If you did needlework at school...

[PoodlesRUs]

...what sort of things did you learn? What projects did you make? I'm really curious to know.

A bag for carrying our PE kit. It was quite practical.

Then we got to pick a simple item of clothing. I think I made a pair of short trousers, but just with an elastic waist.

the unit was fairly brief. We all had to rotate through needlework, woodworking, cooking, and typing. I wish DD’s school still did that. Everyone, boys and girls, given at least a brief intro to using basic tools of life. Now all those classes are elective.

Some kind of drawstring bag, a pin cushion, a red gingham apron for cookery, a skirt & a smock, which I hated as I thought it made me look pregnant.
This was year 6,7,8 ish in the 1970s.

A summer skirt. It had an elasticated waist and was knee-length. To add to its virtues, it was lilac, the best colour for us gingers 😃 1976. I disliked domestic science and needlework as they were girls only, although I enjoyed both in my own time. The needlework teacher threatened to throw us off her balcony if there wasn't the right amount of pins in pin cushions at the end of the lesson. I'm sure she only said this to boast that she had a balcony. The cookery teacher stank of Elizabeth Arden Blue Grass but it didn't disguise the smell of fags.

As English was my strong subject, I set myself the job of writing the most detailed exam essay I could devise on making shortcrust pastry. It included a paragraph on closing windows to avoid draughts, options for making water cold, sleeve length for optimum rolling-pin use, the pros and cons of sieving the flour to be used for flouring the table or pastry board, sieve purchase (metal or plastic), and illustrative ratios for margarine and lard. Six sides of foolscap in total. I am still proud 🤩 The poor cookery teacher held it up as an example of excellent work, not realising it was a piss-take.

I could knit and sew perfect before i hit year 5.
Came top of the class for sewing and knitting in high school all thanks to my nan that taught me.
30 years on i can have a blanket knitted in 14 days.
Large patch work quilt 3weeks.
Crochet was a different story never picked it up never got the hang of it.

An apron and cap to wear in cookery lessons, a blouse and a nightdress..that's all in three years. This was 50+ years ago. I couldn't sew then and I still can't.

Quite a few things actually as we had it for 3 years.

I made a wall hamger with 6 pockets. 4 had embroidery/xstitch on them and 2 appliche

Sewed a shirt and a skirt (could also do shirts)

Knitting
Crochet too. ..

Needlework at junior school (mid 50s to mid 60s): cross stitch sampler; baby dresses on treadle sewing machine, apron on sewing machine. My mother sewed and we had an electric Singer machine at home and I also made clothes on that.

Needlework at grammar school (mid to late 60s): needle case with 20 or more different embroidery stitches (I still have it); embroidered guest towel/large table mat (still have it); pinafore with embroidered name on it for school cookery lessons. Dresses made on Bernina sewing machines (I remember making a burnt orange wool dress from a Vogue pattern).

For GCE needlework, I made a striped wool mini skirt with a front fly and button tab and a princess line, patterned dress with flared skirt and white detachable peter pan collar and cuffs. My mother, sister and I all sewed at home.

An a-line skirt, pinafore dress and a floaty top - none of which I wore but I did use the skills later in life so consider it useful

We learned how to do different kinds of seams and hems and how to use a sewing machine and a dress pattern. We were allowed to practise different needlecrafts for project work so I produced a blanket, pyjama case and hot water bottle cover made from crocheted granny squares, as that was more my thing! 😁

1980s middle school - various embroidery stitches, then a needle book with embroidered initials (whipped backstitch, I think, or possibly whipped chain stitch.) Pin cushion.

1980s secondary - how to thread up a sewing machine and fill a bobbin (already knew this from home). Different sewing machine stitches - making sure you followed a straight line! Different types of seam. How to set a zip. How to do button holes. How to add hook & eye. (Different types of fastener - I think we may have also done poppers.) Hemming.

Made a lined pencil skirt- I think you had to do a covered button in the same fabric, too, as well as set the zip.

