Growing Up Sewing
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Can Boys Learn to Sew?

7/1/2011

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Boys can, and do learn to sew. Some become tailors, designers or toy makers.

Friends of mine have a son who went to University to study law. He went all the way through, got his degree and had only one more hoop to jump through, when he decided he didn't want to do this and began to sew specialty clothing for snowboarders. (This was over 15 years ago when the sport was relatively new and snowboarders wore their ski suits.) His clothing was picked up by various suppliers and he eventually hired a couple of seamstresses to meet the demand. He never did pursue law. I don't know where or when he learned to sew. I think his father may have done some sewing as well.

This spring my 14 yr old grandson, a straight A student who plays the guitar and is also very good in a multitude of different sports, took Home Ec in school. He made himself a pair of boxer shorts and a stuffed snake. He said the shorts turned out to be longer than he expected, so he is wearing them as pyjamas.  When he is out on his own some day he will at least be able to repair a split seam, or maybe even sew a cushion for his apartment or as a gift for his mom; or...  go into an eco-business making draft snakes like this one from IKEA.
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Number 7 in a series of DIY draft snakes at the daily green.com
http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/door-draft-stoppers-draft-snakes-460109?click=main_sr


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Left-Handed Sewing

6/21/2011

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I received a phone call this week asking if I could teach a left-handed child to sew. I was confident I could, but I also needed to know what the challenges would be, so I did a search on the Internet. What else would I find besides the need for the child to have a pair of left-handed scissors?
I was amazed to learn that the configuration of the modern sewing machine actually favours the left handed operator.
 Have a look at this video on You Tube which advertises an idea for a sewing machine for the Right-Handed User. 
It seems that the major challenge for a left handed student will be with a machine that has the presser foot handle on the right side of the presser foot instead of at the back. But everything else favours the left-hander. Go figure....
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"Unravelled"

6/16/2011

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Do you ever feel like you've gone through the wash? And that your edges have unravelled? In sewing we finish our seams by zig-zagging or serging, etc. to avoid this mess. Yes, everything looks lovely without that, but just wait until it's laundered.
Sewing sure illustrates life sometimes. If we try to take short cuts or think we know better, we usually pay a price. For me, spending a little bit of time at the beginning of the day reading the Bible and related inspirational writings and then praying (usually with my dh) is like securing the edges of our relationship and of our day.

This is a piece of flannelette fabric destined to become a pair of pyjama pants.
The 12 year old student had come to class straight from the store and had not had time to pre-wash her fabric. We cut out the pattern anyway. (She was there for the hour and there was nothing else to do.) We added length to the legs because I knew it would shrink when washed. (Flannelette is especially bad that way.) What I realized later was that it would also lose some of its width. Would the pants fit? She could make much narrower seams to accommodate the shrinkage in width, but I went to the store and bought some more fabric  just in case. (The pic shows what happened after my piece went through the washer and dryer. )
 I wish I had taken a picture of her finished product, but as usual, mom was at the door just as she was finishing her lovely pj's and away she dashed out the door with them. She had them safely stowed in a tote bag page that she had made in an earlier class. And yes, they fit and even the narrower seam allowances will with-stand launderings because all the edges were nicely zig-zagged.
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Two new projects

6/11/2011

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Drawstring backpack
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I always sew samples of everything I want to teach the kids to sew. That way I can add to their written instructions if needed and they can see what the finished product will look like.
The first sample I sewed this week was a backpack. It is a variation of the drawstring bag and would probably appeal to the boys in the class (when I have some) more than the tote bag would.
I liked the sporty theme of the fabric. In addition to the balls, it has words like 'goal', 'score', 'tournament','game day', etc. all over.
And the outside pocket with a flap is a handy feature.

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OK. I admit, this is fun for me.
Sewing this red top for the doll only took about an hour and very little fabric. 
The secret to easy sewing when it comes to doll clothes is 'flat construction". You can see what I mean in the photo below. Everything, including facings and hems, was done in the 'flat stage'.The only thing I still had to do was add the velcro to the back opening and then sew the under-arm and side seams.
The other thing to remember is that the doll's head is quite large so everything for the upper body needs a full back opening.
Well there she is...I'm ten years old again!






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Day Two on new website

6/2/2011

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Today I am adding some photos of clothes and items that are part of the Growing Up Sewing line.
I had some teenagers staying with me so I asked them to model a few of my samples; namely the denim skirt with a back slit and the lounge pants.  The lounge pants pattern can also be sewn as pyjama pants or street wear pants of any length and could also be sewn for boys. It just depends on the fabric and length
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First Post! Why Sew?

5/31/2011

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Since I retired from my regular job, I have enjoyed being relatively inactive. When people asked  what I was doing, I said, "I'm  retired" (period). But a few months ago, my dh asked, "If you could do anything you wanted, what would you do?" I replied, that I liked what I was doing. Did I mention that a few months before my retirement he and I got married?  I considered my being a blessing to him as my main assignment and still do. But that's another story.
His question kept coming to mind, and I was reminded that years ago I had really wanted to teach kids to sew but because of my other employment it wasn't possible.  Why not do it now? It really fit with who I was... I liked to sew and I had been a teacher. So beginning last March, on the advice of my daughter, and with the help of her friend, I sent out a notice to a list of homeschool parents. In short order I had four students - my limit for one class- and they have been a delight.
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