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FEBRUARY_15, 1968 HOW TO TEACH A CHILD TO SEW These are the steps in the sequence they should be taught: 1. Hold the needle thread in your left hand and turn the hand wheel until the take-up lever moves to its highest position. . ; 2. Place the needle thread between the toes of the presser foot and draw both the needle and bobbin threads toward the back and to the right. Thread ends should be about 3" long. 3. Position the fabric under the needle with seam edges against the seam guide, and lower the needle so that it enters near the starting end of the seam. 4. Lower the presser foot and then hold the thread ends with your right fingers. 5. Start the machine slowly and then move your right hand into the proper sewing position. 6. Slow down and stop when you reach the end of the seam. 7. Turn the hand wheel to bring the needle up and the take-up lever to its highest position. 8. Raise the presser foot and then, 9. Remove the fabric back and to your left. The needle thread must be between the toes of the presser foot to prevent bending the needle or breaking the thread at the eye of the needle. 10. Cut threads about 3" from the back of the presser foot with scis- sors. When these steps have been learned, teach how to stitch at the beginning and end of a seam. Then teach how to thread the machine and wind a bobbin. Having completed these steps, your daughter will be able to use your sew- ing machine with a high degree of in- dependence and safety. Question What kind of sewing should I expect my daughter to be interested in and how should I guide her activities? Answer While your nine-year-old may be ready for a serious approach to sewing, don't be surprised if she is still in the creative phase and not quite ready to concern herself with methods or pat- terns. During the creative phase, character- TERRACE BAY NEW ized by fantasy and imagination, youngsters view sewing only as a means ~ of putting things together. They make things that serve their own activities, such as clothes for dolls, dress-ups, puppet shows, their own theatricals, games, or gift giving. During this period your guidance should relate mainly to providing inter- esting supplies and materials; stimu- lants for ideas, such as illustrations from story books, magazines, newspa- pers and sewing advice or assistance only when asked for. Take special care to avoid criticism of workmanship and lack of enthusiasm. You will know when your daughter is ready for a more serious approach to sewing. She will begin talking about making something for herself to use or to wear. Her thinking will have changed from fantasy to realism. Now you should begin to guide her choice of pattern, fabric and sewing method-- but always let the final decision be hers. Avoid doing the work for her; merely show and explain how it is done. She must do the work if she is to learn and develop skill. When you suggest a pattern-- 1. Think about a style that will be easy to make in a short time. Pattern catalogues contain wide selections of patterns 'made especially for learners, they are identified in various ways, such as, "Quickies" (McCall's patterns), "Easy" (McCall's), "Jiffy Fashions" _ (Simplicity), "How to Sew" (Simplic- ity). These patterns are used in schools when teaching beginning sewing; they are educationally sound. It is wise to start with a simple shell blouse with a limited number of techniques to learn. Progress to a simple skirt and then to a one-piece dress. Several garments may be made from one pattern, yet each can be made to look different by using different fabrics. 2. Think about the pattern size and proportions that will fit with few or no adjustments. Patterns come in different proportions for different figure types, such as (Simplicity) "Girl," "Chub- bie," "Sub-Teen," "Teen," "Junior Pe- tite," "Junior Miss" and "Miss"; (Mc-' Call's) "Girl," "Pre-Teen," SEeen,. "Junior," "Junior Petite" and "Misses"; (Butterick) "Girl," '"Sub-Teen," "Teen," "Young Junior," "Junior," and "Miss." Take bust, waist, hip and back- waist-length measurements carefullys Use the figure type chart in the counter catalogue to help you choose the best- fitting pattern. If your daughter is not easy to fit, help her to have a successful start in sewing by testing and correcting the fit of her first few patterns before she "uses them. When you suggest the choice of fab- ric-- Think about fashion. Choose the most flattering fabric for the pattern and for the girl. At the same time, consider how easy the fabric will be to handle. For first projects avoid sheérs, napped and pile fabrics, glazed-surface fabrics, loosely woven fabrics that rav- el and very soft supple fabrics, as welt as checks and plaids. Select fabrics from the medium-weight range of cot- tons, blends, bonded fabrics, synthetics and woolens. When you supervise sewing meth- ods-- Follow the pattern instruction sheet. Teach your daughter to rely on and. _ to interpret instructions; then she will develop a sense of freedom and inde- pendence. As her knowledge and skill in sewing grow, she will become more> investigative and will seek. out. and» evaluate other methods. She will also, broaden her experience by working © with fabrics that are more challenging and patterns that are more complex. Top--Even basting Middle--Uneven basting Bottom--Backstitch Side--Whip stitch Watch for more helpful sewing hints in other issues.