Andria Lisle - Sewing School

The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by publishing practical information that encourages personal independence in harmony with the environment.

Edited by Deborah Balmuth and Cindy A. Littlefield
Art direction and book design by Jessica Armstrong

Photography by Justin Fox Burks
Pattern diagrams by Missy Shepler

Indexed by Catherine Goddard

2010 by Andria Lisle and Amie Petronis Plumley

Ebook production by Kristy L. MacWilliams

Ebook version 1.1

May 8, 2016

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other without written permission from the publisher.

The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey Publishing. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information.

Storey books are available for special premium and promotional uses and for customized editions. For further information, please call 1-800-793-9396.

Storey Publishing
210 MASS MoCA Way
North Adams, MA 01247
www.storey.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataLisle, Andria.

Sewing school / by Andria Lisle and Amie Petronis

Plumley ; photography by Justin Fox Burks.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-60342-578-0 (paper w/concealed wire-o and flaps : alk. paper)

1. SewingJuvenile literature. I. Plumley, Amie Petronis. II. Title.

TT705.L56 2010

646.2dc22

2010022154

Dedicated to our mothers, Suzanne, Betty, and Debby, who taught us our love of sewing firsthand.

Without the talent and enthusiasm of the Sewing School campers at Memphis Grace-St. Lukes Episcopal School, this book would not have been possible. These campers and all of the kids who sewed, laughed, and shared their ideas with us gave this book life.

Most of all, we thank our own families (Amy Lawrence, Cassius Lisle, and Eric, Phoebe, and Frank Plumley) for their love and patience, especially during the months that we talked about Sewing School nonstop!

We are deeply grateful to the following people: Kevin Barr, who made us look good in our author photos; Millett Vance and Gene Rossetti at Flashback; Dr. Karnes and the staff at Central Animal Hospital; Lickety Split ice cream man Joe Patty; and Bill York, who happily provided locations and props. Headmaster Tom Beazley, the administration, staff, families, and students at Grace-St. Lukes Episcopal School for the use of their campus and for their support and wonderful inspiration. Especially Katie Donald and Libby Shannon, who allowed us to test patterns and offered a multitude of ideas during Sewing Club.

Wed also like to thank Deborah Balmuth and Alethea Morrison and everyone else at Storey Publishing for believing in us and helping guide our vision to fruition; the readers of our Sewing School blog, who share our passion for sewing with kids; and Robert Gordon, Tim Duggan, and Doug Halijan for offering their expert advice as we navigated our publishing contract.

Hi! Were so glad youre excited about Sewing School. When we were young like you, we couldnt wait to learn how to sew and make things all by ourselves.

When Amie was a girl, she was lucky because her mom taught her how to sew. Amie especially liked to make her own outfits. She learned how to sew buttons and add patches to vintage clothes that she bought at the thrift store. One day, Amie wore a skirt she made by wrapping a piece of fabric around herself and fastening it with safety pins!

Andrias mom also sewed. At Christmas, Andria could always find homemade stuffed animals and dolls under the tree. Every spring, she would help pick out a pattern for the dress her mom would magically whip up by the time the Easter Bunny came around. After Andria learned how to hand-sew using her mothers scraps, she started making blankets and pillows for her teddy bears.

Now that were all grown up, we sew even more. After college, Amie started sewing again because she couldnt find cute clothes. Today, she sews skirts for herself; pajamas for her husband, Eric; clothes for her kids, Phoebe and Frank; and toys for her two cats. Amie also teaches kindergarten and runs an after-school sewing club for her students.

Andria loves to sew new pillows for her home and blankets for her dog, Cassius. Last Christmas, she practiced sewing with her niece, Maclin. Andria works at an art museum and often looks for unusual fabrics from around the world.

In our spare time, we like to teach children how to sew. Every summer, we hold a Sewing School day camp at Amies school. These campers, ages 5 to 13, tested all of the projects in Sewing School. They also modeled for our friend Justin, who took the photos in this book.

We love sewing with kids. You already know that its easy to sew you just want to learn how to use a needle and thread so you can create stuffed animals, make presents for your families, and play veterinarian by mending your own toys. The patterns in this book are very basic, because we know that you have the imagination to make it yours as you go.

Writing this book was very important to both of us because we want kids everywhere to be able to learn how to sew. Now, you dont have to attend Amies school, or wait until next summer rolls around to enroll in our camp. You can learn how to sew whenever you want, right inside your own home.

We hope that you will love sewing as much as we do. And we hope that someday maybe soon or perhaps later on youll help teach other kids how to sew, too!

Amie Petronis Plumley & Andria Lisle

Sewing School inspires and teaches children how to sew, using step-by-step directions, simple language, and child-created examples of contemporary sewing projects suited for a modern home.

Once kids learn a few basic skills, theyll be eager to try their hand at all kinds of sewing projects. This book builds on prior knowledge using step-up projects that employ developmental cues established by the Montessori and Waldorf schools. For each project, weve included A Note for Grown-Ups to identify steps that require adult assistance. The directions themselves are written at a second-grade comprehension level, with projects designed for sewers ages five and up.

Sewing School isnt as rigorous as a home-economics class. During our hands-on sewing sessions with younger children, weve discovered that, for the most part, young sewers dont care about pressed seams and neat hems. So we decided to focus on easy, fun projects that dont require extra work. That said, most intermediate sewers will naturally take these projects to the next level by initiating additional steps on their own.