There was a time when only women were expected to know how to sew. Today however, things have changed and both men and women understand the importance of knowing how to do basic sewing techniques. While it is true that people will either love or hate hand sewing, it is also true that you will need to learn to sew if ever you want to produce a high quality item.
Hand sewing requires the right equipment and a comfortable chair so that you can concentrate on your sewing project. Also, it is important to sew in a well lit area. This can be accomplished by having a lamp on a small table beside you. When choosing a light bulb for your lamp make sure that you choose a natural light bulb.
Sewing can be learned at an early age and parents should teach their children, both boys and girls, the basics about how to sew by hand. In fact, it is a good idea for parents to provide their children with their own personal sewing box complete with every important accessory. What type of accessories should you put in a sewing box?
To become good at sewing you will need to include the following accessories. The first item should be a pincushion with an emery. Perhaps you remember your mother having a tomato pincushion with a strawberry emery. You can purchase these at most fabric stores or you can make one on your own. The tomato pincushion will store all of your pins and needles. A strawberry emery will sharpen those needles and pins by inserting and withdrawing them for a few times.
As your child learns how to sew, they will probably need different sizes of hand sewing needles. Choose a folder to hold all of those needles of different types and sizes. Choose a good quality needle such as needles made by John James of England. Your child’s sewing box will also require a good pair of dressmaking scissors. Fiskars and Gingher both are exceptional well-known brands. Always try out a pair of scissors before you purchase it. This will be especially important when purchasing scissors for your children.
Do not skimp when purchasing thread. Obviously, you will need to have a variety of threads in different colors. A couple of well-known, quality thread manufacturers are Guterman and JP Coats. Thread comes in a variety of fibers including polyester, cotton, polyester-cotton, silk, and rayon just to name a few. The majority of projects however will only require a quality spool of polyester-cotton thread.
Some of the other items that you will need to acquire for your child’s sewing box include a needle threader, thread snips, straight pins, a sewing tape measure, a container of beeswax, a thimble, a seam ripper, a hemming gauge, and a small container for a variety of buttons.
As parents we have a responsibility to teach our children to be self sufficient after reaching adulthood. Teaching your children how to learn to sew may seem like a simple thing but it is something that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.