Timeless Tips from Homemakers of the Past is an ongoing series highlighting useful and thought provoking tidbits from the generations of homemakers who have gone before us.\u00a0 Our goal at Sheep Among Wolves is to provide a forum for Good and Great literature, and to help you in your quest for godly, high-quality resources.\u00a0 It is our hope that these Timeless Tips will be an aid and encouragement to you as you strive to follow the example of Titus 2, and become a keeper of the home.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019d love to teach my daughter to sew, but I really never learned myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

How many homeschooling mothers can echo this sentiment!\u00a0 You want your daughter to grow up with an appreciation for homemaking skills, but you feel woefully inadequate to teach her how to sew.\u00a0 It just looks so intimidating\u2014what if you do something wrong, and ruin all the material, or break the sewing machine, and end up with a complete disaster?<\/p>\n

Learning to sew is actually not that difficult.\u00a0 It takes time, and patience, and a willingness to practice.\u00a0 But you can learn it.\u00a0 You can learn it even if you have never taken a single stitch before.\u00a0 In today\u2019s Timeless Tip, we\u2019ll take a look at how to gather \u00a0a box of sewing supplies, based on the guidelines in Hand Sewing Lessons: A Graded Course For Schools and For The Home<\/em><\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>by Sarah Ewell Krolik.<\/p>\n

How To Create\u00a0a Sewing Box
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Sewing boxes make great gifts for girls, (and maybe for ladies, too!)\u00a0 A well-equipped sewing box is a wonderful way to start your daughter in the sewing world, and it\u2019s easy to create and fill one yourself.<\/p>\n

The initial purchases are not expensive.\u00a0 In fact, even if you don\u2019t sew at all, you probably have some of the materials already on hand.<\/p>\n

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Choosing the\u00a0Box<\/strong><\/h5>\n

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Your options for a sewing box are incredibly wide.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a few suggestions to get you started.<\/p>\n

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• a shoebox<\/li>\n
• a plastic container<\/li>\n
• a basket with a lid<\/li>\n
• a tin box made specially for sewing supplies<\/li>\n
• a drawstring bag (pockets can be helpful to keep all the supplies from ending up in a pile at the bottom)<\/li>\n
• a cloth bag with a zipper<\/li>\n
• a fishing tackle box (yes, I really used this for many years!)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  One piece of advice which I would give, is make sure the \u201cbox\u201d can close.\u00a0 An open basket looks lovely when it is first filled, but it\u2019s almost impossible to keep a sewing box completely tidy, and your house will have a more orderly appearance if your supplies are hidden from sight once they\u2019re put away.<\/p>\n

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  Filling Your Sewing Box<\/strong><\/h5>\n

  The following list of Hand Sewing Basics is selected from Hand Sewing Lessons<\/em>, and will set you up with everything you need to start sewing.\u00a0 The “Other Useful Items” which come after it, are not essentials, but will come in handy to most young sewers.\u00a0 They are taken from Miss Leslie\u2019s Lady\u2019s House-Book<\/em><\/a>, and are worth consideration.<\/p>\n

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  Hand Sewing Basics<\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n

