Sewing With... Part 4

If you'll remember, I teach Family Consumer Science for my elective class. For the second quarter of the class, we sew. {How fun.} 

This quarter I decided to have my students make these Owl Heating Pads that I found on the blog 30 Days. 

Here is how my students' turned out: 

I don't think they look as professional as the pattern, but not too bad for 7th graders! 

Sewing With: Part 3

I guess the old adage is true: Those that can't do, teach. Because I can't sew to save my life, but somehow my students created these cute creatures:

 {Look at that bow}

 {Yup, this student hand stitched the Italian flag and the words "Made in Italy" into her bear}

 {I was really worried about this kid, but their animal turned out good}

 {I mustache you a question} 

For real, aren't these the cutest things ever! I really can't believe my kids did it. They really did! 

I mean these are the same students that couldn't sew a straight line, or thread a needle! 

I am so proud of them. 

But I must say getting to this point was exhausting, and I am so happy I don't have to sew for another ten weeks! 

I am sure round two of sewing with will bring many more funny stories to share .

Click here for the first two parts of the Sewing With Series. 

Sewing With: Part II

Lesson 1- Threading the Needle

If you missed Part I you can go here, but because I am nice here is a recap- for my job I teach one class of FCS and right now I am teaching my kids how to sew. That's it. Oh wait... I don't know how to sew. So between my helpless students and my helpless self this should be fun!  

The first couple of days after quarter 2 started the students were finally given a needle and thread for their first lesson- Threading the needle. 

So I told my kids- we are going to thread the needle this is the first step. Everyone get their thread and cut it about a foot long... check 

Step 2: Put the thread through the eye of the needle....I said this WHILE MODELING what they should be doing...  Check (or so I thought) 

(Now I was teaching them how to double the thread so the knot goes at the bottom and you just tie the two sides together.) 

So I explained and check check 

Now just to make sure you understand what I was doing while I was explaining the info - I was wandering around check on all my students.... 

Okay so after they tied the knot I said Good Job you have threaded the needle... now we can move onto practicing stitches... 

At this point, I was thinking so far so good.... no big issues!

NOT SO FAST!  Right as I said the good job a student (usually one of my higher level students) said ...

Student: Wait what do we do with the needle?

Me: What are you talking about- we are going to start stitches with it...

Student: But when do we put the thread on (Student holds up thread-less needle)

Me: Where is your thread? What were you doing during instruction? 

Student: I was tying my knot (holds up tied thread.... NOT on a needle) 

My student had just tied the thread without putting the needle on!!!!! 

I don't know what concerns me more: 

1. That I did not see student A just tying string (which in my defense it's hard to see a tiny little needle)

or 

2. That it took student A that long just to tie a knot.... 

or 

3. What part of we are going to THREAD THE NEEDLE... did student A not understand? 

All I gotta say is this sewing bit is going to drive me CRAZY!!!! 

Stay tuned for Part III. I decided this is just going to be a monthly post! So check back on December 7 

Sewing With.... Name Omitted Part I

As some of you know I not only teach Hawaiian and Pacific history, but I also teach one class of Family Consumer Science... or for those of you that graduated before the 1990s. Home Ec.

And as ALL of you know this is a big joke. For two quarters out of the year I have to teach sewing. When I found out this was the elective I had to teach I just started laughing and thinking hmmm well I guess my mother-in-law will get her wish... I will finally have to pick up a needle and figure it out. (Hahaha- for clarification I was joking about the mother-in-law comment although if anyone really understands how hopeless I am in the sewing department it is my mother-in-law!)

In all honesty, Janice (the M.I.L) has helped tons. She sent me a huge package with patterns and lots of sewing stuff (not really sure what all of it is called).... and we had a Skype date where she talked me through a few things. (By the bye, Janice sent me this package late August and I didn't even touch it until late September.... about a two days before I was to start my sewing quarter.... can you say denial! I   put 'learning to sew' off as long as physically possible.)

Anyway, finally it was September 26th and quarter 2 had arrived... it was time to sew... and I was semi-prepared. I was not too worried because the only thing we were doing for the first two weeks was practicing stitches and learning how to sew a button.

Now, you might think 2 weeks is too long to do something this simple, but TRUST ME IT IS NOT! Each class is 45 minutes long and only 4 days a week. And by the time everyone gets in it's closer to 35  minutes. And with 7th graders... time seems to just disappear...

Okay, so it's been about 3 1/2 weeks since the sewing has begun and let me tell you- it is one of the funniest things/ frustrating things I have ever been involved in. When I got home the first day I started telling Matt all the funny things that happened in class and by the end of it we were both in hysterics.... so I decided to start blogging about the funny sewing mishaps that happen in F.C.S.

So here is the new segment Sewing With... Name Omitted. (Just to explain- Name Omitted is a way to clarify that because of privacy laws and the protection of my students- I cannot/ will not use any real names for my students.)

So no REAL NAMES  will be used in this blogging segment!

I will try to give you a weekly update of the funny things that happen. I hope you will enjoy these events as much as I do....