Sew News Magazine--High-Tech --Getting Teens to Sew

		High-Tech: Getting Teens to Sew
		N A N C Y Z I E M A N
		Mission: Possible-- Capturing Sewing's Next Generation.
		Introduction Helping Out Is Sew Cool Avoiding the Three-eyes Look Dream Machines Kids Can Sew A Program for Them Bringing Sewing Back to the Classroom

Introduction

We have before us a serious mission. In order for sewing to continue into the future, there needs to be a "next generation" of people inspired by the possibilities they see in a piece of fabric and a pattern book. To grasp the magnanimity of our mission, consider the word "hip." To me--someone who's been sewing virtually all her life--the word means one thing: a fitting challenge. But to a teen who's just made a denim book tote embroidered with her school logo, "hip" means totally cool. To me, her "hip" is simply amazing. "Amazing?" you ask.

It's amazing because if sewing is taught in school at all, it tends to be a short-term elective. And although some kids have 4-H, scouting and youth group classes available where they can learn sewing skills, they have to be motivated to sign up. Complicate the situation further with the need to find teachers, space, machines and time, and try to compete with the dozens of other activities that vie for teens' time.

As I travel around the country, I notice that the critical middle generation of teachers is missing. Today, if sewing is passed on at all, it's probably a grandmother who teaches her grandchild to sew because many parents never learned. As we lose this generation, we lose valuable skills perfected over a lifetime, and there are no teachers to replace them. Does this make capturing teens a Mission: Impossible™? I don't think so.

I believe sewing is undergoing a rebirth. Under the umbrella of "sewing," I include quilting and embroidery. I see the evidence daily with young people, beginning in grade school, who are testing the waters their own way. We, the "gathered skirt veterans," can help by embracing new technology, encouraging innovative techniques and supporting creative projects. Or, we can hinder the process by demanding textbook perfection and assigning projects we want rather than ones they want.

Margaret Januzzi, a high school Family and Consumer Education teacher, believes that students need a good experience to continue sewing, but she adds "We all fight the horror stories of moms, aunts and cousins who had a bad experience. We did a great injustice back in the '60s and '70s with insisting on perfection and adhering to a single method."

Students want impressive results quickly. Do we still believe you can't learn to sew until you've been humbled by mistakes? How many potential stitchers simply gave up because well- meaning teachers discouraged them on those first critical attempts? If we approach young people on their own turf, where they're functioning socially and intellectually, getting them excited about sewing is a cinch.

Helping Out is Sew Cool

Kids are surprisingly generous and willing to pitch in to help others. A simple, effective way to get young people stitching is to set up a charity project. Recently a Sewing With Nancy® viewer sent me a newspaper article about an inspiring 9-year-old Texan named Madeline. This long-time seamstress (she started at age 7) selected some kid-friendly fleece fabrics, then spent weeks carefully stitching seams and sewing buttons. She finally added collar labels saying "Made With Love by Madeline S." By December of last year Madeline had made five cozy, colorful coats which she donated to a local television station's annual Coats for Kids drive. "Sometimes it's hard for a child to do something for other people. Sewing is a way to make simple things that other people need and enjoy," explains Madeline. "When I'm finished I have something to share and be proud of."

Nina Kay Milenius, host of public television's popular program Sew Young, Sew Fun, echoes Madeline's feelings. "Kids really like helping other kids in need. It makes them feel good about themselves while doing something they enjoy. For the past five years at the National 4-H Congress, we've been doing the Cozy Coat workshop with the 4-H Fashion Revue winners and other 4-H members attending the Congress. This past year they made 280 fleece coats that were donated to the Carrie Steele Pitts Home in Atlanta, GA." (Tune in to Sew Young, Sew Fun on your local public television station, or visit www.sewyoungsewfun.com and click on "Stitches That Serve" to learn more.)

While working on my new Creative Kindness book with Gail Brown, I was privileged to meet young volunteers working on a variety of projects--either by themselves or as part of a group. This book includes stories about a young woman who makes Care Cloths filled with personal items for shelters in her community, another teen who makes school uniforms for little girls in Haiti and a whole class that sews baseball-style caps for pediatric chemotherapy patients.

