My Class For Newbies At Hand Stitching

[Tex Shooter]

When I have a class with newbies on hand stitching, I do it with very basic tools. The picture shows what I take with me and I tell the students that these items can be found as follows.

25 Yard waxed thread kit with 2 harness needles for about $5.

A poly cutting board for about $5.

A diamond awl blade for about $5 (make your own handle).

A pair of pliers for about $1 at a garage sale (I cut the tip off of mine and ground the teeth off for stitching).

A pocket knife for about $2 dollars at a garage sale.

A pen and a piece of plastic from a whipped cream container lid.

For the demonstration I make a line to keep the stitches straight, but don’t measure the distance between awl holes, but just guess at them. I do this so the students can see how little is required to get started and with a little practice they can make a good looking stitch. Then I show them how to mark the plastic for stitch spacing.

[J Hayes]

A fork can also make a nice stitch spacer, my lunch todsy contains a 6 spi fork in fact, the spacing between tines is almost exactly the same too. :-)

Nice kit!

[Rayban]

I admire your resourcefulness, but I don't believe teaching newbies to hand stitch with makeshift tools is the way to go.

I would hate the thought of trying to stitch with a $5 blade and a homemade handle. How can you expect a newbie to try using it without getting totally frustrated.

Hand stitching is hard enough to learn to do correctly......the right tools for the job is a must.

Just my thoughts.

[Tex Shooter]

I help them sharpen and polish the blade to size! I also show them some good tools for hand stitching. -- Tex

[ramrod]

this is a great thread. i love the idea of teaching newbs how to correctly handstitch. we have to stop them before they go off and get one of those all-in-one jiffy stitchers and have them think it's the best thing since.....leather.

seriously, i taught myself (with the aid of a stohlman book), but it would have been nice to watch someone for a while to get some of the tricks down pat. ewwww....when i look at my stitch line on an earlier project, makes me wanna york.

Edited January 29, 2014 by ramrod

[TXAG]

ewwww....when i look at my stitch line on an earlier project, makes me wanna york.

Nah...just put it on etsy and call it "rustic" and charge $100 for it...someone will buy it...

[ramrod]

Nah...just put it on etsy and call it "rustic" and charge $100 for it...someone will buy it...

LOL....so THAT'S what "rustic" means.

[TXAG]

Yeah. Another euphemism people on here seem to like to use is "function over form"...which basically equates to "It doesn't matter if it looks like garbage as long as it works ok..." ...as if something can't look great AND function well. Go figure...

[Sorefingers]

I for one being a novice myself like the idea of basics and showing someone who possibly cannot afford to go out and buy a sack full of tools how they can get started for a smaller investment. Personally like many others out there a tool collection is that a collection meaning gathered over time of selected items. I have many tools that I have acquired or collected and very few that I purchased in great numbers at a single trip to the store. Specialty tools are unique and often that uniqueness has a higher price tag than a common screwdriver. Cool thread and cool idea. One added note necessity is the mother of invention. I like making my own tools. It may not be faster than buying them but it is more fun.