How and at what age did you learn to sew?

I see that many on this board leant to sew from their own mothers. At what age did you learn to sew? Did she give you simple things to do like hand-sew a hem or put in a button etc? This day and age sewing has become more of a hobby and the mothers that sew have become rare. Just wondering how it was that you learnt to sew.

For me, we had a sewing machine at home that was openly accessible. I used it for fixing/repairing if there's a tear in my dress etc. Even today, I'm not a good sewist. I can't sew anything with confidence. I want to learn and want to teach my kids to sew. Not out of necessity but just because it's fun. And the end product is usable for a long time :)

Thanks.

Reply to
tedneeley
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I STARTED learning when I was four with embrodery thread and the plastic grid stuff. At age eight I really got into the swing of things, and the first sewing machine (mine, all mine!) came into the house when I was eight and a half. I was a self-taught person. No one in my immediate family can sew, not well anyways. My aunt, whom is just turning 42, is just learning how to sew, and bought a really great industrial. (Lucky!!) Neither of my grandmothers can sew worth a flip, but back from there almost everyone was a self supporting seamstress at one point. My great-grandmother on my father's side is well into her late eighties with poor eyesite, but no one in her household wears RTW clothing. I was thrown into the deap end, and started with a kimono patterned after my grandmother's 1940's dancing one she had used in Japan. It turned out wonderful with some help. I have pix if you are interested...

Reply to
ms.seamstress

As a child of the Depression, I started sewing at 7 years of age on a hand cranked Singer. (I was taught by my mother and grandmother). At that time it was an economic necessity. As a college student, I was still churning out clothes on that thing, mostly tailored suits. Today I wonder how I did it. In later years when I could afford to buy anything I wanted, I found it difficult to spend money on clothes - particularly wool clothes - when I knew I could make them for 1/3 the cost, and much better quality to boot. So though I wasn't particularly fond of sewing, I continued to make wool skirts and an occasional jacket or coat. Today my sewing is confined to alterations and occasionally slipcovering. However, I enjoy reading some of the tricky solutions to difficult problems on this group.

When I learned to sew (in the 1930s), printed patterns were fairly new. My mother and grandmother cut their clothes without them. If they saw something they liked, they somehow managed to create their own patterns. It amazed me then and I'm still amazed by it.

I still have a stash of lovely wools that I'll probably never sew, but just can't bring myself to give away.

Lois

Reply to
LT

Started when I was 6, on my grandma's knee, at her Singer 66 "Redeye" treadle (which I now have). She had already 'assimilated' by older sister by then. We made lots of simple Barbie outfits on that treadle.=20

-Irene

-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.=20

--Mae West=20

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Reply to
IMS

I learned by osmosis, from grandmother and mother. I can remember being able tom sew before I could read (I learned that as a game when I was four, before going to school). I still have my first embroidery, done at school. I made it for my grandmother, and when she died, my mother brought it back to me.

I was never all that great at embroidery: I preferred dressmaking, and honed my skills on dolls clothes from the age of five. At seven my mum taught me to use her machine, and how to put a zip in. I've been having fun with it ever since.

Reply to
Kate Dicey

We made our own hand-sewn doll clothes from a young age. Nothing to write home about, though.

I mastered sewing out of desperation when I was in high school, AFTER 3 years of home ec that were not much more than a big joke, because I hated wearing clothes that were identical to my sister's and getting called by her name. Once I started making the same pattern several times with several different fabrics, I started learning.

My children started learning around age 6 and are all capable and lightly to moderately experienced in making at least simple garments (e.g., loosely fitting but altered-to-fit, elastic-waist shorts, skirts, and/or slacks type of garments). Whether they choose to do so is another issue, though. But even the least experienced knows how to do repairs on the machine and still has his own machine to use if he needs it and can still consult with me. If and when the time comes when they are desperate, they will be further ahead than I was when I started.

Reply to
Melinda Meahan - take out TRAS

My mum tried to teach me to sew. I wasn't interested. My school tried to teach me to sew in Home Ec. I hated it. I started working RenFaires in high school, and decided I wanted to sew. Pretty much taught myself from then on, and took on my first professional sewing projects using the machine in the Student Union Craft Center.

------------------------------------------------------ Wendy Z Chicago, IL (Moo) Wench Wear Costumes

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"Though she be but little, she is fierce""It's the little ones you have to watch out for...""I'm not short - I'm concentrated"--------------------------------------------------------

Reply to
zski

I started sewing about age 5, and learned from both my Mother *and* my Father! Dad made a lovely lined wool coat for Mother as a present, and she was making lost of clothes for me. I got tired of just sitting and watching, so I asked for lessons - Dad still does linings better than me, but I have graduated from simple cotton shorts to the dresses my bridesmaids wore, to the fully lined dress and jacket that I wore for Easter this year (but I also make clothes for my children). Neither parent sews any more, which I find sad, but at least they passed it on to me. Now I have a 6yo DS who wants to learn how to sew and a 2yo DD who couldn't care less..lol