What young people bring to the table is an infectious "can-do" attitude. The natural youthful tendency to charge in and get going is exactly the kind of energy that charity projects, or students learning to sew, need.

Avoiding the Three-eyes Look

"If you tell kids to do something," observes Nina Kay Milenius, "they look at you like you have three eyes. But lead them to something, let them discover it on their own, and they're proud and self-fulfilled." There's no big secret to leading some of this country's approximately 31 million Generation Why, or Echo Boomers or Millennials as they're variously called, to the sewing machine. Just make it technologically attractive. As Nina Kay points out, "Kids know how to point and click through software by the age of three." So using computer technology as an introduction to sewing is as natural as learning the words to the latest hit song.

Margaret Januzzi agrees. "We have an advantage because we are a new school and have a lot of computers. I try to be part of every event on campus that involves technology and science. We also have an industrial embroidery machine with 10 needles. This is a real attraction when we move it out to show at lunch."

Husqvarna Viking recently introduced the first fully interactive home embroidery software for kids from ages 6 and up. Called Sewtopia™, this software encourages analytical and creative thinking as kids travel through a sewing and embroidery lesson. Guided by Stitch, the captain of the embroidery spaceship, kids are introduced to the program. They then move into "The Learning Zone," an interactive learning program which includes a challenging Asteroid game. The "Creative Zone" contains five standard embroidery designs (Animals 1, Clowns, Princess, Football Players and Cheerleaders) kids can use to create unlimited variations. Finally, "Logo Zone" adds letters in different styles to the designs in "Creative Zone" or to the stock logo designs. I'm not ashamed to admit that having the captain of a spaceship teach me machine embroidery sounds like fun. Since the software is something we both can have fun with, it's a great way for an adult to help a child learn embroidery. Visit www.husqvarnaviking.com or contact a nearby Viking or Pfaff dealer for more information.

Singer's Izek sewing machine system for kids includes a Game Boy-style key pad.

And speaking of adventure, Singer Sewing Machine Co. has teamed up with Nintendo to create a new sewing machine system for kids (of all ages) that uses Game Boy® technology and fantasy to teach basic sewing. The Izek system consists of a sewing machine plus the familiar Game Boy, hand-held key pad. Using Izek, a new sewer can learn to stitch consistent and accurate patterns and buttonholes. Izek includes 150 different stitch functions including letters, numbers, symbols and five buttonhole styles. Singer calls Izek "unexpectedly cool." Try the interactive demonstration at www.meetizek.com to find out why.

Pattern fitting can be a challenge no matter what your experience level. Beginners especially can become frustrated with this process. Margaret Januzzi uses software for pattern design from Wild Ginger (www.wildginger.com) and ApparelCAD developed by Dr. Phyllis Miller in conjunction with AutoCAD (www.apparel-cad.com).

Dream Machines

If you've ever shopped with or attempted to buy something for a teenager, you know that they have a very different set of rules and interests. These rules are going to apply to their sewing projects as well and will be critical in vying for their attention. Fortunately, it's as easy as watching, listening and letting them make their own decisions. Madeline, our talented coat maker, made a hair scrunchie as her first project. This is an ideal quick project for young fingers. Scrunchies are popular at school, kids can make tons of them in lots of colors and minor mistakes won't show. And best of all, in Madeline's own words: "I can't believe I made it."

Other popular projects include boxer shorts, stuffed toys, wall and small quilts, pillows, simple knit tops and pull-on shorts, elastic-waist skirts and sheath dresses with spaghetti straps.

To help students relate sewing to the real world and possible future careers, Margaret Januzzi takes her students on field trips to fashion and costume exhibits and they study merchandising and retailing at local malls. The real treat is a trip to the Los Angeles garment district during spring break where they visit a design school, attend a fashion show and get a glimpse of the ready-to-wear industry.

