I find that the hardest part of teaching sewing is to remind each student that sewing is a learned skill. It is not a competition with anyone else. It is individual journey. For each project in sewing that you stitch your goal is to understand the techniques used to complete the project. Whether it takes one class session or five class sessions, the mindset should be one of understanding the process and not who is finished before you! The main goal of all my classes are centered around learning to sew and loving it! Sewing is a creative art form meant to enjoyed in a stress-free environment. The joys of sewing last a lifetime for my young sewers and each student will have a different journey based on personality and their individual tastes. My continuing goal is that each of my students will have a positive and very rewarding experience learning to sew. And, I am so honored to teach all my students the joys of sewing and will continue to do so for a long time! It is after all my passion and my life!

I love teaching kids to sew. Once they start on their creative sewing journey a world of opportunities seem to open up to them. Suddenly the teddy bear that has a torn arm gets fixed and buttons get resewn on a shirt. School projects that they stitch in class get wrapped for a mom or grandmother and other projects are planned and stitched with love. And once they start sewing and have mastered basic sewing skills I introduce them to the wonderful ways that they can make a difference in their own communities.

Sometime during the fall, I talk to my students about stitching for their communities. Together we choose a charity for the year and my kids use some of the classes to complete projects for distribution to that charity. Even my brand new sewers with just with the basics of sewing can take part in stitching for many of the service organizations in our community and the people that they serve. There are so many opportunities to give back and give thanks and all my kids love these service projects.

One of the service projects that we sewed for was for A. I. Dupont Hospital in Wilmington Delaware. All my fall classes sewed pillowcases for the hospital and each pillowcase had a hand written note attached. One of the moms worked at A.I.Dupont and she was able to take the pillowcases and give one to every patient that had to stay in the hospital over Christmas that year. What a beautiful day it was to learn that the 50 pillowcases that we stitched brought so much joy to the kids in the hospital. And they LOVED the handmade tags that were attached to each pillowcase. I was a proud sewing teacher!



Well after that community service was finished, months later the pillowcases would make another appearance at A.I. Dupont hospital. Allison, daughter of the mom that distributed the pillowcases at Christmas, decided to organize another group of girls, teach them to make the pillowcases, and send them to the hospital to earn her Gold Award in Scouting. Once again, as her sponsor I was beaming with pride not only because of the pillowcases but also because she was passing on her sewing skills to a new generation of sewers. Don’t you just love it?

Another great service project that we stitched was pillows for the veterans living on the campus of the VA Hospital in Elsmere Delaware. My fabric rep had lots of fleece samples that he donated for our project. The fleece was soft, washable, and perfect for pillows made to make wheelchairs and hospital beds more comfortable. We made 50 pillows in our classes and we brought sewing machines to show them how we made them and to take requests.

A small group of girls, parents, and my husband who is a team leader of the Veterans Center in Sussex County Delaware drove to the VA Hospital one Sunday in January. At first there were only a handful of curious vets pushing their wheelchairs into the recreation room to see us set up our presentation and curious about our bags of brightly colored pillows. We introduced ourselves, gave a small presentation, and then several of the girls sat down at the machines to stitch some pillows I had precut for the demonstration.

Our initial group of veterans quickly chose their favorites and sped off to their rooms to put them away. As if by magic wheelchairs of other vets started to flow into the recreation room. Soon the pillows were flying off the tables and there were lines of vets waiting to get a customized pillow. The girls relaxed and started conversations with the patients and soon the room was full of stories about the wars that they fought, their families, and their lives as a soldier. Pictures were taken, friendships were started, and a sense of gratitude was felt by all the girls as they realized the bravery of all these men and women. It was a powerful day for all of us and an experience never to be forgotten!

While most of these girls and boys are five years old (yes, I do start teaching them at 5 in my classes)and up, I have worked with the preschool kids on several community service projects. For these service projects I like to sew for places like the Humane Society, Animal friends or the SPCA. The little ones can relate to the animals and they are full of stories of their own pets. A few years back at Tower Hill School in Wilmington Delaware, all the preschool classes got a chance to practice hand stitching by making kitty toys for the cats at the Delaware Humane Society. Boys and girls alike tried their best to master the running stitch and the overcast stitch.

