Teenagers and sewing

It was t school that taught me to sew it was my mum. From a very early age, 6 or so, I use to help and. Went on to making my own from the age of 15 and I still do. I have also taught my SON to sew and even bought him a sewing machine. To look at him you would think that was the last thing he is interested in but he enjoys it. He has 4 daughters who I have tried to teach his daughters with various success but it always ends up with dad putting in new zips, taking up beams and doing any mending

I can do very basic hemming, sew on buttons ot basic repairs both by hand or on a machine. Don't enjoy it. Have two daughters in their 30s who can do very basic repairs but will get me to do it if they can.

I did learn to sew when I was quite young. School sewing lessons were dire - enough to put anybody off for life. But my mum, sewed and I learnt from her.
I’ve just altered a nice Jigsaw skirt that I bought in a charity shop, and shortened curtains for my mum.I am now making her a simple patchwork cushion with rejected curtain fabric samples she had accumulated and didn’t want to throw away.
I like that I can achieve exactly what I want - and often at much better quality. Being able to do repairs and alterations in an era once so much clothing gets wasted it seems to be quite an important skill. To me, basic sewing skills sit alongside all sorts of other basic household/DIY skills. We could avoid so much waste of people took the time and care to repair things.

Some time ago I was talking to a woman, probably in her sixties or seventies, she said "if a button comes off I just throw the garment away"! Must say I was shocked at that.

I went to a class and 2 of our children came , male and female. We got materials cheap off the market and got given patterns from class or free with prima . Our youngest saved a fortune and was regularly finishing garments as her friends waited to hit the town for drinks . It’s such a good skill for life , turning up hems and altering curtains are basic but save lots of money and time . We gifted her a machine for doing well in her exams, she wasn’t pleased as she wanted the cash . A few years later she realises her machine can travel with her. Mine is being used weekly by me .

I am grieving the loss of our fabulous wool and fabric shop in town, and just yesterday I heard that another similar, but larger shop a few miles further away disclosing for tge same reason - owners both retiring. As a hobby quilter I am very sad, but also having a step granddaughter and a, much younger, granddaughter I'm going to find obtaining fabric even more difficult! SDG spent a day with me and her new sewing machine and she finished a quilted and lined tote bag, the smile on her face was priceless! She is now altering her charity shop finds to suit her style ( and her purse!). I've yet to attempt this with GD as she's just 6yo and little brother usually comes too. I did set up a knitting and crochet club in the junior school where I worked in admin. That was great fun and some of the girls went on to study textiles at high school. So you see, some of us are trying hard to stir up some interest! I'm not a great dressmaker myself, I can run up a pencil skirt but a whole dress, well that's another matter. So with your comments in mind, I'll continue to encourage where I can.

I used to sew quite a lot, but gradually gave it up, fabric is so hard to find now and so expensive, in most cases it is not much less expensive than making clothes. I recently looked for a pattern for a simple nightdress but it doesn't exist.
My daughter can also sew and it drives me mad when she doesn't bother to sew up a loose corner on my granddaughters coat pocket.
To be fair most childrens' clothing is relatively inexpensive and they grow out of it very fast, so unless you have two children of the same sex you are unlikely to bother to keep it to use again. Many of us also have little storage space.

Sewing, knitting, carpentry and cookery are generally speaking no longer taught in schools and have not been since the 1980s for the reasons given by other posters.

So basically even in our children's generation any of these skills have been learned by those who wanted to learn them and make a hobby of doing so.

If in the interest of really making an effort to save the environment clothes either become too expensive, along with bed linen and so on because they no longer are transported from the far East to Europe people may start making their own clothes again, or they may just buy fewer - who knows?

In Denmark, knitting and crocheting are making a cautious comeback as hobbies among young women, so perhaps dressmaking will come next.

Here they teach a little Y1 do an embroider a book mark and sew up a puppet in Y2. Textiles is a GCSE option not very popular.
We teach Brownies and Guides to sew on badges as a minimum, but quite often we find that Rainbow Guide mothers and even grandmothers cannot do this!

Sadly it is difficult and often expensive to find fabric in many areas, and cheaper to buy ready made, even if the quality is less robust. Perhaps we should be teaching repair and darning, and even button sewing and hemming?

I do still make curtains, not the really huge ones I used to make though as I don't have the space to lay them out flat.
My DIL was amazed when I knocked up a quick curtain for her kitchen, just a 45 minute job and though made with cheap cotton it did look good.

My mother made clothes with her trusty Singer but in my teens I had no interest. Then a new friend moved to our village with a wardrobe of fashionable clothes she made herself. This was in the late 60s so mini skirts and shift dresses were what we wanted. Not wishing to be outdone I asked my mother to teach me and from then on made nearly all my clothes for many years.

