How I learned to sew

My first memory of sewing is from when I was very young. I remember watching my mom sew my flower girl dress for my uncle’s wedding and I remember watching my mom sew a quilt for my bed. I might never had been interested in sewing if I hadn’t watched my mom sew.

When she was making a quilt, I must have shown some interest in the activity because at one point we worked together to make us girls some dolls. Not just any dolls though. Dolls with braidable yarn hair. I recall my mom patiently explaining all the steps we were doing and how to have the hair on the inside so that when we turned the body right side out, the hair would be right where it needed to be. I didn’t use the sewing machine but I was an active participant in the project. When the dolls were done, I was allowed to take some old socks and use them to make clothes for the dolls. No sewing needed, just scissors. I think from that point on, I was hooked. At some point Mom had extra pieces left over from my quilt and she taught me to use a needle and thread to simply stitch two pieces of fabric together. I made many a tiny purse and pillow with those simple instructions. From there I used scrap fabric to sew my dolls some clothes. They were basic and had raw edges fraying everywhere.

The beauty of how I learned to sew is that there were no expectations or rules (other than being careful with sharp objects) and I was free to just pick up the needle whenever I had an idea. And let me tell you, I had a lot of ideas!  When I got the idea to sew beads onto my creations, Mom helped me figure out the right needle and beads that worked together. I’ve been learning from her and watching what she does ever since.

I am blessed with a mom who has had this skill set to pass down to me. No doubt.

Now I get asked if I am willing to work with kids and teach them how to sew. The short answer is, “YES!” The long answer is more nuanced.

If you have never sewn and your child is interested in sewing, that’s great and I can help teach them. But if you have even the most basic sewing skill and your child is interested, I challenge you to just try teaching them what you know. It may seem overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be. Is there a simple project that you want to accomplish for yourself? Just do it and have them actively watch! Answer their questions and that’s all you need to start! Another good starting place is to just give them scraps or old clothing, show them how to hand sew a running stitch and let them loose. Let them create whatever their imagination brings forth. It might not make any sense but it’s so good for them to just experiment and create! When they are ready to increase their skill and knowledge, they will let you know.

I have heard several mom’s saying that they don’t have the patience to teach their kids. I want to challenge that line of thinking. I totally understand the feeling that we have a limited reserve of patience in our day. What needs to happen when we have a very limited resource like patience and energy? We need to prioritize where that resource goes first. Now I ask those mom’s who don’t think they have enough patience, who or what get’s that patience as a priority? Maybe you can take a moment to prioritize giving your patience to your child while explaining how to sew?

I know life gets crazy, and it is hard to have total say over where your patience goes so that really may not be an option for you. It’s just as hard to be able to make time for anything beyond the essentials to keep your house going. Again, I believe it should take a village to raise and child and I’ll gladly be a part of your village.