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Can you sew? Can your kids?


poppy
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20+ years ago, I took home ec in high school (not sure if schools still even have that subject!)

Since then I have only sewed on a few buttons.

Now I have a girl scout, and sewing the patches on her uniform is a humbling experience.

 

I am 39 years old and I called my mom to help.  I also bought my first needle threader!

 

I'm wondering if I'm typical or weird for having no idea what I'm doing here.

And if my kids will be better or worse off.....

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Yes, I can sew. I don't do anything terribly complicated, but I've made things like curtains and pillows for various apartments. I used to make all of my kids' Halloween costumes and special outfits for holidays, as well as things like pajamas. I made doll clothes and toys, too.

 

My daughter can sew, but doesn't do so very often. She does crochet quite a bit. (She just finished making herself a new beret in Gryffindor colors and is getting ready to start on a matching scarf.)

 

My son sews about as well as I do. He has his own sewing machine and took over making costumes for Halloween and conventions a few years ago.

 

I have found being able to do at least some basic sewing to be a really valuable life skill. 

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I can sew. I mostly do garments and quilt. I am self-taught, so I am sure that I do things wrong, but I am okay with all my mistakes.  Craftsy classes have been a wonderful resource!

 

My kids can sew on buttons and do basic hand stitches. The girls have also made pajama pants. When the kids were little, I made all kinds of things. Now, I am out of the house so much, it is hard to get anything done quickly.

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I can sew. I'm teaching my oldest DD how to use the machine. DS isn't interested. They both know how to sew by hand and sew on buttons thanks to Montessori primary school.

 

I don't sew Girl Scout patches though. That's why Badge Magic was invented.

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I can do some basic sewing. I'm not very good at it, but I know enough to put some things together and to patch pants. I am just fine with hand stitching and I LOVE quilting, but my sewing machine and I are still a little unsure of each other. My dd is being taught some basic hand stitching for now and needlework. She and her brothers are supposed to go to their Grandma's to sew an apron this fall. The boys are both good with knitting but neither have done much for needlework yet.

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I haven't sewn for years - but I know how.  1dd sews. elaborate costumes. for fun.  I think the other's can manage buttons.  oh, 2dd wanted to monogram towels for a christmas present.  she asked me to show her how to use my machine to do it.

 

scout badges are not meant to be sewn by hand. they are HARD (in more ways than one).  I use my machine.

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I can sew, my mom is a great seamstress and taught my siblings and me as tweens.  My sister is actually a high school Family and Consumer Science teacher, which used to be called Home Ec), so she is amazing, she makes her own fitted blouses and dresses so they always fit perfectly.  I mostly make boutique dresses for my little girl, but I can sew nearly anything with a pattern.  My 7 YO DS just asked me to teach him how to sew this week, mainly because he likes the way the machine sounds, I suspect.  I told him I would put it in the queue for summer school.

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Me: kind of. I can sew really easy projects on the machine and am decent at basic mending by hand. I sew better than a lot of women my age (late 30's), which is actually a pretty sad commentary.

 

Oldest DD: kind of. She's also much better at hand-sewing than machine sewing. She says that she wants to make her own Halloween costume this year so I should take advantage of that interest to get her more comfortable with the machine.

 

DS: no. I need to get that "Buckles and Bobbins" book to see if I can interest him in learning. The problem is that DH doesn't sew at all and neither do either of my two brothers nor BIL. So there's no male role model to get over the mental hurdle of sewing as a "girly" thing.

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I sew clothing, quilts, tablecloths, placemats, curtains, you name it. BUT my mom is a true seamstress and can make gorgeous wedding gowns! She made mine.

 

My dd sews very well, and when she moved away because our dear son in law had the nerve to get a job in New Jersy - insert big pouty lip - we purchased a nice machine for her since she had always used mine. She used to win county and state 4-H contests with her quilts.

 

The next two boys couldn't put a button on a shirt. I hope to rectify this before they leave for college. I'm considering a basic home ec/life skills course for next year. The eldest boy is capable of some cooking and baking so he's not a total loss. :D

 

Middle boy doesn't know how to do anything that involves a needle and thread, probably couldn't boil water either!

 

Youngest boy has sewn pjamas and shorts for himself and made a quilt - simple blocks, but really neat looking - from old military uniforms.

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Youngest boy has sewn pjamas and shorts for himself and made a quilt - simple blocks, but really neat looking - from old military uniforms.

 

That quilt idea sounds cool. I bet DS would like something like that. I'll have to check out the local military surplus store to see if I can find decent priced old uniforms for material.

