When I was a kid about 12, I was able to be in 4-H and I think it really helped me be a better person and learn a lot of things. We worked hard and had fun and feel we really did benefit from that program. Now days our county wants to cut the funding because of the bad economy and I am sad for that. So was wondering if anyone came through 4-H?

I wasn't in 4-H as a kid, but I have been a sewing project leader for many years.

Yep I sure did; learned to sew (a wool suit), cook, can and show swine and keep a record book ! Balanced I might add.
I sure did learn alot from that club; not only that all the adults looked after all the kids and nobody got mad at anybody ! If someone elses parent scolded you - you were in really big trouble when you got home ! Just went to the funeral of one of my leaders -- saw many others there from the same era.

Good ol days !

i learned to sew in 4-H and am very thankful for the program; when my children were young i was a 4-H leader-so i've spent more of my life part of 4-H than not-
it gives me great joy when i visit the county fair each year to see all of the different 4-H programs the area kids are involved in. my kids have all grown up and moved away- and are not involved any more- but it was a big part of our lives. it would be sad for our area to loose it.

I started in 4-H in 4th grade, which was the earliest I could join. I was there until I aged out. It was a wonderful program and is where I learned to sew. I also learned speaking skills and leadership skills there. It's too bad 4-H isn't as popular as Girl Scouts!

Sure did, 4-H Homemaking (as it was called back then) as well as several agricultural clubs. I am sorry to hear that your area is losing this very beneficial program.

No, I absolutely hated sewing when I was a kid.
And look at me now! Hmmmm.....

Absolutely! My kids were all in 4H, too. It opened so many doors for them.
I hear you on the budget cuts.
Our county(as well as the state) has lost a lot in the last few years. Our 4H program is intact, although on a smaller level.

I learned cooking and also sewing in 4-H. Took several years of both. I learned much more there than I did in Girl Scouts and had much more fun. When my children were growing up there was no 4-H around in the metro Phoenix area that I know of. Ann in TN

Absolutely ... I too did both the homemaking clubs (sewing, cooking, gardening, etc) and the agricultural ones too.

Best Program EVER!!!

There was no 4-H where I lived when I was young. I was a girl scout though. Did a little sewing there and I absolutely hated it, a bit more in home ec in high school, still hated it. I finally came to sewing a few years later when my daughter was little and I could make her cute clothes. I didn't start quilting til I was 38 and an empty nester looking for an all consuming endeavor. Been quilting for the past 30 years.

I have my 10 year pin. I learned a lot in 4-H -- sewing, gardening, cooking. Altho I already knew how to do ythem, 4-H introduced me to new techniques. Especially in gardening with new pesticides ans plant varieties.

My son was a 4H leader while he was at Microsoft. His group built computers and donated them to assisted living facilities. Microsoft donated thousands of dollars in software as well as money for materials. The kids also learned how to write proposals for grants.

When I need to know something about plants I still contact the extension agency in whatever state I am in.

Also we all learned how to keep records -- neatly--

Mim

I feel like i am in lala land at the moment :-( what is 4-H??????????

4-H is where I learned to sew :) I made my first apron. Later on I started making my own simple tops. My leader was a very nice woman. I have never forgotten 4-H. My grandchildren go to it now :)

It is a program that is provided in many areas to provide young people (ages 10-21) with life skills, similiar in many ways to Home-Ec and Technology classes offered at schools. Leaders are volunteers who provide members with knowledge on many different topics (sewing, cooking, gardening, animal management, crop management, etc., etc., etc.,)
The club's motto is;
I pledge my Head to clearer thinking,
My Heart to greater loyalty,
My Hands to larger service,
And my Health to better living,
for my Club, my Community and my Country
4-H (Head, Heart, Health and Hands)

Thank you so much for explaining that to me. Sounds like a very nice program. I didn't grow up here but haven't heard of it through out the years my kids were in school at all.

I joined as soon as I was eligible--at age 10. My mother had already started teaching me to sew, so it was something I really loved to do. I was a camp counselor until I aged out, was eligible for state level competition in sewing several times, and participated in leadership and health speeches. My DGS, who is 5, started this year, I believe it's called Clover Buds. They do projects (he did bird watching, gardening, tree identification and one other thing which I've forgetten) but do not compete for ribbons yet.

QuiltE--I see that green blood pumping through your body has leapt onto the printed page! LOL
4-H has been a part of my life since I was 10; first as a member, then a leader, then a parent and when youngest was done so was I. Remained semi active on area and state records evaluation committees and country fair judging. This was the first summer I didn't judge any fairs. But am now working with the county alumni task force. We are raising funds to help offset those budget cuts, in fact in the midst of a fundraiser right now. As it is it costs $30 a year to belong to 4-H. So far we have been able to trim those costs by $5 for every member and CloverBud. Now am Gram to 3 4-Her's and 2 CloverBuds.
In answer to your ?, "Yes" a thousand times "Yes". :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Oh and sewbeadit, Hello and welcome from an Iowa girl :-) :-) :-)

never had one available as a child

Yes I learned to sew in 4-H what my mom and grandmas didn't teach me- cause they didn't want to get into arguments about how to do stuff! Stayed in as long as I could - it got to a point in our area that teachers were disappearing and the fees were going up so my folks opted out. With 4 children in the family, it got rather pricy to have 4 children in, each trying to raise animals and balance their books - track feed costs, and how can you sell - much less at a profit.

Kind of funny when 4-H was what brought them together! When my husband and I moved into our current location, I had no contacts in local 4-H other than asking questions at the county fair, which never seemed to pan out so my children didn't get to join and learn what 4-H is all about.

Sorry to hear about the rising rates per child. I'll have to ask around again and see if there is a need for volunteer teachers in this area.

