My son
 

let me know over the weekend while sorting through thread that he would like to learn sewing. He not only wants to learn how to quilt, but he wants to also do clothing. I have NO problems in teaching him the quilting, but as for clothing, I haven't done anything like that since I took home economics back in high school, many many moons ago. As for quilting, I am self taught and online classes and you tube.

Any and all suggestions in helping him would be greatly appreciated. He is 16.

TIA

Get him a sewing for dummies book. Very easy to understand and has simple projects to start. I think it is wonderful he wants to learn to sew. It is a life skill and not just a girly thing. I wish him the best!!!
Sue

Might start with shorts - or pajama bottoms. Very forgiving as to sizing!

Then pillow cases.

I think I would start out with some very basic sewing classes (web classes). There are some very easy and great patterns that would be ideal for a young man to start with (simple pajama pants and shorts). Also let him sew your 1/4 seams and get a feel for sewing straight lines.

Jo-Ann's usually offers sewing classes for teens as well as beginning sewing. My 19-year old daughter had a friend of mine teach her how to read and cut using a pattern last summer. My friend taught her all the basics and now my daughter is a sewing fiend :)

Just start! My 13 year old grandson started when he was 6 and now runs my mid-arm like a pro, better than I. He has entered a qult only once but got a first place and Best First quilter.
My 8 year old granddaughter entered 2 quilts in the columbia county Fair last month and got a Best of Show.
When they WANT to learn they will with a little guidance. Have FUN.

I think that is awesome. My son got interested and made one quilt block, but quickly lost interest when the machine I gave him went south. I would surely encourage artistic expression, no matter the medium!

I think it's great that he wants to learn! Just keep encouraging him, and let him know that it gets easier with practice.

Speaking of practice, he can learn to use the sewing machine by sewing on lined paper, with no thread in the machine at all. That will allow him to learn how to control where the stitching goes, without worrying about thread tangles etc.

My son (now 19) had made a pillow in life-skills class in 8th grade. Under my obsessive eye, he even did a fine job of the ruffled edge. I thought he'd forgotten how to sew entirely, until this summer when he took a fabric scrap and made a catnip-filled toy for our kitties to play with. Ok, so it was only a roughly sewn rectangle, but still, he thought of it himself and did remember how to use the machine!

I taught my son how to use a sewing machine and how to hand sew hem's, and make repairs to his cloths, when in High School he took a home Ec. class just for boys. He is a whizz at replacing zippers in jeans and coats. While in the Navy some of his ship mates found out he knew how to use a needle, he made extra $ doing small repairs, heming, and sewing on insignias. He is now retired from the Navy but still does some sewing for school plays, the kids costumes

All he probably needs for sewing clothing is learning basic sewing--------which you do with quilting. Start him on a couple simple patterns, like uni-sex raglan hoodie and PJ bottom (long or short)

It actually floored me when he let me know of this. My mother in law thinks he would be great at it, as he loves to draw and has taken art since middle school. She thinks if he applies he art to sewing there would be NO limits for him. I just never in my wildest dreams would have thought of him wanting to do this. But I'm NOT complaining one bit, just don't want to disappoint him. Hope I can remember NOT to be the parent when teaching him and also to keep reminding him to have fun with it.

That is fantastic. WOW!

Excellent ideas. Go to the store and look for simple or easy to sew, or if they have a one hour pattern...something with a few seams and not a lot of fit. That will get him used to the idea of sewing right sides together, etc.

Does he see himself designing? If he is good at art, then maybe that is in his future? :)

Thank you all for your advice and suggestions.
He and I will start this week, will be purchasing the "Sewing for Dummies" and who knows, I may learn a thing or two from it also. :) I will also let him do some 1/4 inch seams on some of the blocks I need piecing to help him with straight lines.

There are also a lot of youtube and blog tutorials for making clothes, inserting zippers, and making buttonholes. I got over my fear of zippers with a blog tutorial making wristlets. Have fun teaching your son to sew.

There is a site called Threadbanger that seems to be run by young people. It has lots of tutes and videos and just some cool stuff on it. http://www.youtube.com/user/ThreadBanger?feature=watch is their video site. I can't find their main website right now. Too early; not enough coffee....

Whatever you do - don't buy any of those Sewing for Dummies patterns! The book is fine, the patterns can be a nightmare. I admit I am not a garment sewer and failed miserably at it in HS, however I wanted to make a blanket coat for my Dachshund. I figured a Sewing for Dummies pattern was the perfect solution, that even I couldn't screw it up. I had so much trouble with it I had a friend who is an excellent seamstress look it over. It wasn't me. There was an error in the pattern. Come to find out there were others in the line with problems. Quality control might be better now, but it made me finally give up any notion of sewing for me or the dog!