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I can sew somewhat.  I can't do clothes very well.  My mom is very good at sewing.  She made my wedding dress which was beautiful.  She also made all the bridesmaid dresses for my sister and I for our weddings, and all of my sister's formals for dances in high school.  I wish I could sew like her but I don't have the patience.  I can do simple things like aprons, curtains, hemming, patches, and such.  I do a lot of embroidery and am working on quilt squares at the moment for Christmas presents.  I am not sure what I will do with the squares when done, I may have to beg mom to teach me how to make the actual quilt.

 

My DD has tried a few basic sewing things, but hasn't shown a lot of interest.  Neither of my boys have done any sewing at all.  I think it would be very hard for my middle because he has fine motor delays and my youngest just doesn't have the patience.

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I did go to high school when home ec. was still required for girls, but I learned my sewing skills from my mother, who was self taught. (Yes, home ec. was required in her day too, but as the oldest child, she had to quit high school to go to work and help support the family.) I used to make a lot of my own clothes back when sewing them was cheaper than buying them. With the cost of patterns and material these days, that's not true anymore. I sew when I want something I can't find off the rack, or if I just want to feed my creativity monster. I can sew household items like curtains and cushions too. I've not tried my hand at quilting but I'm sure I could learn it.

 

My son can sew basics. So can my husband. I think sewing a button and fixing minor tears in seams, hems, etc. are important life skills. My MIL taught all 3 of her boys to sew, clean and cook, even though she was a thoroughly 1950's housewife. It turned out to be a lifesaver for dh when he found himself a single dad to dss.

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Your scout can learn to sew while you relearn. My mother never sewed a single badge. My brother was an Eagle, so there were many badges to sew. Early on his uniform did not have the best, most orderly positioning of badges, but he learned.

 

It is a basic skill that your child will use into adulthood. Imagine traveling for business and needing to replace a button before a big presentation. My brother has done that. My sister on the other hand is hopeless in this department.

 

My dd learned to sew not for scouts but ballet. From a very young age the girls are expected to do their own shoes.

 

That said I will admit that badges for scouts today are a little harder because most of them come with the iron on glue that does not actually work so pushing a needle through by hand is a little harder.

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I'm a self-taught hack, but I know enough to get my kids started and they've been very successful in the 4-H sewing project (winning competitions).  When they get to a certain level I have to farm them out to other 4-H leaders.  Second ds is really into clothing design and construction and has made some pretty cool outfits.

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Yes, I'm an intermediate sewer... sew well enough to make a simple formal gown, not well enough to make a wedding dress. :lol: 

 

My sons can sew a basic seam by hand and sew buttons on a shirt. They're not interested in learning more.

 

My daughters and I will be completing a few sewing projects this summer. I want my little one to learn to sew a simple seam, and my teenager to be able to sew her own clothing. :thumbup: 

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My aunt who was also self taught, sews beautifully. My mom and I were always in awe of her skills. She learned it at a much later age than my mom too, not until my cousin was grown with kids of her own. My aunt used to make a lot of my cousin's kids' clothes, and even made some for ds when he was little. Arthritis and failing eyesight has curtailed her sewing, but the fact that she learned when she was in her 50's shows you *can* learn new things when you're older. You can even learn them on your own, as she did.

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As a practical skill to use in a pinch, yes.  As an art / hobby / job, no.

 

I bought my kids a sewing kit when they were 5. Otherwise I was concerned they would not know what a needle, thimble, etc. was.  ;)  I taught them the bare basics and left the kid in their play area.  Miss E started a project about 2 years ago and hasn't finished it yet.  :P

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When I was in high school 30 years ago, my mom showed me how to sew so I could help make the uniforms for the rifle corps I was on. They were simple A line skirts so it was really not a big deal. Then in my early 20s, I made new covers for some floor pillows, but they didn't look great. I haven't sewn since then. My children have never sewn a stitch. My youngest learned the basics of knitting and crocheting, but the novelty wore off and she didn't do anything other than a couple of bookmarks and a small rectangle for a blanket. I don't feel bad for not sewing or that my kids don't sew. I don't really see it as a useful skill for us.

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Yes, I sew and teach sewing to 4-Hers.

 

My college graduate son has made things like a bow tie, a fleece jacket and ditty bags.  Among his first purchases in college was a used student Singer sewing machine from a thrift shop.  He used it to mend clothes.  The machine was useful in the suite where he lived so he left it behind for future students. 

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I'm 41. I can sew very well: complex quilts, Victorian dresses and tuxedos, curtains, etc.

 

I learned to sew 14 years ago when I wanted to make my older girls some matching dresses for Easter.  I had my Grandmother (a seamstress and daughter of a seamstress) teach me some basics.  Between books, tv show and and a little Yankee Ingenuity, I've built up those skills on my own.

 

My older girls (16 and 18)  can sew simple quilts and can make dresses-they have made some for Halloween and Comic Con.

 

My youngest (8) needs to outgrow her turbo powered energy or be sedated before I put a machine in her hands but we'll get to it eventually.

