My first suggestion for those of you who have never used a machine, or who have recently gotten a new machine, would be to remove all threads and stitch a paper first. This is a great way to get the feel for your machine, practice stitching straight lines/corners, and learn to 'steer' without pressure. I often do this myself on machines I've never used with notebook paper, however I created the following worksheet for my sewing club to provide better instructions, and to make it a little more interesting. When the kids first heard 'worksheet' they looked a bit disappointed, but when they realized they used a machine rather than a pencil to fill out this worksheet, I thought they might die from anticipation! :D
After students got a feel for the machine, they began their first project. Originally I was going to have students sew a scrunchie, but after realizing how many boys I had in the club, I decided to go for something more gender neutral first. I wanted something the students would actually be able to use, and landed on a fabric bookmark. The bookmark is perfect because it doesn't take a lot of supplies to make. (The most expensive part was the interfacing.) I made this pattern guide that I blew up using a poster maker. The students had to check the poster BEFORE they asked me for help. (So they learn to use their resources/gain self-sufficiency. Lol, what can I say, I'm a teacher first.)
You'll notice I didn't give measurements for the fabric rectangles, I pre-cut the interfacing and cardboard for them to use as a stencil. While I initially considered having them perfect their measurement skills, I want to prepare them to use a pattern piece on the next project. The fabric rectangles should be 9" x 3" the interfacing is 8.5" x 2.5" and the bookmarks have a quarter inch seam allowance. The students were responsible for determining the size of their opening, and they quickly learned that too small openings were a pain! :)
Happy Stitching! :)
~Farm Girl Teacher
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