The teacher should be familiar with the conditions in which the pupils
live, should know how much money they can afford to pay for materials,
what materials are available, what previous experience in hand work they
have had, whether they can afford to have sewing-machines in their own
homes, and to what extent they make their own clothes or buy them
ready-made.
The lessons should be planned to furnish hand training, to give pupils
practical instruction in the care of their own clothes, and to provide
an opportunity for preparing the apron for the cooking lessons. The
lesson course should tend to develop habits of thrift, industry, and
neatness. The pupils should be encouraged to learn to sew, both to
improve their own home conditions and to give them suggestions as to a
possible means of livelihood. If sewing-machines are available and are
in use in the homes, it is well to have lessons given in machine sewing
and to have the long seams run by machine. If the pupils cannot have
sewing-machines in their own homes, the lessons given should be limited
to sewing by hand. In some schools, it may be necessary to simplify the
lessons; in others, an increased number of articles may be prepared in
the time allotted. Should the apron and cap not be needed for the
cooking class, an undergarment (corset cover) may well be
substituted.[A]
[A] Should the teacher feel that an apron or corset-cover
is too large a piece for her pupils to undertake, and
should she desire to have more time spent on the first ten
lessons. Lessons XI to XVIII may be omitted, two periods
each devoted to both Lessons XIX and XX, and three lessons
used for the making of a simple needle-book or other small
piece.
For each lesson the teacher should have in mind a definite plan of
procedure. The lesson should be opened with a brief and concrete class
discussion of the new work that is to be taken up or the special stage
that has been reached in work that is already under way. Though
individual instruction is necessary, it should not take the place of
this general presentation of the subject-matter, which economizes time
and develops the real thought content of the work. Whenever possible,
the teacher should endeavour to correlate this work with the other
subjects on the curriculum.
New stitches may be demonstrated on large pieces of scrim, with long
darning-needles and coarse red or black yarn. The scrim should be pinned
to the black-board with thumb tacks, and the stitches made large enough
for all to see without difficulty. A variety of completed articles
should be kept on hand, in order to show additional application of
points brought out in the lesson. Each class may be given the privilege
of preparing one article to add to this collection, and a spirit of
class pride and valuable team work may be thereby developed.
During the lesson, posture, neatness, and order should be emphasized.
Application can be secured by making the problems of interest. Care must
be taken that none of the work demands unnecessary eye strain. Each
lesson should be closed in time to have one of the members of the class
give a brief summary of the steps that have been covered.
Since the class period for sewing in the rural school will necessarily
be brief, the pupils should be encouraged to continue their work at some
other period. However, no work outside of the class period should be
permitted until the pupil has mastered the stitch and can be trusted to
do the work in the right way. The privilege of sewing may be made the
reward for lessons quickly learned, home practice may be assigned, or
the class may meet out of school hours. All outside practice must be
carefully supervised, the pupil bringing her work to the teacher for
frequent inspection.
If it is possible to keep on hand a permanent equipment for sewing, the
following should be provided for a class of twelve:
Approximate cost
Scissors, 1 dozen $3.00
Thimbles, 1 dozen .50
Tape-measures, 1 dozen .60
Emery, 1 dozen .50
Boxes for work, 1 dozen 1.00
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$5.60
_Note._--Shoe or candy boxes may be used, but an effort
should be made to have them uniform.
The teacher who is to give lessons in sewing should secure a helpful
elementary text-book or some bulletin that deals with the teaching of
sewing.