4th grade... sewing?

Question

Hey. Can someone please help me??? I have a 4th grader that wants to learn sewing. I'd like to do some sort of a unit study for her while she's learning this.....

Any ideas or websites or suggestions on what to teach would be great.

Thanks

Answer 1

4H has some excellent materials... you might want to talk to your local 4H clubs.

What does she want to do with sewing?  That's always the first question I ask kids... often they've got some projects in mind -- but boys, for some odd reason, just want to try out all the gizmos on the machine.

I start them out machine sewing on paper.... straight lines, curves, keeping the proper seam allowance.  I try to get them to watch the edge of the fabric instead of the needle -- it's much more accurate.  

From there, we progress to sewing on fabric... rice bags, bean bags, book marks (good things for trying out all the decorative stitches <g>).   From there, I usually go to whatever they want to sew -- if they want suggestions, I usually try for nightgown, pjs, cape, shorts, t-shirt, tote bag, drawstring bag.  Costumey-stuff is usually a big hit... wish I had a nickel for every Zorro cape and Little House on the Prairie dress I've supervised. <vbg>

The book I really like for adults and kids is Connie Crawford's Guide to Fashion Sewing.  It was written for beginning fashion design students who had to learn to sew.  Most of the  book is an illustration of a step in a garment, a couple of sentences, and then the next illustration.  I've used it with a 10 year old, so I think it might be a possibility for you.  It's not a cheap book, so see if your library can get it for you on interlibrary loan.  KwikSew's book Sewing for Children might be another possibility -- straightforward instructions (though probably above a 9-10 yo reading level) and basic patterns with ideas for making the designs your own by modifying the included patterns.

Major problems I've always run into are perfectionism vs. slapdash, and the issue of what and when to rip.

Some kids are horribly perfectionistic, and want to rip every crooked stitch, to the point that it might take a couple of days to sew a bean bag.  For them, I dig out a second machine and we have speed races on something "I need to get a lot of done right away" on something small, like the cool-ties for Iraq/Afghanistan projects, or "quilts" for the animal shelter. There's something about production-type sewing that takes a

lot of the worry away for some kids.  

The slap-dashers and I seem to get on better... I figure it's only fabric, and unless it's going to cause the project to come to total halt (like inserting a sleeve in a neckline), I don't insist on ripping.  In fact, I'll offer to rip for anyone who is starting to look frustrated.    Seems like after a couple of projects under their belts, the ideas of straight seams and uniform seam allowances seem much more palatable and they choose to       sew more carefully without prompting from me.

My biggest suggestions are to just enjoy the time with your daughter, and let her decide the direction she wants to go with this.  I would tend to steer her towards fabrics that cut and sew easily -- most cottons (flannel is nice for beginners), wools (yes, the first project after a bean bag I've had a 10 year old do was a pleated wool skirt -- and she did a marvelous job!) and polyester fleece are all pretty good choices.  Poly fleece has the ability to swallow up all sorts of crooked stitches, which can be of help to the perfectionist kids.

Answer 2

Why define it as a unit study? If she wants to sew, just sew. People learn everything about it as they go, and their final exam is what's created.

I learned how to sew when I was 26 from an elderly lady at church. It was amazing, she had grown up in a one-room school house ninety years ago, and the stories would just knock your socks off. We didn't do lessons, I wanted to make matching dresses for my three daughters for Easter, and as we were going, I learned everything you could imagine about patterns, picking fabric and all the stuff that goes along. It's like a foreign language, learned best by doing.

Why not just get a book from the library about sewing quilts? That's a good basic pattern, and has enough artistic license that if it doesn't match perfectly, it's okay. It will give her practice with the machine, without all the demands of a dress or pants or anything that requires perfection. Then she can work on the more precise things.

My daughter was seven when she wanted to do a quilt for her best friends birthday. She quickly learned how much work it was, sewing pieces even on a machine, and it turned into a quilted pillow with old blue jeans for the backing.

Answer 3

Here's a really good website:

http://www.kids-sewing-projects.com/inde...

She also has one for cooking:

http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com

Answer 4

Check with your county's extension office.  They'll have 4H lesson plans and materials you can have.  You may need to pay a small fee for them.

We have a sewing class at our HS co-op.  You might see if any co-ops in your area do the same.

Answer 5

These are my very favorite home ec books for girls

http://www.pearables.com/home_economics....

I bought my set on Ebay for $10 for all 3 of them.  They have delightful little units on cooking, sewing, home management. I don't rememver what all she sewed- a 3corner scarf, a pillow, a simple pattern....

I just remember they were wonderful. All doorpost books are wonderful too. Many have a higher level of Home Ec in them.  The book for daughters called Polished Corner Stones is excellent.  It has over 500 pages of topics and projects such as dolls to make, things to cook, bible characters to study.  

http://www.bookpeddler.us/Doorpost%20Pub...

I usually try to buy things on Ebay for school, so I paid a forth of the publishers prices.  But even at full price they would be a bargain.

Answer 6

When I learned sewing in 6th grade out teacher first made us learn the names and functions of each part of the sewing machine. To test this she gave us a diagram with each part numbered we had to write down the name and function of it.

We had to try until we passed with 100% and we also learned saftey rules.

Then we got to use the machine. First we practiced with some scraps and then got to make a pillow that included a decorative front so we could do hand embroidery too.

for additional study you could have her study the history of sewing machines or even emboidery. Embroidery goes back to medieval times and earlier and is pretty interesting to learn about.

Answer 7

Do you have a machine?

If you do then go to simplicity.com and see what they have in patterns. Try to find some easy ones that they will like. Go to a fabric store and go through the books with her and buy the fabric and notions you need to make it then just start teaching her how. You don't need to do any unit studies to teach her just do it with her. Also look into doing embroidery with her. May be you could both take a sewing class at a craft store. I know Michael's offers classes for different things.