Introduction to Sewing
Primary 6 · Creative Arts
Introduction to Sewing
Lesson 1 of 4
20 min
Let's begin
During a football match at break, a button flies off Mugisha's shirt and his trouser seam splits open. That evening his aunt, who works as an umudozi (a tailor) at the market, hands him a needle and a reel of thread.
"You are old enough to fix these yourself," she says. "But first, meet the tools, and learn to use a needle safely."
Hand sewing lets you mend clothes instead of throwing them away, which saves money and cloth. You can also make useful things, like a small bag or a pencil case, and decorate cloth with coloured stitches. Tailors use sewing machines for long seams, but they still do buttons and small repairs by hand.
| Tool | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Hand-sewing needle | A thin steel pin with a sharp point at one end and a hole, the eye, at the other for the thread. |
| Thread | Cotton or polyester, on a reel. Choose a colour that matches the cloth for mending, or a bright colour to decorate. |
| Pins and pin cushion | Pins hold pieces of cloth together while you sew. The cushion keeps pins and needles safe. |
| Scissors | For cutting cloth and thread. Keep a pair just for cloth, so they stay sharp. |
| Thimble | A small metal or plastic cap for your middle finger. It protects your finger when you push the needle. |
| Tape measure | A soft ruler that can bend round a body or a curve. |
| Chalk or pencil | For marking where to sew. A thin, dry piece of soap works too, and washes out. |
| Needle threader | A thin wire loop that pulls thread through a small eye. |
For practice, use scraps of cloth: old clothes, or offcuts of kitenge that a tailor may give you.
Warning
Needle safety rules
A small eye is hard to thread? Use a needle threader: push its wire loop through the eye, put the thread through the loop, and pull the loop back.
This photograph shows a tailor at work in a village in Rwanda.
Now look at this sewing kit. Find the pin cushions with pins and a needle in them, the two thimbles, the tape measure and the reels of thread. The wooden egg is used for mending socks.
Tip
Needles live in the cushion, never in your mouth
Count them out, count them back in, and always push the point away from you.
Try each one first, then tap Show answer to check.
What is a thimble for?
Answer: It covers your middle finger and protects it when you push the needle through the cloth.
Why do we cut the end of the thread at a slant?
Answer: A slanted end is thin and pointed, so it goes through the eye of the needle more easily.
Ishimwe cuts a piece of thread as long as he is tall. What problem will he have?
Answer: A very long thread tangles and knots. It should be about as long as his arm from fingertips to elbow.
Keza finds a needle on the classroom floor. What should she do?
Answer: Pick it up carefully, put it in the pin cushion, and tell the teacher so the needles can be counted.
Make it: Make a needle holder by folding a piece of thick cloth or card and pushing your needles and pins into it. Then practise threading a needle and tying a knot five times.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
The rest of the lesson, the diagrams and the exercises (Try it yourself and the practice questions) are written by Ganzaa.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
Match each sewing tool to what it does.
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