We also made quilted liners for the cages at the shelter. Again, using the fleece samples so generously donated by my fabric rep, we cut 9 squares to equal the dimensions of the bottoms of the cages. Each child helped stitch 2 squares together by guiding it through the machine under a teacher’s supervision. After they were stitched, several of the teachers finished the quilts. They were donated to the shelter the next month. Lots of happy four year olds doing wonderful things for an organization in need! Awesome…

These are just examples of the many service projects available for kids or adults to pursue within their own communities. What kinds of other projects would be fun to stitch for an organization? Better yet, what new projects could you come up with that might help a group in need? Get involved and be a volunteer. What better way to pay it forward and make this place a better place! Just get stitching….

September is National Sewing Month everyone! That means it’s time to go searching in attics, basements, and closets for those awesome sewing machines that will help you take your creativity to the next level! Take the sewing machines out of the boxes or take the gently used machines to the sewing machine store to get cleaned and checked. After that task has been accomplished you need to find a sewing teacher or class in your area and take a beginning sewing class. These classes will teach you how to operate your sewing machine as well as basic sewing techniques to get you started. Most beginning sewing classes will get you started making a pillow or even a pair of pajama bottoms. It’s ok if it doesn’t turn out perfect because it’s your first project! Just enjoy the class and the skills you are learning. Relax and have fun! Sewing is a great destressor!   If you’re already a sewer, September is your month to shine! Try a new kind of sewing, sew some community service projects, or sew for a special little one in your life. Finish all those unfinished projects that you’re hiding in closets and under beds (I speak from experience). Or just choose a project for yourself and sew it!   September is also a good month to join your sewing friends in a sewing organization. The American Sewing Guild has a great publication called “Notions” and has many chapters all across the country. Quilting Guilds also have chapters all over the globe and their meetings are full of learning, sewing, and just plain sewing bee style chatter. If needlearts are your would be passion look for a chapter of the Smocking Arts Guild of America.The nice part of many of these organizations is that if there is not a chapter in your area you can be a member-at-large. And as a member-at-large you will receive all the publications, be able to attend any seminars or conventions that the organization might have, and even start a chapter in your area! How cool is that?   Sewing is a wonderful pastime and a lifelong learning skill. The joys of sewing allow an individual the freedom to express their personalities in the projects that they stitch. The need to be creative and express ourselves can come in many forms. Sewing is my form of personal expression and I hope it soon will be yours!

Whether you have sewn for your entire life or are just starting out as a new sewer, Halloween is the perfect time to unleash your creativity and make your own Halloween costume. It doesn’t have to be perfect because it’s a costume. It’s a project to try new techniques and/or perfect old ones. And better yet there is no right or wrong way of doing things! Create and enjoy the ride!
I tell my students to browse in the retail Halloween stores and look in books, magazines, and the internet to get an idea of what they would like to be. Make sure you pay attention to the details that you would like to incorporate into your costume. When you have decided on a costume to make you can approach making your Halloween costume in several ways.
The first approach is to check the pattern catalogs in your local fabric store to see if there is a pattern for your costume that you’ve chosen to make for Halloween. If you are a new sewer just make sure that the pattern isn’t too complicated. I like to tell my new sewers to purchase a pattern with no more than 10-12 pieces unless you’ve consulted your sewing teacher or other experienced sewer. Look at the fabric, trims, and notions on the back of the pattern envelope for the costume pieces that you are making from the pattern and purchase these items. Prepare the fabric, find the pattern pieces needed for your view, cut it out and have some fun sewing up your costume. Make sure that you ask for help if needed. Embellish your costume to make it your own. Remember, you are the designer and it’s what you like that really counts!
Now, if you have this great idea in your head but can’t find a pattern then you have to go a different route. Think of the designers on shows like Project Runway and the steps that they must follow to get from a drawing or an idea in their mind to the final project. Break the design down and see what you will have to do to get the look that you want. Look for patterns that have the shapes that you have in mind and substitute these patterns to make your costume. Or, if you have a Goodwill store or a Salvation Army store near you, they are usually treasure troves of great pieces that can be adapted to make any costume. Alter and embellish them and your costume will be smashing!
To summarize, decide on what you want to be for Halloween, decide on how you want to go about it, and get going sewing. And remember, the best thing about making your own costume is when someone complements you on your costume you’ll be able to smile and say “Thank you, I made it myself!”

Valentine’s Day has come and gone. Completion of projects in all my classes have been slow and steady. I really stress to my kids that they are right where they are supposed to be in terms of their progress with the projects. Sewing is a learned skill and each sewer will progress at their own pace. Learning to sew takes time, patience and lots of practice. The payoff for my young sewers are practical skills that they will have for a lifetime! Continuing our quest to master curves in both our hand and machine sewing let’s talk about the projects…

My younger kids will be finishing up projects from the past few weeks before they start any new projects. When they catch up they will be stitching a shamrock pin looking onward to St Paddy’s Day.

