Go Fish

The old saying about teaching someone to fish and eating for a lifetime is an idea I believe in and support with my educational practices. Sure, I can do it faster, easier, and maybe even better than the student, but s/he has to learn how to do it and then teach the generations that follow how to do it, too. Crafts die because they are not taught, willingly or otherwise, to the next generation. It is easier and sometimes cheaper to shop for clothes off the rack, but engaging in the effort to select a pattern, fabric, and sewing notions, and then laying out, cutting, and constructing the garment instills satisfaction in the job well done, as well as pride and ownership, the “I made it myself” moment.

Yucheng, an international college student from China who has become an honorary adopted member of my family, was intrigued when he learned I planned to make a couple of wardrobe pieces for the retirement cruise. We talked about his grandmother's treadle sewing machine that uses foot power, rather than a power cord. As we talked about sewing, Yucheng said he wanted to watch while I sewed, but I decided to prepare a sewing lesson instead of providing entertainment. I purchased an inexpensive piece of cotton to make a garment that is a combination of a capped sleeve jacket that is bolero-style and length. My thought was to make a short cover-up with a capped sleeve that would not add bulk to the sleeveless dinner dress I am going to make for the cruise, but that will provide coverage for my flabby upper arms. I laid out the pattern pieces and did all the cutting ahead, so when Yucheng arrived on my doorstep, I was ready with today’s sewing lesson.

At first, Yucheng said no, he would watch, but that was not an option. Yucheng’s first straight seam wandered off the sewing guide, so I made him rip it back and do it again. Once he saw the error and knew why he had to fix it, he didn’t make the same mistake again. He did all of the basic garment construction, learning how to pin correctly (yes, there is a correct way to pin), using the iron as part of the sewing process, stretching the fabric gently to “ease” a curved seam, and feeling proud when the garment is finished – and “I made it!"

Yucheng’s mother and extended family live in China, so I made a short video of the first seam and took photos throughout the construction process. When he completed that first seam, his eyes opened wide, his head lifted up, and his face glowed with the thrill of knowing that he did it: he sewed a seam and was ready to sew another. That’s education, the moment of knowing that “I did it, and it belongs to me now and forever.”