Beginning Sewing Camp July 2015

Ebun and her bag and belt

     Last week was the last Beginning Sewing Camp for the summer.  I had Makayla and Hailey, sisters, and Ebun.  Another three girls so excited to learn how to sew.

Makayla and her bag and belt

     They spent the first day sewing on paper without thread and then moved on to sewing on fabric with thread after learning how to thread their machines.

Hailey and her bag and belt

     By the end of the first day they had all earned their sewing machine 'driver's license'.  By the end of day two they had finished their sewing bag and a simple belt.

Ebun and her shorts

     Days three and four were spent working on their chosen project.  Ebun made a pair of lounge shorts from the teen book.  She chose a denim fabric.  In fact all three girls chose the same denim fabric for their projects.  Ebun shortened both the rise of the shorts and the length on them.  They fit her great.

Makayla and her skirt, front

Makayla and her skirt, back

     Makayla chose to make the back slit denim skirt.  She chose some cute daisy buttons for her tab.  She opted to sew her hem with gold thread, just like hemmed jeans.  We talked about the need for accuracy when sewing with contrast thread versus stitches that virtually disappear when using matching thread.  She really took her time while sewing that hem and it looked great.

Hailey and her skirt, front

Hailey and her skirt, back

     Hailey also made the back slit denim skirt.  She chose some sparkly buttons for her back tab.  We opted to do a larger hem in her skirt and not do the contrast thread.  Since both girls chose buttons with shanks, they practiced their hand sewing techniques.

     We had some good discussions about the tab on the skirt, that it is both functional and decorative.  They also found out they still need to use their math skills during the summer and that fractions really are important.

     In a could of weeks I will have my last camp for the summer and soon after school classes will be starting up.  Wow, where did the summer go?