My favorite way to get people of any age started in sewing is have them start with a jelly roll race quilt. It get's them comfortable with the sewing machine and making consistent seams, it gives them enough room to run out of bobbin thread and what to do when that happen's, running your hand down one side to make sure the fabric is not twisted, and they have a nice quilt to show for their first time at the machine. All of these thing's seem so simple for us but, for someone that does not have the experience it can be very intimidating.
My son started sewing when he was in high school, he's not sewing now but he just finished teaching 3 stained glass classes and sold his first art print.
Good Luck and happy sewing.

These were my first thoughts, too.

It is really great to hear our son ask to sew. But than there are a lot of men that quilt . An they sew garments also. I hope he gets into it good. Have you seen some of the quilts the men make ? Fantastic. joyce j

It seems, in my family, sewing skips a generation. My grandmother worked in a sewing factory and she did a lot of sewing at home. My mother never really learned how, because she always had someone to do any repairs, etc. It's always something I've been interested in. I'm not as good as I want to be (but who is?!) and I have one child, a 15-year old son. He hasn't shown any interest, but I've forced him to learn how to do the basics on a sewing machine. But the best part is that I've done a lot of alterations and repairs to his clothes. He bought some shorts that were too big, and I took up the waist so he could wear them. He had a pair of black jeans that he loved but ripped them from the crotch to the knee! So I made a very long patch out of plaid flannel and left the edges raw and sewed it up. Then I added another fake-patch to the other leg and one on the back. I let him use some safety pins and he had a broken bracelet that we pinned. He loved those jeans and when someone asked about it, he said he did it himself (I "helped", of course!). He has several pair of jeans that have ripped and I patch them up and they look just like Mall Jeans and he couldn't be any happier.
I guess my point is, even though he doesn't have the interest, he knows the value of knowing how to do things like this. I don't know what I'd do with myself if he decided he wants to learn how to quilt or make clothes!!

I would suggest that he make something he would actually wear. A successful first project...and off he will be a running...at least for making clothes. There are many easy patterns, though they can be a bit expensive. Our Hancock's always has one of the pattern brands on sale for $2. or so. I'd get one of them. I have seen a pattern that makes a simple PJ bottom with drawstring and a v neck over the head top. That might be a good way to start.

As for quilting, it is a whole different mind set, but you already know all about that!

Tell him we are all on his side!

Dina

Here are some professional schools for art and clothing design. If he has a natural talent, perhaps this is his field of work? They always say do something you love and it will never feel like work.

http://www.ask.com/web?q=Clothing%20...l&geo=US&ver=6

Also the is a forum on line that has many wonderful classes and reviews of patterns.

It is at http://sewing.patternreview.com/

I am sure he could spend hours reading all of the wonderful information there.

If he is going to make clothing... buy him a dress form, pressing hams and some good long lasting tool and a great machine. Draping and using them for fit makes all of the difference in the world when it comes to a perfect fit and creative style.

Keep in mind there are many tutorials on the web for regular sewing as there is for quilting. Tell him, get online and find a project that has a tutorial and just show him how to use the machine. Good for him. Nice to have someone artistic...

My DS had to take Home Ec while he was in HS & they made pillowcases. I still have mine! I think it's wonderful that your DS wants to learn to sew!

One of my goals in raising my kids, sons especially, was that they would learn to sew...nothing fancy, just your basic "sew-on-a-button" type stuff; my reasoning? That they would never use the old "I can't" thing to justify getting someone else (usually of the female persuasion...) to do their mending stuff. And now, years later, they STILL remember how! In fact, one of them can sew better than his wife and is the go-to guy for sewing emergencies! So yes, I really think that all children should be taught the business end of a needle and thread, quilting or otherwise.

I agree! Tell him men where the only tailors in history and they made all wealthy people cloths. Also men win alot of quilt shows. Good luck!

I made clothing for years. The quilting only started a few years ago. I taught my 4 (2 boys, 2 girls) and my youngest son's best friend how to sew. My son's friend is the one who does the most sewing. He belongs to a Renaissance group and makes all of his own costumes, tents etc. Since quilting is your strong suit start him out with a basic design such as a churn dash block and go from there. For clothing help him choose something he would like but not to complicated. If your not comfortable with teaching him clothing see about classes at a nearby store (although a boy his age may not be comfortable with that) or perhaps someone you know who makes cloths would be willing to teach him. Sometimes you might find a member of your church who would be willing to teach.

