Growing up I lived in a house where being crafty happened at certain times of the year. Christmas and holidays were the times when my mom would break out the hot glue gun and get to work. Sadly, my mom didn't craft very often. She tried. She actually was a very good crafter. In fact, when it came to sewing and knitting she made some beautiful pieces. The clothing she made for my Cabbage Patch doll are some of my most prized possessions. So, why didn't she craft more often?
I really think the 1980's brought the near death to many homemaking skills. The convenience of being able to purchase anything at the mall was too easy to resist. A lot of traditional skills were being lost. Why make an outfit when you could buy one at the mall for $9.95?
Fortunately, the tide is turning these days. Handmade skills are making a resurgance. With the rise in the awareness of the value of "local" and "artisan" the lost skills are on their way back into our day to day lives.
So, here I sit with 2 growing daughters wondering what is the legacy I wish to leave? In my opinion, I see the value in being able to take care of yourself. Whether that means knowing how to start a campfire, how to sew on a button, how to navigate the internet or how to bake a loaf of bread. When I think of homemaking, and homemade, skills I believe they are fundamental life skills that can only build their self confidence and self sufficiency.
Where to start...sewing. Here is what we did.
You will need
- embroidery hoop
- embroidery thread
- piece of fabric
- embroidery needle - these are larger and duller needles - safe for kids
What to do
1. stretch the piece of fabric inside the embroidery hoop, tighten
2. divide the embroidery thread, you want a single thread for this project
3. thread the single piece of embroidery thread through the needle
4. pass the hoop and the needle over to your child...and let them sew!
My girls did free flowing sewing, making random designs with the thread. The goal of this activity is simply to get your child comfortable with a needle and thread, and the in-and-out action of sewing. On the second day, I drew a star shape on the fabric and my girls tried to following along with the pattern. Our next step will be turning these pieces of fabric into an Easter surprise for the grandparents...to be continued.
What I loved, was when the girls came home from school and excitedly asked to sew! Fantastic!
Hot Tip: I am really looking forward to picking up the book Sewing School: 21 Sewing Projects Kids Will Love to Make. It looks amazing!
Peggy-Sue says
Jen – what a great idea! So many of your posts recently have been so interesting and oddly about things I've had on my mind (like looking into organic milk - thanks for doing all the legwork) - and sewing with my kids was one of them. I just read a post last week that got me thinking a bit more about it - it's on thelongthread blog and it's about a school coming together to make a quilt - the littler kids doing the simpler embroidery stitches and the bigger kids doing more complicated work - http://thelongthread.com/?p=7596 - it made me think about what I should try to do with my kids. Ben has helped me with the sewing machine and Gracie loves her lacing cards, but I haven't done any real handwork with the kids yet. So you've inspired me to bust out my embroidery hoops (ahem - and remove all of my stalled embroidery projects) and get my kids sewing! Thanks!
Sarah says
I'd been meaning to do this with my daughter, who is 4, for ages. Just this afternoon, while her brother was napping, I set it all up for her and away she went! What a fantastic legacy to want to pass on to your daughters, by the way...
Jen says
Thanks ladies - it really is a simple idea. Peggy-Sue - great quilt idea, I love making quilts...perhaps an upcoming post?!