Larisa

Reply to
off kilter quilter

Mama used to buy us the pre-stamped pillow cases to embroider with simply "x" stitches when we were very little. Mama used to make all our clothing when we were little and we have these quaint photos of us in matching outfits! It wasn't until I was in junior high school that I took a formal sewing class in school and made the most gawd-awful smock. Later in high school I played around with Mama's ancient singer and made some art projects. When I was about 22 I got pretty determined to learn to sew and haven't looked back since. The more I sewed, the more interested I got in refining techniques and in patternmaking. I studied costume production in graduate school. I've been away from a great deal of sewing since my babies came along in the past 3 years, but I'm determined to get back into it. I hope/plan on teaching the boys to sew, as well as knit, when they are older. Afterall, a sewing machine is just another power tool! :-)

lisa

Reply to
karlisa

I grew up around sewists, My mom sewed all the time when I was a kid, for herself and for us. Four girls and a boy and a hubby who was sometimes more of a financial hinderance than a help, and Mom had her work cut out. I don't remember when I first picked up a needle, but I do remember Mom showing me how to make a doll "dress" from a scrap by cutting a double length Rectangle from shoulder to feet, cut a head hole and a slit down to the waist (back) slip it over and use a strip as a tie to hold it on. I knew how to sew on a button so I was able to put a button on one side of the neck opening and cut a slit on the other side, and I knew how to sew up the underarm seams but chose for years to just wear the scraps on the dolls without any of that fancy stuff. LOL

I later tried to make barbie clothes from a pattern and found it truely frustrating, since they are to tiny. I can't imagine how people can bear to work that tiny. I like baby dolls and 18 inch or larger toddler or fashion dolls.

anyway, as I said, I don't remember when I learned to sew but did know the rudiments by the age of 7 or 8. My grandma sewed for 10 daughters and herself from the depression, My mom learned from her and took classes in school in the 40s and I learned by osmosis and Simplicity mostly, with some yelling from Mom. LOL Kitty

Reply to
Kitty In Somerset, PA

My mum, her mum and aunt were all sewists. Mum won her first sewing prize at 16 (still a photo in existence of the presentation) and made her own clothes, us three girls clothes (still remmeber a bluebell coat with matching hat). She sewed from home for people, anything they wanted. She did tailoring classes too. Made the Australian Gown of the year in umm... 1974 I think. Now for the really sad bit. I HAD to do sewing in first form at school. Started with a felt stuffed toywith sampler embroider stitches on it, then had to make a gingham apron with a bias binding edge.This was to serve us as our apron for Cookery in the second half of the year. Mum took one look at it, sighed (something she still does when I sew things) and made it again, properly. SO that was me, 12 years old. Went on to make a few things for myself and a lot of stuff for the kids. (Until they were old enough to protest!) Still no confidence but trying hard. Cheers,

Fay

Cant sew for toffee really, but can cook toffee no worries.

Reply to
Fey

" snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@y43g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

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Mother's Day post is about learning to sew...sorta :)

Reply to
Donna

I don't remember learning to sew. My maternal grandmother sews, and my mother sews. My sister, brother and I had access to a handcrank and got a needle put in out hands if we ripped our clothes.My mother sewed a lot of our dress and most of our school uniforms apart from blazers as they had to come from a regulation shop. Later I got my own electric machine for my 12th birthday, it was a lightweight singer. this made me very popular at my next school, where we were always having to make costumes( it was a dance school). I had quite a good deal going exchanging tuck for sewing. For my 21st I got a Bernina which I am still using. I was an essential when we moved to our current abode even tho' I knew we were going to be living in a confined space for a short while ( we had to live in a caravan while we waited for permission to build our house) I insisted that the sewing machine was not going into storage. Just as well ,as in the invervening 6 years it took to get planning permission I have ended up making childrens clothes and selling them on local markets and artisans exhibitions. I started by sewing for my children and it just grew. Oh We do have a house now, and I have plans for a separate sewing room when we get permission for the extension.

Claire in Montréal, France.

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Reply to
Claire Owen

When I was 4 my older sister (she's 15 years older than me) was making her wedding dress. I got scraps and a crewel needle to "play" with. ;) She and Mom showed me how to whip stitch and I was off to the races! When I was a little older my other sister was working for a childrens clothing mfg. They had a catalog based business, but would send boxes of swatches to their customers and dealers. Well....they happened to be changing swatch sets (for a change of season I would assume) and they had a few left over sets. My sister brought home a big box of 2" square swatches all for me!! Whoo hoo!!! Stashing begins. ;) My Barbies were so well dressed!! Then I did home ec (they still called it that then) when I was in 7th grade. That was the first time I was allowed on a machine. At about 16, my older sister (the wedding dress one) invited me to her house to use her sewing machine. She taught me how to make a dress. From then on, it's been non-stop. Mom allowed me free rein over her older Singer (straight stitch and zig zag only, no button hole, no anything extra...but I figured out how to make buttonholes on it!!! lol) I made a ton of clothes and gifts on that one.