Margaret's students helped me prepare this column by sharing their reasons for taking her sewing classes. Their comments are surprisingly practical and are filled with wonderful dreams. Many students plan careers as fashion designers, including one young man who sews because he loves seeing his ideas of fashion and clothes come to life. In sharp contrast to our "disposable" society, a majority of the students clearly understand that being able to sew new clothes and repair damaged ones is economical. Other students said sewing is an outlet to express their individuality. Some look forward to sewing clothing for their children.

Perhaps things haven't changed as much as we think. Creativity, thrift, career possibilities, helping others and having fun are pretty much the same reasons I started sewing. Getting involved with interesting, curious young people invigorates my sewing. Taking time to learn along with them has its own awesome rewards.

For more information on teen sewing, visit www.sewcool.org.

Kids Can Sew

Martha Pullen's School of Art Fashion in Huntsville, AL, has a Sew Kool 4 Kids summer sewing program. The goal is to make the class a happy and fun experience, and the participants are attentive, energetic and eager to learn. Past students have made patchwork doll quilts, pillows, CD holders and beach coats. This summer the project will be to learn and practice basic heirloom stitches, creating a notebook.

Martha's daughter, Joanna, writes a monthly, free e-mail newsletter for kids who love to sew. To receive the newsletter, visit www.marthapullen.com and enter your e-mail address.

A Program for Them

Quilter, designer and mother, Gretchen Hudock, and Morna McGiver, editor of The Professional Quilter (www.professionalquilter.com) offer these 10 tips for starting a teen sewing and quilting program.

Do your homework. When proposing programs for schools, know what programs were offered in the past, what happened to them and why. Lack of an instructor or insufficient funding may be the simple reason for the program's demise. Know the challenges and how to address them. If you're presenting to a civic organization or a youth group, learn what programs they've supported in the past and enlist a member of that organization to help in your crusade.
Develop a plan for one or two semesters to make your presentation more effective. Present the program's goals, action steps and expectations.
Keep early projects simple. Students need fast and successful results to encourage them to attempt more difficult and extensive projects. To use a project from a book, get copyright permission first.
Remember: Students are teenagers and their fabric choices probably won't be the same as yours. Make project samples from fabric with teen appeal. For example, a simple quilt might include logo patches from their favorite sports team.
Invite someone from a local quilt or fabric shop to discuss fabric considerations. Many students are on restricted budgets and it's important for them to understand about quality fabric.
Solicit fabric, tool donations and student discounts to help hold costs down. Speak with local stores, sewing and quilting guilds, and civic or church groups.
Add a self-adhesive pad to each machine, marking the quilter's scant 1/4" seam, or the 5/8" seam for garment sewing. A 1/8"-thick pad helps students keep a consistent seam allowance and improves their chances for successful first projects.
Students need to know when a project will be done before they start. Patience and a positive attitude go a long way. Remember that teens are competitive to finish as quick as the next. They may get frustrated if other students are far ahead. Keep in mind, these kids are willing participants and can choose whether or not to return.
Publicize the class to increase future enrollment and give students positive recognition for their efforts. Send a press release and photos to local papers or the assignment editor at the local television station. A charity project is an excellent way to attract publicity and recognition for the students and the program.
Arrange for public display of class projects. Set up showings in the school and contact local businesses, banks and libraries. Several students we talked to suggested a fashion show which makes great (free) entertainment for women's organizations.

Bringing Sewing Back to the Classroom

Nina Kay Milenius, host of Sew Young, Sew Fun, offers these suggestions for convincing schools to bring sewing back into the classroom.

Funding: Today's computerized sewing machines can often be funded in whole or part with technology grants.
Skills: Sewing builds skills in applied math, computer technology, analytical thinking, creativity and design, hand/eye coordination and problem solving.
School spirit: With sewing machines, computers and software, students can scan school logos and mascots, digitize designs and stitch out a whole range of items (from book bags to jackets) to be sold in a school retail store or at fund-raisers.
Practical life experience: Operating a school store teaches students business skills like wholesale buying, merchandising, markup and pricing, calculating profit/loss, negotiating, budgeting and accounting, inventory control, personnel management, marketing, customer service and teamwork. These experiences can be stepping stones into college subjects or the professional workplace.


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