 

Most Baby Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y women I know don't know how to sew anything but a button.  They really haven't needed to.

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We had to take sewing in home ec in 7th and 8th grade. We made aprons one year and shorts another. I sew a little now. I've made doll clothes and blankets mostly. I made a duvet cover for dd's bed and I'm in the middle of sewing curtains for her bottom bunk bed (to make it a secret hideout). I bought premade curtains for her room because I found some I loved, but I just ordered some blackout lining that I'm going to sew on to them to block out more light. I find it useful to be able to make things like this because they are so much cheaper but I wouldn't bother making day-to-day clothes since they are inexpensive to buy new.

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My 9yo dd made me a stuffed bumblebee for Mothers Day out of felt and cotton balls etc. it is scotch taped together. :)

 

Guess we are not a family of sewers.

 

I'm tempted to sign us all up for a few classes at Joanne's. I know I'm not setting a good example, though I use safely pins instead of scotch tape.

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When I was in high school, they had a superstar home ec teacher. Everybody raved about her, and even those with feminist leanings raved about her because she was down-to-earth and made the classes very practical and fun.  The cooking classes made 6-course meals for their prom dates, and the sewing classes made things like down vests from kits and tailored jeans.  About half of her classes were guys.

 

So when I needed a fine arts credit, I took sewing from her.  She covered everything from using a sewing machine to mend and alter to how to sew with and without a pattern.

 

Later on as a working adult, I took two more continuing ed classes from her. 

 

I love sewing, but haven't done as much as I'd like.  I made one of mine a huge costume cape over the holidays, and I use the machine a lot to mend things.

 

Mine know the basics, but don't enjoy it that much.  One day they'll see the benefit!

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That quilt idea sounds cool. I bet DS would like something like that. I'll have to check out the local military surplus store to see if I can find decent priced old uniforms for material.

Crimson, sometimes you see them at the local Goodwill too and it's cheaper than military surplus when you find them that way. Ds bordered his in a navy blue star print, and then bound it with solid, dark red. When he first announced his plans, I wasn't certain what it would look like with the varying army fatigues colors, but it really looked neat when he was done with it.

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Yes, I can sew.  I learned back in Home Ec, and I took it and ran with it from there.  I sewed my high school graduation dress (it was a Gunne Sax, remember those?).  I sewed a bunch of my clothes when I was in high school and college.  I haven't sewn much since kids, and it's gotten way more expensive - it's hard to bother unless it's something I really can't buy ready-made.  I did sew an 18th-century dress complete with pannier undergarments for dd to wear on Halloween a few years back, and a few things I free-formed making my own patterns for some cosplay she did.  She's getting into reenacting now, so looks like I'll be doing some pattern-making and fitting and learning to sew stays...

 

My kids have all been taught how to machine sew and basic running and blanket stitch handsewing, but they haven't done much with it, honestly.

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I'm self taught - I just turned 40 and didn't start learning until I was 36.  Lots of You-Tube videos!  I sew pretty much anything and everything now: clothes, purses, wallets, pillows, quilts, etc.  My sons know how to sew a straight seam in something (they basically learned to cut something out and sew a pillow). 

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Everyone in my family knows how to sew.  Dh learned as an adult.  I did some sewing as a kid (mostly teen) and then did things like Halloween costumes, skirts for a ballet performance, costumes for historical re-enactments, dresses for an orphanage in Africa, and that sort of thing.  Dh took over most of the scout sewing since he is much better at aligning things.  I don't really know when and how ds learned but he knows how to do that and how to knit.  Both girls took sewing classes and then made dresses for the girls at the orphanage and my younger makes all sorts of things.  The youngest will be taking advanced sewing next year since she wants to learn how to make properly fitting clothes- she finds it very hard to find actually properly fitting clothes at the stores.  The older daughter took a quilting class in co-op and has made a few of those.

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I can sew!  The most complicated thing I've sewn is....a denim jumper!!  lol  It was for dd and she wore it for several years until she outgrew it.  Mostly now I sew things for Boy Scouts...the troop neckerchiefs and mending flag covers and such. 

 

My dd sews a little but is getting better.

 

My mother and grandmother were practically experts, and my MIL is very good, too.

 

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I can sew.  We were POOR (actually the 'poor' people in our town were richer than we were!)  I made my own clothes beginning in 4th grade.

I was making elaborate prom-type dresses by age 12.

 

When DH and I married I had exactly 1 'store bought' dress (the dress I wore to the family dinner after we were married-- I would have made it but my wedding dress took longer than expected and I found it on sale for $10).  I did purchase my 'undies' though!

 

--

My daughter's do not sew.  One of them can thread a needle.

