Genius Hour: Sewing

Sewing, the art of connecting things together with a needle to make something

Origins of Sewing

• Sewing dates back to the prehistoric ages
• Scientist believe that almost 25,000 years ago people used to sew to make fur for the ice age they were in.

Origins of Sewing

• The oldest known iron sewing needles came from the Celtic Hill fort at Manching, Germany. They dated back somewhere BC. Chinese archaeologists have also found a complete set of sewing needles and thimbles in the tomb of a minor official from the Han Dynasty (202 BC -220 AD)

Origins of Sewing

• For thousands of years sewing was done by hand. The invention of sewing machine was an amazing machine in the sewing industry around the 1950's

Origins of Sewing

• They have discovered needles with eyes made from animal bones, ivory and antlers. There are also records of wood and natural needles from the agave plant being used as needles by Native Americans.

Origins of Sewing

• Sewing thread was initially made from sinew, catgut, veins and plant fibers as a single strand. Later they found that fibers from plants and animals could be put together to make a stronger thread.

Why People Sew

• People like to make things out of nothing. The feeling of making something out of nothing is amazing. You get to have something nobody (or a few) people have.

Why People Sew

• People like the challenge that sewing brings to them. They have to work hard to create something that they can make up on their own, or get a patteren from someone else

Why People Sew

• Once you finish a project you have something new to add to your life, like new clothes or a new pillow case.

Why People Sew

• You feel acomplished once you finish a project for someone or something you've been working hard on. It might take a long time (depending on the size of the project) but in the end it will pay off

Why People Sew

• Sewing can help you with skills such as reading, math, and other things as you have to read instrucitons or make your own patteren which includes tons of math and measurements

Different techniques for sewing

• Knowing how to press. This is an important skill because you'll use it to set and blend stitches. Using iron might mess up the fabric

Different Techniques For Sewing

• Stay stitching is another technique for sewing. It helps prevent distortion to curves. It's better to do these as soon as you make the curve

Different Techniques For Sewing

• Clipping corners and curves is another important technique, and can make a huge difference. You'll get a nice flat piece of fabric instead of having to fight it to keep it down.

Different Techniques For Sewing

• Seam finishes can help you make the outside of your fabric and the inside of your fabric look good. It'll help make your work look more professional

Different Techniques For Sewing

• Hemming can help give your garment a more professional look. It's good to get into the habit of doing this.

Different Techniques For Sewing

• A rotary cutter and a cutting mat are invaluable tools for a sewer. You can cut patterns quicker, but you'll want to keep them sharp.

Different Techniques For Sewing

• Bar tacks are a great way to reinforce areas that will receive a lot of stress. This can make your work look amazing.

How To Make 3D Plushies

• First you'll need to make or cut out a pattern for what you want to make

How To Make 3D Plushies

• second you'll start placing a fabric (can be whatever fabric you want) on all the pieces you have and then put a pin in to keep the fabric and piece together

How To Make 3D Plushies

• you'll start sewing the outsides. (leave a spot to stuff the plushie with) This will make the plushie take form (still need stuffing though)

How To Make 3D Plushies

• Start stuffing the plushie with stuffing, make sure you get all the spaces with a good amount of stuffing. (varies on how hard you want the plushie to be)

How To Make 3D Plushies

• stitch up the hole making sure to pull hard so that the stitch marks don't show up, this makes it look better.

How To Make 3D Plushies

• add the eyes and any other additions that stick out that you have

How To Make 3D Plushies

• Start adding stuff like the nose and the fingers (or any other accessories that you have) to finish off the plushie

Different Sewing Machines

• A mechanical sewing machine is the most basic sewing machine. You use a dial (Wheel) to power it instead of a foot pedal. It's vintage and old so it'll be hard to find but people prefer it more.

Different Sewing Machines

• The computerized sewing machines, instead of dials and buttons, uses an advanced LED display. It can memorize a few of your most used stitches and atomaticly sets the tension

Different Sewing Machines

• An Electric sewing machine uses a single motor that electricly uses the needle. The electric sewing machine electrically powers the needle, all you need to do is control the speed of the machine by putting pressure on the foot pedal. You use a dial to adjust the needle height.

Different Sewing Machines

• An OverLocker Machine is used to professionally make hems and seams. This machine is useful if you do a lot of sewing. They have the ability to stitch, neaten and trim away excess fabric at twice the speed.

Different Sewing Machines

• Embroidery machine is used for fancier stitches and making different kinds of embroidery on fabric.

Reflection:
this project was fun to do, I learned all about how people sew and make different things out of just thread and a needle. I managed to find out the history of how sewing started and how they originally sewed.

Reflection:
I got to make my own stuffed cat from using a pattern my grandma gave me to make my own stuffed animal, she taught me different techniques. I learned a lot about sewing and the different machines used for sewing.