Description of the Unit – Students will learn basic sewing techniques to sew a simple image onto burlap

Activity statement – Sewing is an important basic skill for students to have. In the California Standards for Visual Arts, 4^th grade students should create a simple loom weaving design (Creative Expression 2.4). In order to prepare students for this kind of skill requiring hand-eye coordination and developed fine motors skills, I have my 3^rd grade students learn to sew a simple image onto burlap, embellishing with other materials if they wish.

Searching for simple, yet amusing designs my 3^rd graders would enjoy sewing, I found the idea for a chick design on Pinterest (of course). I would like to attribute the idea to the original poster of the chick sewing sampler, but I haven’t been able to trace the source. If you happen to read this and this is you, please contact me so that I may link back to you and attribute this design to you.

Goals – Students should…

Understand:

• What sewing is

Know:

• How to sew a simple line stitch

Be able to:

• Use a simple line stitch to sew an image
• (Not required) use a simple cross stitch or other stitch to create simple patterns)

Objectives – Students will: practice sewing while completing an image of a chickie, embellishing with color, various stitches (optional), buttons and beads.

Resources and materials –

• Yarn or embroidery thread in a variety of colors
• Large embroidery needles. I like these: Plastic Needles
• Finely woven burlap cut in 4 x 6 or 5 x 7 rectangular sections and with a simple image, such as a chick, fox or turtle, drawn in sharpie
• Scissors
• Beads for embellishing design
• Buttons for eyes

Questions –

• How can you make your design interesting (i.e., using differing colors and line-sewing patterns)?
• Does the length of your stitch matter? Why or why not?
• Does the space between each stitch change the look for your sewing? How?
• What can you do to fill the negative space within your (chick, fox, etc.)?

Evaluation – Did students…

• Complete one sewing sampler?
• Did they take risks by using stitches other than a line stitch?
• Did they play with pattern and color?
• Did they embellish with beads and buttons?
• How regular and controlled are the stitches?

Informal:

• Student questions
• Group discussions
• Oral responses to essential questions
• At least one finished sewing sampler

• 3rd grade
• Fiber Art