I had an interesting conversation with my sister-in-law yesterday that got me thinking about sewing and crafting. She and my niece had come to visit so that I could help my niece sew a skirt. She had never sewn a skirt before but she had the fabric and the pattern and Grandma’s sewing machine so we were set.
Now I’m a mostly self-taught seamstress. My mum was a Home Economics teacher and she sewed clothes for me a lot as a kid, so I knew the basics from her. But I never sewed very much until more recently so I’ve had to teach myself all over again. I haven’t sewn a lot of clothes from proper patterns and I tend to work things out as I go along.
My sister-in-law, on the other hand, says she was taught by a very pedantic lady. Apparently they had to trace all the patterns onto the fabric before they cut them out, then tack everything together before sewing it properly. Once it was sewn, they had to go back and pull out all the tacking stitches. She measures everything more than once and is super careful.
So Miss E and I set about making her a skirt and my lovely sister-in-law played with my kids while we did. But I realise now that she was probably cringing as I taught her daughter “my way” of sewing! You see, I tend to think that there are many ways to do things and not really a “right” way. If it looks right at the end, great! I also tend to think that a teen sewing her first skirt is more about achieving and learning and having fun than about getting a perfect product. So I wasn’t that picky about perfect cutting or straight sewing - the skirt was very forgiving so the imperfections in the process don’t show up a lot in the final product.
Watching my sister-in-law carefully measure the final hem five times before Miss E could sew it did get me thinking though. Should I have been more careful? Should have I have unpicked our “mistake” instead of finding a way around it to avoid that extra time? Have I done my niece a disservice by not teaching her the right way the first time so she has a standard to meet for next time?
What do you think? What would you have done?
Oh, and if you’d like to see the finished skirt and read my tips for sewing with teens, you can find it here: First Skirt Project
Tonya is the voice behind TheCraftyMummy.com. She dabbles in lots of different crafts – patchwork, quilting, cross-stitch, scrapbooking, knitting, crochet and sewing. She also writes about blogging and social media.
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6 Responses to Do you Follow the Rules?
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Interesting thought. I’m self-taught, aside from classes in grade seven that I failed, so I tend to follow instructions and patterns rather than trying to find ways around mistakes.
Cate recently posted..Simply a moment | January
I was taught to sew ‘correctly’ by my grandmother. She was really tough, but I am thankful for learning from such a pedantic lady. Now when I make a mistake I know how to work around it, or when I need to unpick and start again.
When I teach others to sew I’m not quite as hard as my grandmother was, but I do teach them correct techniques, even though it is slower. I think the trick is to pick a project that is achievable so they feel they have succeeded even if the stitching isn’t perfectly straight etc. [like you did with this skirt].
Learning how to read a pattern is very important as if you can read a pattern, you can [sometimes with a fair bit of unpicking] make anything. I know a lot of people who are afraid of patterns because they are self-taught or have never been shown how easy sewing can be when it’s broken into steps.
I am self-taught too. The good thing about using pattern and following instructions is I can sew clothes ‘the correct way’. I often have to google a method in the instructions. That is how I learn and teach myself new skill.
I grew up in the 50s and learned the basics from my mom ( who was self taught) then relearned in school which taught the Bishop method. I never quiet measured up to the school standards and methods. The clothes I made with my mom’s method did tend to be more casual but they fit correctly. The school I made using the school method was more detailed and fussy but never would fit properly.
By the time I got to high school my mom had gotten a job as a drape and I helped her do some of the work as she set up a sewing room in the basement. She made fancy valence and very ornate drapes, which were popular at the time. Our home was all decked out as a reflection of her talent. My sister and I made pin money hand sewing hems and sides of the drapes. While in college I continued earning money helping my mom sew drapes after all she was helping me pay for college.
Once I graduated I only sewed an occasional garment for myself as I worked more than 40 hours a week. I did not get into clothing sewing until my sister had kids then I made pjs, and casual clothes. I made my first quilts then but again put sewing and quilting for home dec sewing as by then I had bought my first home. Sewing was a casual hobby until my husband, daughter and I moved to mid Michigan. My daughter never left me the time for sewing as she was into all kinds of activities.. It was not till she left home that I got into quilting when I took a class at the LQS. I now make one large quilt a year and several smaller projects as I still work. I take every technique class I can stockpiling knowledge for when I retire and have the time for quilting.
Currently I take Craftsy classes, the Quilt Show, own books and DVDs. I use the techniques I need for the project. For quilts I plan to put into a show I use the best techniques I can. When I design my own quilts I also use the best techniques I know but they sometimes do not turn out as expected. I do make a lot of home quilts for family members they tend to be easier patterns, assembled much quicker and the level of craft-manship is more forgiving of mistakes and as long as it will not fall apart I just go with it. I will be honest and say those are often my most favorite quilts….. Right now I am really getting into MODERN QUILTS and scrappy as I have tons of scraps and fabric to play with…….
Nonnie
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Nonnie recently posted..EPISODE 40 — MISSING IN ACTION –
I should say I know the rules, I apply with them when needed but then I can break the rules when I want.
Nonnie recently posted..EPISODE 40 — MISSING IN ACTION –
I learned to sew in school also, learning the “right” way to sew. The pattern guidesheets are not as detailed as they used to be so it can be daunting for someone just learning. Even I sometimes have to puzzle my way thru the directions to figure out what to do! For those of you learning on your on…don’t give up, ask questions, and keep sewing! After all my years of sewing, I take shortcuts that give the proper results, but it is important to know the “right” way to do things. Simple patterns, like a skirt, are forgiving of small errors so you did the right thing! If she’s still interested, you can go to more detailed instruction later. Wouldn’t want to discourage a new sewist with too much “you have to do it this way.”