Then when I got married, my wedding gift from my parents was a Singer of my own. That one is still in my sewing room. It's set up for double needle sewing because it does such a beautiful job of it. ;) It has several friends now....my Viking, my industrial Singer, my serger, my embroidery machine....Grandma Schaub's treadle lives in the dining room because the table is too pretty to hide away. The converted treadle still needs rewiring so it pretends to be a console table in the living room. ;)

Maybe this summer I will get around to making a project solely on the treadle. Been wanting to do that for a while. Getting back to "basics" around here right now. (that's my story and I'm sticking to it....ok so in reality the dryer is making a "nails on chalkboard" squeaking noise that DH is going to fix. But I can pretend that I'm being environmentally friendly by hanging the washing out on the line to dry if I want to. lol)

Sharon

Reply to
Sharon Hays

Mom taught me, starting at 4 or 5 yrs old. She had a (magical) tin of buttons from her great aunts' coats, shirts, and shoes. Lots of big buttons, lots of rhinestone buttons. One of the first things that I did was sew rhinestone buttons on a scrap of fabric. She still has it in that magical tin.

We didn't have Barbies, but we had trolls. We had shoebox houses and other small bits that were made in to furniture and things for them. Film canisters and Sucrets boxes and such. I remember knitting an outfit for one out of white cotton string. It had a kind of Fred Flintsone look to it. grin

I was seven when she sat me down at the old Singer 15 machine. I made a kerchief and remember being mad that I couldn't sew a straight line. I still can't sew a really straight line... grin She made most of our clothes till we were teenagers. She taught me what she knew and I took it from there. Books from the library on tailoring and such. When I was a teen, I made a lot of purses, hats, and stuffed animals. My dad always asked if there was anything "useful" I could make. Well, yes....

She and I are now teaching the next generation. So far, my neices (13, 12, and 10) are in to it. They've each made a quilt from sewing together squares. They each have started on their next top, a little more complicated than the first. Two of them made skirts for spring concerts. They were so excited that we could add pockets! My nephew (7) will start on his squares top this summer. The 10 yr old is learning how to make stuffed animals. And she made a purse when we were making her spring concert skirt. grin

They just need to find a place where they keep the machine up all of the time. That's the biggest difference between my house as a kid and their's. The machine was always available for any little thing... And Mom never minded that we try things out on the machine, or with other art mediums. Just weren't allowed to play with acid or fire. For allowing us to make messes, I thank her....

Cappy

Reply to
Cappy

I started learning machine sewing at 11-12 under Mother's tutelage. I already knew how to hem & sew on buttons and all that hand stuff - don't recall when she'd taught me, but it must have been in grade school sometime! I'd learned to cross stitch in scouts to and loved that until my hands began to betray me.

Mother had a straightforward technique for getting us willing to learn to sew. She made clothes for us as kids and of course involved us in choosing fabrics and patterns, etc. so we were spoiled by the options available in sewing. As we approached adolescence, we knew there was a set amount of money available for clothing. We could either buy clothes and get a few or learn to sew and get a lot for the money and like what we had even better! Now my genius, science & math minded brother didn't care what he looked like (used to wear some scary combos of plaids!), but my sister and I did and learned to sew. Actually, I think Mother might have taught us to sew at younger ages if she hadn't been so enjoying sewing for us herself! LOL She was entering the away from home work world about the time she began teaching me to machine sew.

heh, I remember that heavy old Singer my mom wore out. It was a great machine, but eventually the she decided she wanted a zigzag stitch. Don't think she's held on to another machine as long as she did that one, but it may partly have been economics. Nowadays, she figures she might as well spend her hard-saved funds on a new machine when she wants one!

(and my brother learned to sew to the point of repairing clothing in college after he tried to mend some pockets and didn't leave enough room to get his hand in! LOL)

Reply to
Nann Bell

I learnt in high school, where we did sewing as part of domestic science. My mother didn't sew, other than emergency repairs, and she didn't have a machine. She did knit very well and I learnt that from her. We acquired a sewing machine when my younger sister started to learn and was keen to practice. I started again when my daughter was born 8 years ago and got my first machine. I wanted to be able to do repairs and make clothes for me and her. Since I'm fairly small by Australian standards being able to alter clothes and make them is a necessity for me. Also my daughter is slender so finding clothes for her is difficult. Along with the necessity I have really enjoyed my sewing projects and love learning, particularly from the wonderful helpers in this ng.

Reply to
Viviane

I learnt how to sew on a treadle and a handcrank at Rodmall primary school in the UK (not far from Lewis , East Sussex for the Brits here ) when I was about 8 or 9 my mother did sew but never showed us, though I did make a ClothKits pencil case on her sewing machine once I knew how to sew - my father gave me my first sewing machine when I was 16, a second hand all metal heavier than lead hulk that I still have in the attic.

I sew quilts but not clothes and don't even *think* of asking me to make repairs! LOL

Reply to
Jessamy

I don't remember not sewing. My Mom sewed, and I always was allowed to use her machine. I never really sewed seriously - I go back and forth to it. So I'm still pretty much a novice even though it's been 35+ years.

Reply to
Angrie.Woman

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