---

---

We’ll be learning how to sew sequins on their pins as an embellishment. Then we’ll stitch them almost closed, add some stuffing, and then sew them up and add a pin closure to the back. They’ll have the luck of the Irish in March as they proudly wear their shamrock pins and tell everyone that they made them!

My older kids will be working on sewing heart pillows. More experience sewers will stitch a heart that has a 2-piece curved front. This is almost like sewing a dart that give a flat piece of fabric some curves and depth. We’ll be learning how to stitch these curves so that they will turn easily. My beginner kids will be stitching hearts made from fleece. We’ll be fringing these pillows which really makes them cute! Add a bow and I bet they’ll want to make more than one! Check out Ms. Bobbi’s Kits on my website for more information.

---

---

Until next time, Ms. Bobbi

Hope everyone had a wonderful and happy Valentine’s Day! This week we will be continuing to stitch projects with a Valentine theme. Let’s talk about the projects…

By now my younger kids are getting the knack of basic stitches. We will be finishing our bracelets and starting some bookmarks. Short simple projects give them able time to practice basic hand sewing skills. I encourage the younger kids to take their time and keep on trying to master basic hand sewing skills. Easily frustrated at times, they need to understand that sewing is a learned skill that takes time to master. It’s not how many projects they finish but do they understand what they are doing? Beginning something is always a challenge.

---

---

My older kids will be working on embellishment skills as they complete their Embellished Heart. We are starting to learn embellishment techniques that the kids can use to personalize all their projects. We’ll practice the techniques on a doodle cloth (a piece of felt) and then the kids will design a heart for a special person on Valentine’s Day.

---

Until next time, Ms. Bobbi

Hello Friends!

The end of January is here and I’m finally starting sewing classes with my students!  I am thrilled to be back so let the sewing begin!

This week is usually geared toward a review of basic sewing skills.  The review also helps new students get started on their sewing journey.

For the next 3 weeks our projects will have a Valentine theme.  Hearts are perfect for teaching how to sew curves by hand or machine.  Decorating our hearts teaches elementary beading and sewing on sequins.  My older classes will be decorating their hearts on the machine to learn techniques like couching or attaching lace.  Everyone will love stitching projects to give that special person for Valentines Day or just for themselves!  Just go to my website if you need more kits to stitch for gifts!

This week it’s Valentine Handwarmers.  Hearts are filled with rice.  Place them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and drop them in a coat pocket or between the covers to warm up those fingers and/or toes! Enjoy!!

---

Hello Friends! It’s been a busy month for me with getting ready for not only weekly classes but also putting final touches on my summer camps!  Tower Hill Camp Fair is next week but I have my camps up right now on my website and the good news is that you can also register for camps at Tower Hill before anyone else sees them at the Camp Fair!  “Sew” exciting!  Please email me at bobbi@fascinationinfabrics.com or call me at 1-610-494-7742.  And please share this blog!  Thanks in advance! My camps for the summer are full of fun projects to test your child’s creativity and build both hand and sewing machine skills.  They also foster a love of sewing and the needle arts!

Camps at Tower Hill

The following camps can be found in my brochure on my website or in Tower Hills brochure.  I take care of the registration, so you may register for these camps on my site or by mail.

Sewing on the Go Camp

I have 2 general “Sewing on the Go” camp and each week has different projects geared to the interests and skills of the campers in the class.

American Girl Sewing

Back by popular demand, I’ve scheduled 2 “American Girl Sewing” Camps.  Beginners will make a simple wardrobe for their dolls while learning to sew by hand and by machine.  Advanced campers will love choosing several patterns to make clothes and accessories for their dolls while learning to navigate a pattern.  Again, both weeks will focus on different projects depending on the skill levels of my campers.

Creature Camp 2

Always a favorite and full of fun creating monsters and creatures out of a variety of materials.

Junior Sewing on the Go ***New this Year***

I’ve had such wonderful classes with my young friends during the year, I decided to try a Junior Camp for kids 4-6-years old.  This camp will be a morning only camp and will be mostly a hand sewing camp with stories and sewing crafts rounding out the morning.

