Do kids today sew?

February 12, 2014

711824_needle_and_thread

I had to sew a missing button on a velvet jacket the other day. As I dug through my old sewing tin, something I rarely do anymore, I remembered watching my grandmother mend, hem and replace buttons. It’s how I learned to do the same.

So I wondered, do young girls today know how to do this?

My husband also knows how to replace buttons — and hem.

Do boys know how?

Pull thread backCan today’s young people thread a needle?

Have they used one of these? Do they know what it is?

pincushionHave they ever seen one of these?

sewing1How many sit down in front of one of these and actually make something? It’s true that the only time I ever did this was in high school Home Economics class. Do they even teach students these practical skills any more?

I’d like to know.  Oh, and in the “Times sure have changed, thank goodness” category:

400990_584241881597320_1673392776_n

16 comments on “Do kids today sew?
  1. Adrian R says:

    My kids had sewing in middle school. Not sure how well they can or can’t sew something but they still give sewing and cooking lessons in some schools.

  2. Pamela Mason says:

    My sons can sew on a button or patch, but that’s because the Boy Scouts and I taught them. The Boy Scouts also taught one son how to whipstitch a tent together and that patches on clothes are not bad things.
    I used to sew dresses for myself, but now it’s mostly remaking and / or tailoring my clothes to update them or make them fit better. When you’re short , you hem alot.

  3. Karen says:

    Both our kids can sew, but tend to leave it to me, as I’m “better” than they are at it. They do teach sewing to both boys and girls in school, which I think is a good thing.

  4. Helen Knight says:

    My dry cleaner repairs hems, even hems some things when I know the inseam. Your post reminds me of my wonderful grandmother sewing. She laboriously sewed my name on clothes for a camp that I eventually refused to attend. I didn’t want to leave her! I would thread the needles for her, something I think of every time I have to thread a needle. “You’re my eyes” she said. Thanks for the warm memory. Now I see there are some needles you don’t thread; they don’t have “eyes” you just stick the thread in a slot at the top of the needle.

  5. I love to sew! Our daughter loves to sew. Our son can thread a needle and sew a button. My husband can mend a hem. We are awesome.

  6. donna says:

    I taught my daughter how to sew at a young age. She can make anything using a pattern, create looks of her own, mend, repair, and some tailoring. My boys were not as interested, but they know how to mend.
    When my daughter went off to college, she made spending money by repairing simple things like zippers and button {as well as ironing!!} and charging a nominal fee. She could not believe how many young people her age could not sew a button!

  7. Risa says:

    I taught my daughter how to sew, but she made one thing and that was it. She can knit, though. My older son learned to sew at UCLA–all the acting students in his program learned to sew (they also learned about lights and set design) so they had an appreciation for what makes them look good on stage. I don’t know if he still has those skills, but I was pleased that he learned his way around a needle and thread! I learned at a young age, sewed most of my daughter’s clothes when she was little. The last things I made were nightgowns and pj’s for my granddaughter–with a matching set for her American Girl doll. I can’t believe I really did that…

  8. Doreen McGettigan says:

    I cannot sew a thing. One of my three daughters sews beautifully and I admit we all use her:) She completely taught herself. All three of my daughters and my older granddaughters (18, 14 and 10) knit. They make blankets for preemies, veterans and for Hospice patients. They make scarves for cancer patients and fundraisers. My older two granddaughters like to sew and got sewing machines for Christmas. It makes me smile because I have no clue.

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