I can't remember if I learned to make bias binding at school or home. Probably school - I think Mum just bought it.

We did use the sewing machine at home, so I could do quite a bit, but school was usually more precise - I don't remember Mum being too bothered about finishing seams. But it did mean I already had a good idea about how to read a pattern, if you needed to follow the nap, how to use interfacing and so on.

1970s primary school a bookmark out of binca(?) with different embroidery stitches on it. Then I moved school and the girls had to do bloody sewing with an absolute bitch of a teacher whereas the boys got to solve engineering problems. I was gutted especially when the bitch slapped my legs because I didn't bring in the pieces of fabric I was meant to because my mum had been ill. I made a hedgehog pin cushion.

At secondary school in the early 80s we had to do 2 terms of sewing. I was useless at it, not helped by my best friend there being a complete whizz - her mum was a gifted needlewoman whereas mine wasn't. I had to make a skirt which I wore once and then it was consigned to the garden rags bag. In the 2nd year we had to make a nightdress which was a bit better. Then we learned some more domestic skills like wiring up a plug and bleeding a radiator and I was finally really good at something because my dad had taught me those skills at a young age.

My DDs are in their 20s and haven't really done any of those. One learned crochet in lockdown and is amazing at it - she has now graduated to knitting. The other loves quilting. YouTube has been their teacher.

We didn’t make anything useful at all. We only made art pieces using fabrics and some embroidery. I did textiles for GCSE and it was my worst subject as I wasn’t arty at all - I got a grade F lol.

I always wondered why we didn’t make anything useful like clothes or bags. We didn’t even learn how to sew a hem or attach buttons. It must have been my teacher who wanted to focus on art stuff as it looks like other schools did do this.

Was taught to use a hand-operated Singer in primary school. Was also taught to crochet a tank top made of squares sewn together. I seem to recall a purse also made of felt.

in secondary school, a hymn book cover with embroidery, a soft toy, and a smock to go over my flares

I mostly learned to sew from my mum who made most of mine and my sister's clothes herself when we were children. I remember her teaching me to use her then treadle Singer machine when I was too small to reach both the foot treadle and the table at the same time so she would let me treadle while she sewed or she would treadle while I did the sewing! At primary school it was mostly hand sewing of samplers and things like a peg bag. There were no sewing machines at primary school but by the equivalent of year 6 we were allowed to do some of the sewing at home and machining was allowed and I remember making a sleeveless towelling beach robe. At secondary we made the ubiquitous apron for use in cookery lessons and an a-line skirt. After that we could choose our own projects and I made a shift dress. We couldn't choose needlework as an O level option as it wasn't offered so had to give it up at the end of 3rd year (year 9). I sewed a lot of my own stuff when I was younger then mostly gave it up due to work, kids etc and being too busy. Now I am retired however it is having a bit of a renaissance and I have been making a few things again and love watching Sewing Bee. I have to say school sewing lessons didn't really teach me much I either didn't already know or have learned for myself since. There are loads of books available, patterns to follow or these days Pinterest or Youtube - it really isn't all that difficult and most people could have a go particularly if they start with fairly basic simple projects and work up to the more complicated stuff.

We made an apron first, so we had one to wear for the cookery lessons. We also made a peg bag, soft toys, baby's romper suit, stuff like that. They obviously got more complex as the lessons progressed. Both boys and girls did both Home Economics and woodwork/metalwork in Y7 and Y8 (until time to choose subjects, when the boys gave up Home Ec as one).

