Back to Basics 2010: Sewing
Since 2010 began, we've been looking at practical skills we can teach our children so that they can survive and even thrive in a tough economy like the one we're in now, and the inevitable ones to come.
Between technological changes like automation and global economy effects like off-shoring, the nature of jobs is changing, and it's likely that our kids will have to change careers at times and thus have to survive between jobs. Someday, they will thank you for teaching them the practical skills needed for self-sufficiency.
We've already looked at cooking, baking, saving and managing money, cleaning and housework, gardening and woodworking. (Don't worry if you missed one or more of those articles; I'll be putting them into an eBook soon, and those topics are also covered in my upcoming book, Thriving in the 21st Century: Preparing Our Children for the New Economic Reality.) Now let's take a look at sewing.
Children used to learn basic sewing skills from their mothers or in school (in my day, they called it Home Economics class). Today's clothes are not always made very well, so the following suggestion from "Imperfect Homeschooler" reader Cathy is more pertinent than ever:
I suggest adding very basic survival hand sewing for girls and boys, specifically.... I want our 2 girls and 5 boys to know they can sew on their button that fell off, and make a quick repair if they rip the seat of their pants. I plan for them each to make a little sewing kit (maybe just needle, thread, and 2 pins in a felt booklet.
- threading a needle
- sewing a button back on
- repairing a small rip in a seam (e.g., seat of the pants).
Cathy has the right idea. Hand sewing is a very basic skill that will always come in handy. It doesn't take much time to teach children to do this, but it sure makes garment repair look much better than using masking tape or a stapler to make the repair, as some have been known to do.
You can even use the Internet to teach your children how to master these basic skills. Try this video.
Sewing buttons is another handy skill. Let your children gain practice by sewing on the buttons that have already fallen off family members' shirts so those clothes can get back into circulation. Again, you can use a video to teach this if you're too busy, or if teaching sewing is not your favorite thing to do.
Since I've written about sewing before, I won't go into further details as you can find that information here:
Make Sewing Part of HomeschoolingFrugal Tools: Sewing Machines
Want to Learn How to Sew?
The Easiest Way to Learn to Make Clothes
Boys and Sewing
"Imperfect Homeschooler" reader Judie H. shares the wonderful way she and her children are learning how to sew and do other handwork:
I just read your article about "Back to the Basics..." and I would like to add sewing and crocheting/knitting to the list. My 2 daughters and I have learned this skill (still learning) later in our homeschooling and have enjoyed it immensely. What turned us on to it was joining a quilter's club at the local church that was FULL of OLD, EXPERIENCED women who were more than eager--ecstatic at times--to teach us how to quilt/sew. We found so much accumulated knowledge in that group that we could have attended for the next 20 years and still not have exhausted it all. We missed one meeting b/c of sickness and they called us that night nearly begging us to come back b/c they thought we were tired of being with old women. Oh how wrong they were. I hope you can encourage others to tap into this awesome, FREE resource of knowledge and gentle instruction from very eager, patient teachers.
This is a great idea, especially if you're not fortunate to have older family members who have these skills and are willing to teach you. A situation like Judie's would make a great homeschool group activity, and also give our elderly friends an opportunity to share their valuable knowledge.
In this series, I've concentrated on the financial benefits of having the skills that make a person self-sufficient, and I think those benefits will be huge for our kids when they become adults. But there's a less tangible benefit, and that's the self-confidence that develops when children learn that they can do things for themselves. We cannot give them that feeling. They have to earn it by learning to do things for themselves and then enjoying the usefulness and/or beauty of whatever it is they've made, or cooked, or grown.
Homeschooling gives us the time, space and opportunity to teach our children skills for self-sufficiency. How fortunate we are to be able to do these things!