Teaching children to sew

Do any of you have advice on how to teach 8 + 9 years old to sew?

We are going to make Christmas stockings. Hopefully I'll be teaching them
in pairs, but I have no experience of teaching other people's children and
some of them are strong characters! Is that polite enough....

How do I handle them - at arm's length I know.

Now wondering why I was so keen to help )

--
Janner

"Quite often lately I have the feeling I don't know what's going on..." ---
Snoopy!

"You have to have a Dream!"


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Do any of you have advice on how to teach 8 + 9 years old to sew?

We are going to make Christmas stockings.

Use felt.
Lisa in Florida

I taught 2 of my kids (so far) both hand and machine sewing. For machine
sewing, after pointing out the important stuff we know like putting the
presser foot down, and how to push the pedal (it's amazing how easily we do
these things that it is second nature, but beginners don't know how!), I had
them sew on lines drawn on paper (no thread) to get the hang of steering.
Next came large squares, to practise pivoting. There is a book (I think
there is a series of them, actually) called I Teach Myself to Sew (or
something), but we just used paper.

My kids both used scissors to cut pieces out, or I cut them with the rotary
cutter. DD#1 is now mature enough to handle the rotary cutter (she's 11,
going on impossible), but I did get her a Klutz glove and automatically
retracting cutter.

Have you picked out a pattern? Is it piecing or whole cloth? Stitch & flip
crazy quilting style on a foundation would be simple to do, then cut it to
size/shape, and put the backing on.

Use lots of patience, take deep breaths, have chocolate handy. And remember,
if it doesn't turn out the way the pattern shows, it's ok. It's the process
that's important!

--
Wendy
http://griffinsflight.com/Quilting/quilt1.htm
de-fang email address to reply


"Janner" wrote in message
...
Do any of you have advice on how to teach 8 + 9 years old to sew?

We are going to make Christmas stockings. Hopefully I'll be teaching them
in pairs, but I have no experience of teaching other people's children and
some of them are strong characters! Is that polite enough....

How do I handle them - at arm's length I know.

Now wondering why I was so keen to help )

--
Janner

"Quite often lately I have the feeling I don't know what's going
on..." ---
Snoopy!

"You have to have a Dream!"


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.521 / Virus Database: 319 - Release Date: 23/09/2003

What Wendy said! This is how I taught my student last year, it's how my mom taught
me and my brother and sisters, and her students in high school, and it's how I'm
teaching DD.
--
Jalynne
Queen Gypsy (snail mail available upon request)
see what i've been up to at www.100megsfree4.com/jalynne

"frood" wrote in message
...
I taught 2 of my kids (so far) both hand and machine sewing. For machine
sewing, after pointing out the important stuff we know like putting the
presser foot down, and how to push the pedal (it's amazing how easily we do
these things that it is second nature, but beginners don't know how!), I had
them sew on lines drawn on paper (no thread) to get the hang of steering.
Next came large squares, to practise pivoting. There is a book (I think
there is a series of them, actually) called I Teach Myself to Sew (or
something), but we just used paper.

My kids both used scissors to cut pieces out, or I cut them with the rotary
cutter. DD#1 is now mature enough to handle the rotary cutter (she's 11,
going on impossible), but I did get her a Klutz glove and automatically
retracting cutter.

Have you picked out a pattern? Is it piecing or whole cloth? Stitch & flip
crazy quilting style on a foundation would be simple to do, then cut it to
size/shape, and put the backing on.

Use lots of patience, take deep breaths, have chocolate handy. And remember,
if it doesn't turn out the way the pattern shows, it's ok. It's the process
that's important!

--
Wendy
http://griffinsflight.com/Quilting/quilt1.htm
de-fang email address to reply


"Janner" wrote in message
...
Do any of you have advice on how to teach 8 + 9 years old to sew?

We are going to make Christmas stockings. Hopefully I'll be teaching them
in pairs, but I have no experience of teaching other people's children and
some of them are strong characters! Is that polite enough....

How do I handle them - at arm's length I know.

Now wondering why I was so keen to help )

--
Janner

"Quite often lately I have the feeling I don't know what's going
on..." ---
Snoopy!

"You have to have a Dream!"