My mother had a sewing machine and made clothing quite regularly so I was familiar with patterns, fabrics and sewing tools. Plus I'd already learned how to sew on buttons, hemming and making simple seams. I ended up getting a B in the exams, my best result of all my O levels

I made a blouse and a skirt. I went to a very STEM focused grammar school so I also did metalwork, woodwork and technical drawing.
I was quite good at sewing and messed about a lot on my mum's unused sewing machine. In my twenties and thirties I did some hobby sewing and when DD was old enough taught her how to use the machine. She's far outstripped me as she took A level textiles and is currently doing a degree in garment technology. She starts her sandwich year in industry this summer. I like to think that her passion and success all began with making clothes for her Barbie doll on my basic machine. 😀

in Primary made a Binca tablemat with various stitches then knitted a donkey, my sister with same teacher made a lovely felt blackbird and an applique hanging of a Japanese lady.
In Secondary the teacher was horrible. I did make a soft toy doll, a bag and a skirt. some of the clever ones for CSE made things like wedding dresses!

In primary school, embroidery stitches on binka, a small rag doll and a padded teapot cosy with applique. In secondary school, an apron with pockets, a sleeveless blouse with matching pencil skirt, a short sleeve blouse, a long sleeve blouse with cuffs, a suit including a dress and a fully lined jacket and finally a long dress. I gave up sewing years ago but a month ago I bought myself a new machine and am now on my second project! Thankfully the making process hasn't changed although the technology has!

An apron and a skirt. I actually learned more from my mum, who was a talented dressmaker (I'm not!).

I made a skirt with a box pleat at the front. There was a trouser factory in the nearest big town, and the school was given fabric remnants, so we didn’t have to buy fabric. My skirt was the most awful sage green pinstripe monstrosity - I had zero taste as a teen!

At primary school (mid to late 60’s) - set of hand stitched table mats, cross stitch bookmark.
Secondary school (early/mid 70’s) - waist underslip, PE skirt made from a paper pattern you had to make yourself first, then basically any items of clothing you wanted. So there were blouses, trousers, hot pants suits, all sorts. I made a very complicated dress with a Peter Pan collar, massive puff sleeves and a very fitted pin tuck bodice, all in a paisley fabric (goodness knows what I was thinking when i chose all that, but it did teach me loads of techniques!) Then we did a fashion show for new parents.
If you were in the annual musical or the school orchestra/choir you were expected to make your own outfits in dressmaking lessons - so one of my creations was a purple gingham dress for Oklahoma. Amazing really when I think back !

Apron then caterpiller draught excluder, A line skirt, nightdress, school summer dress.
All in the first 3 years of secondary school

In primary school (1980s) we did cross stitch pencil cases.
In secondary school it was part of design and technology. I spent a whole term designing a cushion cover which I didn't even finish.
I made a hat for my GCSE. I've no idea how it took so long. I think I spent most of the time queuing for a machine.

I agree with PP if you want to learn to sew now, find something you want to make and start there.
I'd either go to a class, or buy a pattern from a modern designer - they have clearer instructions than traditional patterns.
You can do online sewing courses too. Waves and Wild does a few. I haven't tried her courses, but have found her patterns very straightforward.
Good luck.

I HATED needlework and my needlework teacher! I made (slowly, unwillingly and fairly incompetently) a patchwork cushion cover, a small cuddly toy duck and a large cuddly toy dolphin.

Even though I hated needlework, I am now a very keen knitter and crocheter. I still loathe sewing though!

Started off when I was about 6 doing simple stitches like running stitch, cross stitch and so on on Aida to make placemats.

At 9 or 10 making things like felt pincushions, stitched with blanket stitch. At 11, we had a teacher get us to make gingham aprons. I tried to tell her that her method for cutting out the arm hole bits either side of the bib wouldn't work because she hadn't allowed for hems. She wasn't having any of it but I was bloody right and the bib ended up about 6"wide 😂

Moved house and, at 12, the absolute harridan of a needlework teacher (she genuinely was vicious - had a habit of whacking hands with her heavy shears) decided I was sensible enough to do some "proper" sewing and I got let loose on a rather nice bernina machine (either a record or a sport) making a terrible top.

Up to senior school and in 3rd year, I made another top, but I got to choose the pattern and fabric. It wasn't the neatest but I did wear it and made another at home.