Activity Week at Tower Hill Day Camp

July 23 – July 27 During this week, I will be the guest teacher at the day camp.  I’ll be doing beginning projects with both the Tower Tots (Minis) and the older kids.  This is a great way to see if your kids would enjoy the wonderful world of sewing!  Contact Ms. Cindy Sardo at csardo@towerhill.org with any questions.

Camps at The Tatnall School

If you are going to Tatnall or are looking for other weeks for camp, I have 2 summer camps at Tatnall.  The school takes care of their registrations so please contact Andrea Morrison andreamorrison@tatnall.org.

Sewing on the Go Camp

June 18 – June 22 August 6 – August 10 Learn basic hand and machine sewing skills while stitching lots of fun projects.  Each week has a different set of projects to sew and projects are geared to the interests and skills of the campers in the class.

Activities at Ursuline Academy

I am pleased to be back at Ursuline Academy for Winter/Spring classes.  And, the week of August 13 – August 17 I will be spending a few days teaching their very young campers to sew.  Any questions on the programs at Ursuline please call Mr James Greatorex at 1-302-658-7158 ext 251 or email jgreatorex@ursuline.org. Until next time, Ms. Bobbi

I am getting so excited to start the Winter/Spring sessions with all of you! A welcome back to all my returning students and a welcome to all my new students at Tower Hill, Tatnall, and Ursuline Academy!

Usually, I try to write a newsletter each week to let parents know what we are doing in class and any remind them of any important dates like our parties we all love. This term I’m going to ask parents and kids to visit my blog each week on my website. All the blogs will be up on the site and you will never miss a weekly update.

I’ll continue to post all the dates of the classes, keep you informed of any changes, and post pictures of our creations!  And, if your kids enjoy the kits they can purchase additional kits on the website or through me at school.

I’ll also be posting the blogs on my Facebook Page (Fascination in Fabrics).  Please visit my page and “like” my page.  Read some of the articles that I have posted or share your own article on sewing to my page.  Anything sewing related would be fantastic and probably enjoyed by all.

I’m “Sew” excited about my Website, Blog and Facebook Page!  Come visit me soon and I’ll see you next week! And please share with anyone that might be interested in the joys of sewing!

Ms. Bobbi

PS My summer camps are up on the website and are ready for kids to register!

Sewing is a learned skill. I tell my young students this fact repeatedly as I guide them through my curriculum of projects that will give them the basics of sewing and the needlearts. As one learns to sew they must have the courage to tackle new techniques knowing that the first try might not be their best but knowing that is ok! Everyone, both kids and adults, must start at the beginning of their sewing journey. Everything they do while on that journey will be a first for them as they gain patience and determination to become better sewers. As they advance in their sewing adventure, they will get better! To quote President Obama “Yes we can!” And “Yes we will!” Case in point: Bobbi’s Zipper Phobia In the adult sewing world, most of the time inserting a zipper brings terror in the hearts of many! I was one of those people. In fact, even throughout my college years I always inserted a handpicked zipper to avoid having to use the machine! It wasn’t to get extra points from my sewing professors for going that extra mile and inserting a perfect (yes, after a while it was a perfect hand-picked zipper) hand-picked zipper. No, it was because to put in a machine zipper made me crazy. Being a perfectionist, I didn’t want to fail and have it look yucky! I didn’t realize why I became so confident in inserting a hand-picked zipper because I had done so many of them! I practiced that skill and it paid off! The machine zippers in my mind were forbidden territory because in my mind I made it forbidden. I was my own worst enemy. I psyched myself into believing that I could not do it. And for many years I did not!! Later in my sewing career I would master zippers and wonder why I had looked on it as such a hard technique to master. And now as a teacher, I want my young students to be able to be fearless when they must insert a zipper! (or any other technique for that matter!) This spring my projects for the kids include sewing different types of closures among them the infamous zipper! We will insert a simple zipper and build from there. We will make sure that we understand what we need to do and take it step by step. And before we begin I will quote them some words from my dear mentor and friend Martha Pullen who told us to keep assuring our students: “There is nothing that you can do in sewing that I cannot fix if something goes wrong. And if I can’t fix it I have extra materials and notions so that we can start over and try it again!” It’s totally always a win-win situation. Do not be afraid to try, just do it and enjoy the experience. My young students will be inserting lots of zippers and other closures into their projects this spring. I’m sure we will be successful because I will show them a positive attitude and be their biggest cheerleader! Their smiles at their accomplishments will be uplifting for me as we finish each new technique. Their success will be my success and continue to make me a better teacher. Learning to sew and loving it!

---

 

---

  Until next time, Miss Bobbi