Miss Huggins was our needlework teacher at senior school. When we had spent endless months working on a simple x-stitch on large count Aida, we finally got to learn how to thread a sewing machine, change a bobbin etc. Then we were "tought" to use the machine (I hated it). We were meant to be making a blouse, with short sleeves and a collar. Well, by the time I had spent nearly two YEARS sewing and then unpicking my tacking stitches every week, I blardy LOATHED it and when it was finally finished, it was too small for me. What a waste of rations she was. Just gone back through time and looked up my old school and see other girls had the same problem!!
Which is why today I am making an absolute horlicks of just cutting out Rosie's little dress. I have managed to work out sewing the first bit of bodice together, but then hit a brick wall when it came to the shoulder strap, which for cutting out was placed on the fold. Well, that can't be right, as now I have one very WIDE piece and not two narrower shoulder straps . . . Plus there is a slight shaping to one side of the strap/s and in the picture they look straight! So, foiled right at the very beginning. I think I will just cut that piece in half lengthways and straighten the bendy edge and proceed. That was for size 1-2 years. Size 3 years shows it pinned to the selvedge . . .
It is still a bit hazy here from the smoke, but doesnt smell as smokey. The one at Llangynidr is almost under control now, and apparently the one at Rhayader is getting under control. Yet as fast as that happens, the happy arsonists set more fires. A couple of random small-at-the-moment ones just out of Llanwrtyd Wells but look to be on farms.
Saw that the Co-op had two steaks and chips on offer for £4 this week, so guess what I'm having for tea. One steak to go in the freezer. Beans from the garden.
Can we see a picture of the dress.? Hint: don't rely on the directions, use your common sense---YOU know what a little dress should look like.
ReplyDeleteThe teacher, ugh! Bad memories. I learned to sew by age 6, was sewing tailored wool garments by age 11 ish. BUT in design school [university] we had to take ''Tailoring". The teacher was all about tacking, basting, steaming, start over etc etc. By the time I got the the collar and lapels on, the beautiful deep green wool and velvet were in shreds. Really sad. Amazing I passed the course....
Yes, will pop one up shortly. I made an error - the pattern says to "cut 2" . . .
DeleteIt seems many of us had teachers who could sew but not TEACH! The fact I went on to enjoy sewing, when doing it myself, says a lot. But that pretty well sums up my senior school years as only when I left school, and learned about the things which actually interested me, did I really make progress. I bet they never thought I would go to Uni when I was in 5C . . . (One down from the grammar class).
I feel your pain at the useless sewing lessons. I remember a very similar situation at my secondary modern school. We had to make an apron before we could do cookery and it was not your standard bib apron oh no it was more like a smock with a double yoke (back and front) , a gathered body, gathered cap sleeves, hand sown on poppers and a patch pocket. Then to be allowed to do PE in anything other than huge grey flannel knickers we had to make a gym slip (a grey wool wrap round skirt). As you can see I can remember a lot of detail, I think this is due to the trauma of those lessons with a teacher who expected an un-diagnosed dyslectic girl (at that time,late 60's early 70's, it was thought that only boys could be dyslectic) to follow instructions written in what seemed like a foreign language with her only input being to shout at me when I got it wrong.
ReplyDeleteI have since learnt how to sew clothes following a pattern but it was very much trial and error and anot something I do for pleasure.
Jane a regular reader in Nottinghamshire
Good grief - that sounds like something you would wear to accept your degree in!! Your being Dyslexic certainly didn't help matters. A friend's son in Hampshire went through school with undiagnosed Dyslexia and it ruined his life.
DeleteWell done for continuing under your own steam - it is SO long (ahem, 40 yrs!) since I last followed a pattern and not having been tought properly in the first place hasn't helped my cause either. I'll survive.
Lovely to meet you anyway, Jane.
My sewing teacher was awful too, an unmarried lady of a certain age! She once wrote in my school report ''if Gillian sewed as quickly as she talked, she would have finished her garment by now''. But as I told my Mum, she kept making me unpick it, tack it again and then when I had sewn it, she just ripped all the stitches out - very soul destroying. Its a wonder I ever took up sewing and knitting later on. Xx
ReplyDeleteYup, mine unmarried too. THough apparently she began calling herself Mrs after I left the school. Your teacher obviously came from the same school of sewing as mine as it is so soul destroying to have to keep unpicking your work . . .
DeleteWe didn't have a very good history teacher either - all dates and nothing made interesting as the people behind the names were left out.
I've been keeping up on the heat and fires in the UK. Terrible fires here as well. Hopefully rain will fall where needed. As Lizzy says, rely on your common sense for the dress, and I'm sure it'll be cute and loved by Rosie! I also had a horrible sewing teacher in school who taught me to hate it! But thankfully my sister showed me how to sew and I enjoyed it. Arthritis in my hands makes it hard now.
ReplyDeleteI have been looking at the fires around the world - the ones in Africa seem to have a line drawn beneath them that they don't cross - hitting sand perhaps? America and Canada suffering dreadfully too. I take it these are natural wildfires and not - as it would appear here - arsonists at work.