Clothes were expensive then so it was the only way I could keep up with fashion. They are cheaper (and disposable) now and as has been mentioned fabric is expensive. The young want the same as their friends with brands and styles so I can understand why it’s a dying art but it’s a shame.

I think get children when they are young. My grandson aged 5 sewed an easy hand puppet. My granddaughter age 6 joined the school sewing club, learnt to use a machine and then I gave her one for Christmas. She sews little bags and is going on a sewing course next week for five mornings. In the afternoon she'll play football! She does need the machine threaded for her but otherwise has fun. Buttons for sure - manually.

I can do most basic sewing with or without a machine. I was self-taught with a bit of help from my GMs neighbour. My DM couldn't sew a button on but she did teach me to knit. I can also crochet - made my DDs christening dress and shawl, plus pram blankets.

School (a posh one!) taught me a bit of embroidery and basic cookery. It was only for a term but I remember it all and can still do it if necessary. My pastry is to die for! (the rock buns less successful) and I can make bread (though not done it for years).

Neither of my DDs can sew or knit, never interested, and nor is my GD. It's a shame really.

In my teens I knitted a mini-dress and on first wearing it started to get longer - and longer - and longer - so that was my biggest disaster!

We were taught sewing & needlework at school. How to use treadle & electric sewing machines. My mum was a keen dressmaker & my Nan an upholsterer so she taught me lots of stuff. My daughters as teens learned it at school too, it was called design technology or something. Dd1 just couldn't get the hang of it & lumps all her repairs on me but dd2 is excellent at dressmaking, alterations and repairs but she's generally good at art & crafts. It's cheap chuck away fashions now but the girls get a lot of preloved clothes online.

Our daughters and GC can put a button back on, take up a hem, mending small bits. I still do the same easy sewing.

I no longer make child clothes or curtains. No need, really.

I am early 60 and I cannot sew! I had sewing lessons at school but hated them and disliked the sewing teacher! Neither my mother nor grandmothers sewed or knitted either; my mother saw no point as decent clothes could easily be bought and the only thing I was taught was how to mend a tear or sew on a button. My daughters can all knit but dont and only one of my grand children can make clothes and enjoys it. If I need alterations I pay someone to do this. I am a huge believer in outsourcing tedious tasks (of which sewing is one to my mind).

It is taught in my school in Home Economics and always has been..same as football for girls this has been for at least 30 years.I live in Scotland.

My mum taught me sewing and my dad taught me knitting. I still have the sewing machine I had for my 21st birthday and use it regularly. My 5 year old grandson likes sewing and his mum made a cushion with him.

I had a ready cut out dress from a magazine years ago as a teenager, I only had to sew it together. I wore it to a dance with the man that went on to become my husband, as we whisked round the floor him trying to whisper sweet nothings my dress slipped to the floor, I had only tacked the shoulders. I came home and threw the dress in the bin. I did learn to sew years later.

People without hobbies are boring.

I never learnt how to use a sewing machine but I am very handy with a needle and thread.
I can sew buttons etc and mend hems.
We had to make all our aprons for domestic science at school when I was a young girl.

In the past, I was fairly keen on patchwork sewing.
I made a pomander ball once and cushion cover.

I couldn’t be bothered nowadays to do that as it’s a lot of work.

I do think they should teach sewing and cookery as part of the curriculum at school. For both sexes.

My grandmother taught me to sew age 6. We also had sewing lessons at primary and secondary school. I am 82 and still sew most days. I'd rather do that than watch TV. I make most of my clothes from bras to tailored coats, patchwork and soft furnishings. There are some great fabric stores online and it isn't always cheaper to make your own, but I know I have unique garments no one else has. The satisfaction of a finished project is great and hobbies are good for mental health too.

We had compulsory sewing lessons at school but I just couldn't do it, I scored 16 in my needlework exam and the teacher said it was the worst piece of sewing she'd ever seen😅 Now I can do a bit of mending and sew a button on, but that's about it. My dad was a master tailors cutter and made a lot of our clothes including beautiful black and white box pleat dance skirts, but I just didn't get the sewing gene 🫤

I'd have thought sewing is an essential skill, as well as clothing, repairs, curtains and blinds, cushion covers etc are so expensive to make, alter and repair! My son can use a sewing machine as well as hand sewing techniques as he does a lot of cosplay and works with everything from cheesecloth to leather. Always surprised at what other people can't do! Sewing on a button or a simple darn should be the bare minimum skill level imho.

I wish people would see how simple it is to make curtains, and line them. If you can use a tape measure and a pair of scissors you can make curtains.
Just in case someone is inspired by the above the best tip I was ever given to making curtains was that you sew your hem before your heading.
The reason being, if there’s any discrepancy in the length it easier to a just it under the heading tape. And no one sees it 😉