I'm a failure!!!! (lol)

 

My middle dd has asked for sewing lessons this summer and a sewing machine (or one of my spare ones) for her birthday as she wants to make a custom quilt for her bed.

 

So there is hope for at least one of my daughters.

--

I can purchase clothes cheaper now than sewing them (fabric is expensive)-- so the majority of my current sewing is quilting.

 

 

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Indeed, I can.  I taught myself 5 or 6 years ago, and it turned (eventually) into a side income, then more than a side income, then husband quit his day job and now it's our sole source of income (although it's no longer sewing, exactly - now we make fabric labels for other people who sew :) ).  I'm teaching DD now.  She yells at the machine the same way I used to, it's heartwarming.  We have a Singer 201-2 that I picked up on craigslist for $45 from the original owner, great condition.  Her receipt was still in the box - she bought it in the 50s for $200something.  Those machines were serious investments back then!  And they're still the best machines you can buy, the old Singers (imo).

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I can mend and sew a hem, if that counts!  I'm pretty sure I could follow a simple pattern if I needed to, but I never seem to need to.  :)

 

All of my kids can mend, sew on a button, etc, but only one of them is a real sewer (self-taught).

 

ETA that my husband was the sewer in the family!  He used to sew our kids Halloween costumes every year.

 

 

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I have taken informal polls at the pattern table.  Sewers generally don't have kids that like to sew.  I think I know the reason.  

 

My aunt was an excellent sewer, my mother could not even sew a straight line.  My mom was in awe of Aunt and everything made by aunt was treated with great care.  My aunt didn't treat her own stuff with great care, and my cousin never learned to value homemade stuff, and therefore never learned to sew.  Whereas I was basically self-taught, and I made my own wedding dress among other things.  I think that happens a lot.  Sewers don't value the stuff they make, so their kids don't either.  

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I can, if one considers being able to thread the machine and bind two pieces of material together as sewing.

 

My children cannot.  I mentioned to my daughters a few months ago about them taking sewing lessons.  Neither seemed too interested.  One of them I know would love it.  I think she is just a bit apprehensive about the classes.  I think that I will schedule the classes anyway.  It is a great skill to learn, and once learned it would be easy enough to love it.  After a few months they can quit if they'd like.  I'm betting that they won't.  

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I'm 29. I sew very well both with a machine & by hand. I started hand sewing around age 10 making barbie clothes out of scraps. When I was 12 or so I took sewing for several years in 4-H from a lady who was a professional seamstress. She taught me lots of tricks!

 

I love sewing - it's so relaxing. But when it comes to dd's scout patches - I use BADGE MAGIC. Sewing patches on is NOT easy.

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I can sew, and make a lot of my clothing, plus some for my daughters.  It's one of my favorite things to do. Well, except for getting sucked into making costumes for various productions, which sometimes is more annoying than fun

 

Both my daughters can sew.  One mostly makes curtains and cushions for use on stage.  They picked it up easily, possibly from being around it so much.

 

Sewing on badges is mostly tedious.

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Yes I can sew ( see user name LOL).

 

I failed Home Ec in high school. I taught myself after I left school LOL.

 

My kids can't sew yet...but DD is intensely interested. She hand sews often and has her own sewing machine. As she gets older I will definitely be teaching her.

 

The skill really comes in handy when you buy your DD an American Girl doll and then realise the cost of clothing it is more then you spend on clothes for yourself in a year LOL.

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I can sew and so can my kids, but nothing remotely like what my mother considered "no big deal". We're kind of a continuum with me being to her what my six year old boy who still writes in all caps is to me.

 

I am old, lucky, and weird; you are typical and there is no shame in being an adult beginner.  I learned how to use a machine as an adult when I was in my 30s and how to make and alter clothes in my 40s.

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I can do basic stuff, blankets, simple straight/A line skirts, curtains, etc. I sewed a ton of cloth diapers when I had my babies, and made crib bedding for my youngest. I cannot follow a pattern to save my life- I hate them! ;) I draw the line at trying to attatch bodice to skirt or sleeves to bodice so I don't do dresses either.

 

I'm teaching my dd some basic skills, and I'm teaching her to knit as well. My MIL is a seamstress so dd is taking lessons from her. :)

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I can sew.  I still make the girls dresses for special occasions. I also make bathing suits. I also will often sew if I'm home with the girls when they're sick and I'm needing to do something calming, quiet, and that I can interrupt easily if I need to. 

 

DD18 sews very well.  She made the dresses that she wore to both her junior and senior proms.  

DD14 started sewing a few years ago when we were in the midst of her PTSD struggles.  It has been a good, calming, and grounding activity.  She and DFD9 recently participated in Fashion Revue for 4-H (where they model outfits that include at least one item which they sewed) and were selected to participate in the fashion show at our county fair.  DD14 may be selected to participate in state fair which would be exciting for her.

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