The girls learned a lot that first day. Namely, sewing a button on a piece of fabric looks easy. When sewing a button on a piece of fabric, push and pull the needle and thread up and down through the fabric. If you wrap the needle and thread around the fabric, Miss Amy will cut your thread and make you start over. They also learned about pattern instruction. Previous to the class I cut 16 long rectangles from pattern paper 6 inches wide and 30 inches long to make patterns for what would eventually become a fleece boa scarf. FOLD was the only pattern instruction we discussed. The girls learned that this end of the pattern piece is laid on the fold of the fabric. They cut three lengths from fabric that I had previously cut into 18 inch segments. The girls laid their pattern in the middle of their fabric piece and pinned it down. Then they cut on both sides of the pattern. Eventually they ended up with three, sort of equally cut layers of fabric.
If you choose to do this project with a large number of 7, 8 and 9 year old girls, be sure to have plenty of fabric scissors. It will save a lot of time and be significantly less tearful. That first class the girls, miraculously, completed the cutting of the fabric. And it was all ready for our next meeting two weeks later.
Two Weeks Later
On this day, the girls enjoyed learning about how to use a sewing machine. Many of them were a little apprehensive about the needle. The most common question I got was "Have you ever sewn your finger?" "No. I never have. That would hurt." I showed them how to thread the bobbin and the machine. They also learned how to work the presser foot and where the back stitch button was. When they had heard the basics, they took their three layers of fabric and did a straight line stitch down the middle of the layers, beginning and ending with a back stitch. A couple of moms, and an aunt of one of the girls (a real live seamstress) were there to help me for this session. We also had three machines available for the girls to use. We helped them as they guided their fabric through the machine. Some had a little difficulty with pressing the pedal and guiding the fabric at the same time, but they were all pros by the time they had sewn through 60 inches of fabric.
After they had completed their stitch, their instructions were to cut one inch strips down both lengths of the fabric, cutting through all three layers but stopping before the stitch.
We still could have used more scissors because, again, there was some waiting going on.
But in the end, we had 16 beautiful girls who flaunted their fabulous boa making skills.
Sew happy, and soooo cold. Well, except for her neck.
