Help and advice needed from anyone who has been there
#22
Super Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Central Wisconsin
Posts: 4,391
In 1948, I learned to sew a straight line in Home Ec class on a piece of paper with lines on it to follow. We had to sew down one side stop at the corner, turn and sew to the next corner, etc. I had been sewing for years before that, but that was how the teachers taught the girls (only girls) to sew a straight line.
And by the way - boys do want to sew. You just have to give them a chance to see if they take to it or not.
And by the way - boys do want to sew. You just have to give them a chance to see if they take to it or not.
#23
Ideas on teaching a child to sew...
I taught my 11 year old GS to piece one summer and he continued to work on his quilt at Christmas with me. I've had kids as young as 8 in classes; often they are better students than the adults!
All the suggestions you've received here are really on the nose. You will have the treasure of a lifetime when you spend this time with your grands! Just wish I had more of them to share the experience with myself.
Jan in VA
All the suggestions you've received here are really on the nose. You will have the treasure of a lifetime when you spend this time with your grands! Just wish I had more of them to share the experience with myself.
Jan in VA
Mariah
#24
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 292
I agree with Happyquiltmom - but I would go one step further. When letting them sew on paper, draw lines for them to follow, that will help their hand/eye coordination and how to position the needle. I helped a Girl Scout camp with sewing and saw that they needed a tutorial - most of them never used a machine before. I told the leader to have them learn the parts of the machine first and practice on paper - to me it is a safety issue. We had 5 machines and 12 girls, so we were stretched thin in helping those who never sewed before. Hopefully, the GS will listen to my idea and give the girls some instruction before they sew at the next camp. Maybe I should be there..........
#25
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Greenville, South Carolina
Posts: 1,649
Back in the 90's we lived in northern Illinois, and my husband and I both taught a group of homeschoolers from our church one day a week. He taught the boys aviation, cartooning, then anything they wanted to learn. I taught the girls and their mothers and grandmothers quilting. All by hand. I did not teach any of them machine work. My youngest wanted to quilt when she was a little past 4, and had a small quilt finished when she was 4-1/2. Her next oldest sister asked to start quilting for her 6th birthday. Incidentally, the 4 year old is graduating from college in May. Just to say young children can learn to quilt - one year they did piecing, the next year, applique, and then we reversed it each year.
#26
I taught my grand kids to sew by giving them a piece of paper picking out a piece of fabric their choice sewing it down adding another piece seaming it to the first one continuing on until the paper was full.It was all choice. then we made it into a pillow .Only one of them continued to quilt but many had their pillows for years.
#27
I worked with my 7 year old granddaughter. She did great, but lost interest. I let her stop and in about an hour we did some more sewing. I think we stopped and started at least six or seven times but she did get her little top done and was really pleased. We picked some squares that were already cut from my scrapes and we made her dollie a really nice little quilt.
#28
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Victorville CA
Posts: 134
I taught my 11 year old GS to piece one summer and he continued to work on his quilt at Christmas with me. I've had kids as young as 8 in classes; often they are better students than the adults!
All the suggestions you've received here are really on the nose. You will have the treasure of a lifetime when you spend this time with your grands! Just wish I had more of them to share the experience with myself.
Jan in VA
All the suggestions you've received here are really on the nose. You will have the treasure of a lifetime when you spend this time with your grands! Just wish I had more of them to share the experience with myself.
Jan in VA
#29
My only granddaughter has no interest in sewing but great niece (9 yrs) wanted to learn to quilt so - she comes to my sewing room and we "quilt". She is left handed and I am not so that was a challenge - she has her own scissors so that helped and I reversed the ironing board set-up. She has a lead foot and her machine has no speed adjustment but nshe is getting better with controlling the speed. She has picked her fabrics from my stash, cut out her own squares and sewn them first in rows and then the rows into a top for an American Girl doll quilt. Borders have to be added and she has chosen to tie it off but I hope she will be able to complete by end of year. It has been so much fun to spend time with her, see thing thru her eyes and bond together. She says Great Aunt Judy is cool and fun so I guess my teaching has been successful and hopefully she will continue her "quilting" long after I'm gone.
#30
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