I was in 4-H in the 60's at a farm down the road. Made a sewing kit out of contact paper on a cigar box, felt needle book, patchwork pillow, etc. Didn't do much sewing, but lots of baking demos at the County Fair. I became a 4-H Camp Counselor in the early 70's- Nature Science. I recently reconnected with the woman who led the group- now in her late 80's. We meet at a local church to make pillowcase dresses for Little Dresses for Africa. 4-H taught us responsibility, integrity, persistence, and community involvement. It was a great experience with 2 of my sisters, and we got out of the house and away from the other 3 little siblings for some fun. I loved 4-H!

I still have - and use- the felt Sunbonnet Sue needle book with felt pages that I made in 4-H.

BTW -- I had it in my carry-on bag when I came west this week -- I was prepared to remove the needles and give them to PSA -- but they didn't even blink. So I think it is safe to keep the needle in your FW when travelling

Mim

Yes. Agree with all of the above. Would like to add it was part of the Cooperative Extension program, as a product of land grant colleges. Every state has has a land grant college. They specialize in agriculture and Home Economics, or used to. Many have dropped some programs for urban horticulture.

Extension service was very big during the depression(the 1939 one) helping farm women cook more cheaply and efficiently. and farmers to produce more and use the land better and repair it.

When i was growing up it was mostly a country thing. An Extension home Economist came to our meetings regularly. I remember my mother going to ladies meetings.

I did cooking and sewing in 4-H. My mom was our cooking leader.I learned a lot and had a lot of fun.

I belonged to 4-H and completed many clubs including sewing, crafts, cooking, gardening, swine, leadership, publc speaking and conservation. It was a great way to meet new kids and learn some new skills. I always liked the sewing clubs the best and hated the gardening club (I still don't like gardening). I also met my DH through 4-H and got the opportunity to go to Leadership Camp and participate in exchanges. It was a wonderful program and free. Now it is still available in our area but there is a fee to join and not as many clubs are available.

This topic makes my heart pitter patter proudly. I too grew up in 4-H and our children did too. I work in the local Extension office where we oversee the county 4-H activities, among other things. There is no fee in Kansas to join 4-H and I hope we can keep it that way. I know lots of states are struggling. It is a great program and teaches kids some very important life skills. We still have lots of kids with livestock projects, but that isn't all that is offered. There is something for everyone. Our 'county agent' is an awesome guy and the kids (and their parents) really like him. And yep, I learned to sew in 4-H.

I've been the sewing leading for 3 yrs and this will be my last meeting. I was never involved as a kid and my children weren't either. Having been a life long Girl Scout I found 4H to be totally foreign when I started. Now, given the choice, I would say choose 4H.

my mother was afraid to teach me to sew as she was afraid of the whole mother/daughter hassle and did not want me to get 'turned off' the whole thing....so she found a 4-H program and sent me....thank you, Mother!... we had to make a dirndl skirt with a coordinating stole that was fringed all round the outside. We were to have a small fashion show, modeling our projects on the next day after our final class.... we were allowed to take them home to finish details if we were not quite done. I asked my mom for help with the last few inches of hem...she wondered why i needed help as the hem was 3/4 done? well, the older girls usurped the attention of the two teachers. we were from 10--14 with only two 10 yr olds...and the teachers (fine volunteers...they were just busy, i'm sure) found it faster to just pick up our projects rather than take the extra time that a younger child needed.... my mom understood, but she wanted me to make my own project and she ripped it completely apart and supervised (very patiently) while i re-did the entire skirt...I had done the fringing on the stole, so that was okay... I learned how to gather, hem, put on a waistband and to sew on a snap.... and I learned that sewing did NOT have to be a huge thing and enjoyed planning a new outfit on the walk home from high school and make it that afternoon/evening to wear to school the next day... they might be simple, but they were fast and fun and gave me great pleasure... and all from the beginning (one way or another) in one of the many 4-H programs still available in our communities... Yeah, Mother and Yeah, 4-H!!!!!! (and ps....i just finished fringing the outer flanges on a new set of quilted pillows for my living room furniture...you never lose a skill learned young)

Wasn't in it here. My mom taught me to cook from scratch, bread, pudding, cakes, cookies, you name it. We canned or froze corn, peas, green beans, peaches, pears, tomatoes, jams, watermelon pickles, pickles..... She taught me to sew and how to grow a garden. I think growing up on a farm makes you learn how to do lots of stuff.

Most definitely! Thank goodness for 4-H sewing and cooking contests....they made me better. From the 4th grade through High School - some of the best memories of my childhood!

Wasn't in 4H, but was in Girl Scouts. I have great memories of GS, and have been a leader for my own two girls for many years (starting my 14th year as a leader).

Yes-10 years of clothing plus a few other projects along the way. All three of my boys completed 10 years. Great program!!

I did not go to 4-H to sew. I went to learned to train dogs. Everyone is amazed at our mutt when they stop here. I just wish my kid would have done half as good as he has.

Yes, I was in 4-H. I learned sewing, raised an angus, etc.
I modeled my dress when tv first came out and those lights were scorching hot. My parents became 4-h leaders and they loved it. Mother taught me what sewing was all about. It's great for kids and I think that today every child should belong to it. It's a great learning experience.

Yes, I was in 4-H. I learned sewing, raised an angus, etc.
I modeled my dress when tv first came out and those lights were scorching hot. My parents became 4-h leaders and they loved it. Mother taught me what sewing was all about. It's great for kids and I think that today every child should belong to it. It's a great learning experience.

4H was a big part of my youth. Sewing, cooking, keeping records. Everything centered around the county and state fairs. Our club always won blue ribbons. Yes, 4H was a big help. Still is, it's where I learned all the basics. It served me well.

Yes, my sister and I were in 4-H. We both had the sewing program. Very good experience.