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.521 / Virus Database: 319 - Release Date: 23/09/2003

Just out of curiosity? What age is everyone starting at?? I would
think different techniques for different ages?? Also so I know when I
can start Jess!! :-)

Jan

DD#1 and DS both started hand-sewing at age 6 (Miss Fussy Rose will start
next year). DS did not have the fine motor dexterity to finish that summer,
so he completed his first (and prize winning) quilt the next year. It is
hand-pieced and machine quilted.
http://griffinsflight.com/Quilting/state_fair1.htm

DD#1's paper pieced quilt was machine done - she was 9 or 10.
http://griffinsflight.com/Quilting/state_fair.htm

--
Wendy
http://griffinsflight.com/Quilting/quilt1.htm
de-fang email address to reply


"Jan Dunaway" wrote in message
news
Just out of curiosity? What age is everyone starting at?? I would
think different techniques for different ages?? Also so I know when I
can start Jess!! :-)

Jan

Is there a way I can beg, borrow or steal the pattern for the soft toy ball
pictured on the same page as your DDs first place ribbon winner? I used to
have that pattern but since I thought I was done with children I must have
tossed it.
TIA
Diana

--
http://photos.yahoo.com/lunamom44
"frood" wrote in message
...
DD#1 and DS both started hand-sewing at age 6 (Miss Fussy Rose will start
next year). DS did not have the fine motor dexterity to finish that
summer,
so he completed his first (and prize winning) quilt the next year. It is
hand-pieced and machine quilted.
http://griffinsflight.com/Quilting/state_fair1.htm

DD#1's paper pieced quilt was machine done - she was 9 or 10.
http://griffinsflight.com/Quilting/state_fair.htm

--
Wendy
http://griffinsflight.com/Quilting/quilt1.htm
de-fang email address to reply


"Jan Dunaway" wrote in message
news
Just out of curiosity? What age is everyone starting at?? I would
think different techniques for different ages?? Also so I know when I
can start Jess!! :-)

Jan

My student was 10, and DD is 6. I am gonna start DD off on my antique Singer, then
have her work up to the knee levered Montgomery Wards machine in cabinet. I want her
to experience as many different kinds of machines as possible, so she'll feel
comfortable with any of them.
--
Jalynne
Queen Gypsy (snail mail available upon request)
see what i've been up to at www.100megsfree4.com/jalynne

"Jan Dunaway" wrote in message
news
Just out of curiosity? What age is everyone starting at?? I would
think different techniques for different ages?? Also so I know when I
can start Jess!! :-)

Jan

My student was 10, and DD is 6. I am gonna start DD off on my antique
Singer, then
have her work up to the knee levered Montgomery Wards machine in cabinet.
I want her
to experience as many different kinds of machines as possible, so she'll
feel
comfortable with any of them.

They have a Singer at school that we can use, but it has a broken needle.
Can the old Singers use the modern needles? Or do we need to hunt for an
old needle? I can't remember the type, hand crank table top (no trestle
table).

--
Janner

"Quite often lately I have the feeling I don't know what's going on..." ---
Snoopy!

"You have to have a Dream!"


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.521 / Virus Database: 319 - Release Date: 23/09/2003

Jalynne wrote:

My student was 10, and DD is 6. I am gonna start DD off on my antique Singer, then
have her work up to the knee levered Montgomery Wards machine in cabinet. I want her
to experience as many different kinds of machines as possible, so she'll feel
comfortable with any of them.
--
Jalynne
Queen Gypsy (snail mail available upon request)
see what i've been up to at www.100megsfree4.com/jalynne

"Jan Dunaway" wrote in message
news
Just out of curiosity? What age is everyone starting at?? I would
think different techniques for different ages?? Also so I know when I
can start Jess!! :-)

Jan



Excellent idea!

I often teach kids to sew on my Lily (there are pix of some of my
classes on my web site), but I'm sure this spoils them for other
machines!

These kids are all years 5 & 6, so 9-11 YO's. Fun! I make sure the
machines are threaded up nicely, set to their slowest stitch, and we
just dive straight in! I pre cut the bags and pockets, but they do all
the decorating.

I was about 5 when I first started sewing (standing at Granny's treadle
because I was too little to sit at it!), 8 when I made my first wearable
garment (with Mother's help). I 'inherited' the embroidery of moon
monsters I made for my granny when I was about 6. Even then it had to
be all my own design! When I look at it now, I'm amazed at what I had
the nerve to tackle, not knowing how 'difficult' it was: the faces of
some of the monsters are woven out of 2 different threads! I must take
a picture of it - it's stashed away somewhere out of mind at the
moment...
--
Kate XXXXXX
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!