DeleteDo you reckon all sewing teachers were dreadful, and sent to make us suffer?! Good that your sister showed you the ropes. My mum as useless as the teacher was and yet her mother had made clothes for all the family. It skipped a generation in my mum, as did gran's brilliant cookery skills.
I remember doing a cross stitch kangaroo as a child at school
ReplyDeleteOh gosh - well done. I take it you and a needle are strangers now?!
DeleteI remember making a dirndl skirt in a revolting fabric. There was a bit of embroidery around the edge just to add to the general garishness. Then there was cushion making. Mine had an applique snail and lettuce on it and was all of about 7 inches square - utterly useless! School sewing lessons seemed purposely designed to put everyone off sewing anything ever again.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, a 7" cushion is a tad on the small side to be useful . . . The dirndl skirt sounds fairly hideous . . . Agree with you about sewing lessons designed to put us all off for life.
DeleteI'm now 80 and did all my schooling in England. I remember at high school making a pale green nightdress with peter pan collar puffed sleeves and long down to the ground when it was finished I swear my whole family could have used it as a tent and gone camping. I finished school at 15 and came to love sewing and I used to make dresses by hand putting 22inch zips by hand as well because we didn't own a sewing machine until Mum took pity on me and bought one in the auction rooms for 5 pounds. I came to Australia in 1969 and eventually met my husband and the first thing I bought when we became engaged was a brand new sewing machine which I still have even though I now have a whiz bang computerized machine now. I made clothes for myself and my 2 daughters til they were teenagers and when I retired from work at 60 I took up patchwork and quilting. Sorry my story is so long.
ReplyDeleteThe way I found your blog was by accident when I was actually browsing for quilting blogs, what a happy accident. From Shirley in OZ
Gosh Shirley - that sounds a mammoth thing to have to make up! Those are big zips to put in by hand (I cheat with cushions and make an envelope fastening.) Glad that your mum took pity on you with the sewing machine. You sound like my gran, making all the family clothes. I have a soft spot for my sewing machine as it makes life a lot easier now, even though it's not totally all singing, all dancing. DOn't apologise for your long story - it's good to hear what makes you tick.
DeleteI forgot to tell you I still hand sew hems with the method taught to me at school by Mrs. Shepherd, she called it a tailors hem. Shirley in OZ
ReplyDeleteI am better with a needle than a sewing machine and can sew a very good blind hem.
DeleteMy school sewing experience was like yours. I had to make a gathered skirt in a revolting fabric. It took so long to make I never finished it and our dog at the time used to curl up on it and made it their makeshift bed. It got covered in dog hairs and I lied to the teacher that I had left it on the bus by mistake. I never completed one sewing project in 4 years by which time we could give up needlework. I wish you luck with the dress for your granddaughter. Regards Sue H
ReplyDeleteDo you reckon the school got job lots of revolting fabric!! My blouse ended up without a collar or sleeves, just so I could actually 2 yrs on, finish it.
DeleteI had a horror of sewing machines early on. In our "Home Education" classes we had the choice to sew a garment or make stuffed toys, sewn by hand. As I was afraid of the sewing machines (I think I was actually afraid of our teacher who was an ominous woman who liked used sarcasm as a teaching tool), I opted for the hand sewing. When my sister and I got a sewing machine for Christmas one year (my. mum was clearly being optimistic), I ended up teaching myself how to use it...in my own time, without some awful, mean-spirited woman breathing down my neck. That said, I do regret not learning how to follow sewing patterns as I'd love to be able to make my own clothes. I had a friend in high school who was a brilliant seamstress and made a lot of her own garments. My learning stalled out at hemming trousers and patching holes :) ~melanie
ReplyDeleteI prefer to work by hand - I am more accurate then, but that said, the Heatwave quilt actually turned our really accurately as I CUT it accurately to start with!!
DeleteYes, you have hit the nail on the head. If you have some dragon breathing down your neck on you doing things wrong, of course, you compound the "doing wrong" . . . I am learning on the job!
I learnt all my sewing from my mother who was a dressmaker and tailoress. We did needlework and sewing for one year in high school and I hated it. As a professionally trained seamstress my mother had taught me how to do things using quite a lot of short cuts, I learned by watching and helping, and this did not go down well with the teacher in school. The stuff I produced with her was horrible and I still have bad memories of the work and her and her attitude at finding children, not just me, who already knew quite a lot about sewing. In junior school we did lovely creative stuff and of that I have fond memories of working with felt, pipe cleaners, pine cones, embroidery and all sorts and inventing things. It is funny how one teacher can get things so wrong. Anyway, in high school we didn't continue with needlework and dressmaking after a year and we all did some academic subject in its place. Rachel
ReplyDeleteGosh Rachel, you had a good start. Then it hit the brick wall of school needlework teachers! They all seemed desperately unhappy in their jobs, trying to teach inept children, or coming to terms with those who knew a little already.
DeleteI was so pleased to drop it in year 4.
I just have to comment… I have to confess that I was sent to the headmistress after swearing at the sewing teacher… she had made me rip out some perfectly good stitching for the nth time and I had had enough and totally lost my cool… I’m not a sweary person at all… I promise, total frustration…
ReplyDelete