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  1. Thread<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 A spool each of white, black, and navy blue.<\/li>\n
  2. Needles<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 One could write an entire post just about needles, but a mixed package will give you a useful range of sizes.<\/li>\n
  3. Pins<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 Thin, sharp pins make the smallest holes, and run the least risk of damaging the fabric.\u00a0 They are more easily bent in machine sewing, but are well worth the trouble.<\/li>\n
  4. Safety pins<\/strong> – A selection of sizes\u00a0in addition to the straight ones mentioned above, will be very useful, particularly if you can\u2019t find a bodkin (see below)<\/em>.<\/li>\n
  5. Thimble<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 It can be difficult to learn to sew with one finger encumbered by a little metal cap, but even if you don\u2019t wear it all the time, it comes in handy when pushing a needle through several layers of fabric.\u00a0 Miss Leslie\u2019s Lady\u2019s House-Book <\/em>recommends buying two thimbles, because one is easily lost!<\/li>\n
  6. Scissors<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 You will need a large pair of scissors for cutting fabric.\u00a0 They should be kept only for sewing purposes, since cutting paper will dull them, and make it impossible to cut cloth smoothly.\u00a0 A second, tiny pair of scissors for cutting thread can be useful, particularly if you do a fair bit of embroidery.\u00a0 Make sure the smaller ones have some kind of case or end-protector to keep them from snipping other things in the sewing box.<\/li>\n
  7. Measures <\/em><\/strong>\u2013 A small (6 inch) ruler, or better yet, a seam gauge with a movable piece to mark distances, and a tape measure will keep you well covered.\u00a0 A yardstick can be useful on occasion, but of course it can\u2019t go into a box!<\/li>\n
  8. Wax<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 Is used for coating thread to strengthen it, and to keep it from kinking.<\/li>\n
  9. Emery Bag<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 Sharpens needles and keeps them bright.\u00a0 An emery bag that looks like a tiny strawberry is often sold attached to the tomato-shaped pin cushions.<\/li>\n
  10. Practice Cloth<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 An excellent suggestion in Hand Sewing Lessons<\/em> is to buy cloth with dots \u00bc inch apart for children to practice their first stitches on.\u00a0 These dots act as a guide for the stitches, and help insure that they are all the same length.\u00a0 As the author remarks, \u201cBy the time these stitches are taken, she will know what \u00bc of an inch is, and this knowledge will help her to measure with her eyes and to baste with \u00bc inch stitches.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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      Other Useful Items<\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n

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      1. Pincushion<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 Making a pincushion is a great project for beginner seamstresses, so buying one for the sewing box is optional.\u00a0 If the pins you\u2019ve bought come in a case of their own, the pincushion can wait until it\u2019s convenient to make one.<\/li>\n
      2. Bodkin<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 A bodkin is like an enlarged sewing needle, perhaps two to five inches long, with a very blunt end, and a large eyehole, like that on a needle.\u00a0 It is used to thread elastic through casings, as well as to press open seams and corners.\u00a0 If you do not include a bodkin in your sewing box, make sure you have a safety pin to take its place in threading elastic\u2014an easy task if you have the right tools, and a dreadful one if you do not!<\/li>\n
      3. Buttons<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 Of course, you can buy buttons for specific projects as you need them, but an assorted pack can come in handy if you lose one off a garment, or need one unexpectedly.\u00a0 In choosing a package, think about the kind of buttons you typically use on your clothing\u2014fancy buttons can be fun in moderation, but the everyday ones will get the most use.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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         Teaching Your Daughter To Sew<\/strong><\/h5>\n

         If you didn\u2019t learn to sew as a child, that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t teach sewing to your daughter.\u00a0 In the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt, \u201cWe have nothing to fear, but fear itself.\u201d\u00a0 My mother always says that she learned more as a teacher than as a student.<\/p>\n

         Don\u2019t let previous inexperience keep you from taking this wonderful opportunity.\u00a0 Collect the basics for a sewing box, and then click on the image below to check out our article on how to sew on a button\u2014it\u2019s a great place to start.<\/p>\n

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         You might also enjoy:<\/p>\n

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         Homemade Cure for Mosquito Bites<\/p><\/div>\n

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         Little King Davie – Book Review<\/p><\/div>\n

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         It Is The Start And Yet The End – Poem<\/p><\/div>\n

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         Unless otherwise referenced, the quotations in this article were taken from Hand Sewing Lessons: A Graded Course For Schools and For The Home<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong>\u00a0by Sarah Ewell Krolik.<\/em><\/p>\n

         This post may have been shared with the following linkups: The Art of Homemaking Mondays,<\/a> Monday\u2019s Musings,<\/a> The Modest Mom,<\/a> Titus 2 Tuesday,<\/a> Tuesdays With A Twist,<\/a> Homemaking Wednesdays,<\/a> Wise Woman Linkup,<\/a> Coffee and Conversation.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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