in a particular garment that the child will be excited about wearing.
- Keep the lines of communication open so you know if there is trouble in paradise.
One of my great satisfactions is seeing the kids that I have worked with remember and use a skill that they learned last year (or last week). So gratifying!
More another time about a logical progression of skills and some specific suggestions of things to make. In the meantime, you might like this chart that will help you with that task: Sewing Skills Progress Chart
Teach ‘em to sew—you’ll learn and they’ll learn!
Linda
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