I'm a firm believer in that girls need to know how to change and or check oil in a car and boys needs to know how to iron and sew along with cooking. Never know when it might come in handy for survival for themselves and their mate. That being said when my son took sewing in school, he brought home the needed list and I told him to go get the stuff from my sewing area and then I would check and see what he still needed. Well he did a fine job - Gingher scissors, etc. Needless to say we changed things out to a more least expensive stuff for school. At least he know what was Mom's good stuff. But i am proud to say that he could sew on a button etc if he couldn't talk Mom into it and cook and our daughter knows how to use a saw, hammer, and a screw driver better than her husband.

So go for it and teach your son to sew - it is fun to see how excited they become when it is accomplished.

You can do what my mom did when I was 12 got me a machine some patterns and said there you go. I had to learn on my own. She could not sew a bit but I learned quick. Really just get a easy pattern a vest something. good luck to him and I hope he enjoys quilting.

I think that is great! Everyone needs a creative outlet in my opinion, male and female!

Years ago a neighbor ask my Mother to teach her to sew. Mother sent her to the store and told her to get a pattern,read everything on the back and buy what it called for.
She came back to Mother then Mother told her to get out the instruction sheet and tap it to the wall over her machine and do exactly what it said. She was so mad at Mother for not looking over her shoulder she wouldn't speak for a month. She did finish the dress and in six months she was sewing for the public.
That is the best way for a beginner. Then they will take off on their own

My step son-in-law wanted to make a nylon jacket when he was in college. He found a friend who had a sewing machine and she was willing to teach him how to sew. He still has the jacket (I did some patching on it a while back). When his first son was born, someone gave him a flannel blanket - just two yards of fabric RST and turned. Bill loved it and started making them for others, some with matching pillows. He's made dozens of these. One day Bill was at the sewing machine, I, his step-mother-in-law, was cutting fabric, his mother was stuffing the pillows, and his mother-in-law was slip-stitching the seams closed. All in the same room. It was great.

That is great! I always encouraged my children to go with their interests. Someone once told my kids that they seemed to have an interest in many different things. My son is 27 and he learned to sew when he was about 11 or 12 years old. My husband still has a pillow that my son made for him at Christmas. The pillow is just a rectangle pillow but my son outlined his hand on the pillow and put the date in the middle of the hand. It is a wonderful remembrance item. My son doesn't have time to sew now but he can repair his clothes if he needs to do so. Sewing is just one of the things that he has found an interest in. Before college my son was a wildland firefighter. In college he took flying lessons. He graduated from college as a geologist and I insisted that he go out in the real world and see what life was about before he got his masters. After he graduated with his bachelor's degree, he traveled from California to Alaska working in oil fields and gas fields. In his spare time, he volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and worked on a "dig" for fossils. Right now, he is back in college going for his masters. This summer, besides working on his masters project, he works part time for USGS. In his spare time he is learning Salsa dancing with his girlfriend and works on his motorcycle. Sewing was just one part of his interest in life but it was an interest that will benefit him the rest of his life.

the pattern companies all carry learn to sew patterns now. That said, i've taught several kids to sew. Start with sewing on lined paper with unthreaded needle so he gets the hang of straight stitching, then have him draw a design with pencil that he likes on a plain piece of fabric and have him stitch that with colored thread ( a mini wall quilt), the progress to an easy sewing pattern. Get him a basic book on sewing so he learns to read patterns and knows about grain line, different fabrics etc. My girls used the Coats and Clark and Vogue Sewing books to learn and even now as their reference manuals.

I tried to teach my daughter, but she wouldn't have it, she hated it, will not even sew on a button, but now my two sons were willing and able, both had taken home ec in school, and can sew.

I agree. Plus those things have less chance have looking like that " homemade" look, rather than a "personally designed" look he is probably hoping for. His skills will improve with time; good luck to him!

My son learned how to 'run the sewing machine' (sort of) when he was 12 or so - never did much with it but sew up his own ripped seams (Mom is a slow mender! LOL) When he got married, he was the one who had to fix his wife's purse by repairing the seam and reattaching a button. She has now taken sewing lessons at least to the pajama pants stage.

Joann's new curriculum starts next month and there are some lounge pants that would be very appropriate for boys as well as girls...

My DH insisted that our boys learn to sew before they used a power saw. A sewing machine is a power tool. A pattern will teach him to follow directions. All the advice is very good. My boss bought a red sewing machine from me - he thought it looked very masculine and yes he does use it. I've sold sewing machines to guys just because they liked all the chrome and buttons. I say go for it.