Lesson Plans/Activities
Cupcake Pincushion
Project Directions
Pattern Pieces
Weaving a Friendship Bracelet
Step by Step Photo Instructions
Ego Pillow
Sewing SOS
Save Our Sewing Programs
In my many conversations with FACS teachers at
conferences around the country, I'm hearing an alarming number of you say that
your schools have discontinued the sewing courses in your curriculum. I'm
very distressed at this trend because I think that clothing and textile courses
are so beneficial to students in many ways--learning to interpret and follow
written directions, manual dexterity, application of math skills, creative
expression and more. I know from personal experience how difficult it is
to convince students that they can create their own attractive pieces of
clothing. However, I've had real success in helping them to create fabric
projects for craft or home use. That's why I'm suggesting that FACS
departments embrace quilting in the classroom as an alternative to traditional
sewing curriculum.
Quilting is the most popular form of personal
sewing in America today. Combining precise sewing techniques, fabric
composition, and the artistry of textile design, quilting may be just the thing
to update and expand your sewing curriculum.
Making quilting a part of the FACS curriculum can
be an effective teaching technique because it helps students to:
• develop skills in using the sewing machine
and related textile construction tools.
• become proficient in reading and following
printed and pictorial directions.
• develop an awareness of the role that
quilting and other home arts have played in history.
• build a working vocabulary related to
geometry, patchwork quilting and sewing in general.
• foster creativity in designing patchwork
quilting projects.
• use quilt design software in developing
patchwork projects.
• analyze and identify basic geometric shapes.
• increase proficiency in using a variety of
measuring instruments.
• develop an appreciation for the relationship
among colors of varying hues and intensities.
Check out the following quilting websites for
some inspiring and useful ideas:
Free
Quilt Patterns
A comprehensive collection of quilt patterns, products, designers and tutorials.
www.quiltsforkids.org
A network of volunteers making and distributing quilts for seriously ill and
abused children. Patterns and instructions making projects for donation
are available at this site.
Learning to Quilt–
Quilt Sizes
Twin 68" x 88"
Full 81" x 88"
Queen 88" x 96"
King 107" x 108"
Crib 50" x 53"
Child 40" x 60"
We're Resourceful!
Sewing SOS
Courses in textiles and apparel are among the most valuable and creative components of the FACS curriculum. We are currently experiencing a revival of interest in sewing, thanks to the broad range of do-it-yourself programing in TV and the Internet. Capitalizing on this resurgence in the art of sewing, this may be the perfect time to broaden your sewing curriculum using the resources you see on this page. Take your FACS program high-tech with software and activities for creating original fabric and quilt designs.
The newest resource from Fresh FACS Publishing was created to
teach students the fundamentals of creating original fabric designs. Using
Fabric Studio™ software, a computer and Design
It Just Sew, students will learn to create original
fabric designs that can then be transferred to fabric and stitched into
teen-friendly projects.
FACS By Numbers introduces students to the tools, techniques,
art and history of quilting. As students learn to cut and measure with
precision, they apply many of the theories of basic geometry. Students can
create an entire sample quilt of twelve blocks or small projects requiring only
one or two blocks. Each quilt block is a stand-alone lesson in geometry and
basic sewing.
Quilt Design Wizard provides all the tools that students need to plan and visualize their quilting projects. A library of 200 simple pieced blocks, four layout styles and a library of 3000 fabrics will provide your students with ample design capabilities. The program will even print illustrated step-by-step sewing instructions for each block and offers design hints for beginning quilters.
Fresh FACS offers a limited assortment of Fiskars Brand rotary cutting tools for equipping the FACS classroom for quilting and other sewing activities. Choose from basic acrylic rulers, rotary cutters and replacement blades, and cutting mats.
Printable Order Form
FACS By The Book Connections:
