Craft Classes at School

Dear users, dear authors,
what was your experience with craft classes?

For me, it was awful. Back then, when I was about 11, I had to make a hemstitched doily. I’d chosen sun-yellow for the fabric and black for the embroidery. That was a huge mistake. You could see every single stitch. Grade 5
That was the end of my love for needlework. It didn’t come back until umpteen years later.

I never had any handicrafts lessons at all. My children do have them, though, and it’s really not nice.
Well, the teacher didn’t exactly graduate from university yesterday, and (I’ll try to put this diplomatically) her ideas and techniques aren’t exactly fresh anymore.
In our case, the fact that I write crochet patterns is probably also extremely counterproductive, while the teacher asks my son how on earth I made his lucky pig.
My children also flatly refuse to make an effort for her. But she apparently also insists on a certain arm position that is very uncomfortable for my son.
At school, he barely managed to make a rag.
At home, he had me show him 3D flowers and crocheted with enthusiasm.
How lucky that I care just as little about handicrafts grades as I do about singing or art grades.

I admit, though, that I’m toying with the idea of giving away the letter holder I designed for unwanted mail once both children have left the school. 

In elementary school, we had a class called BK/TW, which stood for visual arts and textile crafts. All I remember is that in first or second grade, we wove mini rugs out of leftover yarn, made kites with wooden sticks and wool, then made little pom-pom figures, and eventually learned how to crochet.

So in that class, I much preferred the textiles part to the visual arts part ;)

After that, we never had anything like that again...
Unfortunately, you don’t learn things like that in high school, which is why I never learned to sew, knit, or anything like that. When you’re a teenager, stuff like that just isn’t exciting enough to learn on your own at home ;)

Crocheting and knitting were okay.

But sewing?
I still remember having to sew a bib with sleeves, and I couldn’t see the point in it at all.

Even today, I really don’t like sewing.

For me, it was great. Except for mending holes in kitchen towels and things like that. My handicrafts teacher thought I absolutely had to make it my profession. But it was simply fun; it wasn’t a profession. But I always enjoyed it and still enjoy knitting today.

Wishing everyone a lovely evening
Jana

I loved handicrafts from the very first class—just not my teacher. I ended up having her every single year. And unfortunately, she didn’t like me either.

Most of the time, I had finished the year’s required projects by April and could then do whatever I wanted. That bothered the teacher, and unfortunately she gave me a 2 on my most important report card, which meant I couldn’t start the vocational training program I wanted. Her reasoning: my mother had finished sewing it.... well, what can you do.

She couldn’t take away my joy in crocheting, knitting, and sewing ;-) and that’s how I ended up here eventually... and when I look at my children’s needlework teachers:
Thank goodness I couldn’t start that training program because of that 2 on my report card. I might have turned out like that too (I was brought up well, so I won’t write what I mean)....

If the needlework teacher asked me for a pattern for a key ring - of course she’d get it.
But then saying to my daughter, "Have your mum show you how to do it, so you can help me with it," really makes me shake my head.

I hope you all continue to have lots of fun here crocheting, knitting, sewing, etc... I’m going back to my needlework ;-)

glg Sabine

I can still remember that too. We called it needlework. I actually really enjoyed crocheting pot holders and practicing different stitches on Aida fabric. But once we had to sew a gym bag, and I didn’t like that very much—especially since the teacher (who was substituting) would immediately throw the project on the floor if it wasn’t sewn the way she wanted it. That really put me off. Otherwise, I enjoyed it. It just depended on the teacher.

From my elementary school days, I can only remember sewing on buttons and embroidering a few simple patterns—and I’d already been able to do that since kindergarten, so it wasn’t a problem. Later in secondary school, we were taught sewing (I actually wore the nightgown I sewed in class for a long time), cross-stitch, knotting, and so on—a little bit of everything. Actually, most of us liked those classes because the atmosphere was pretty laid-back, and the teacher had no ambition to turn us into professional crafters. We were mainly graded on our effort and willingness, and I still think to this day that was exactly the right approach.

Back in elementary school, it was pretty okay. We first learned embroidery in 2nd grade, then crocheting, then knitting in 3rd grade, and sewing in 4th and 5th grades. It was fun, and I was really proud of my creations back then.
The only thing was that the knitted scarf had uneven widths, which I didn’t like at all and only earned me a “C” back then—grin. But my yellow crocheted vest was my pride and joy—I loved it!
I can still clearly remember my four-panel jersey skirt. Of all things, I’d picked a jersey fabric that stretched “from London to Paris.” Somehow, it still turned into a skirt in the end ;-).

Then, starting in 8th grade, I didn’t like the class anymore—though that was probably more because of the teacher—it was so boring that I can only remember sewing something (a repression mechanism???). Then the class was dropped at some point.

At some point—around the late ’80s—I went through a brief knitting phase. Then it wasn’t until around 2009 that my aunt taught me how to knit a heel; and the “addiction” took off from there...

Back then, we still had a women’s committee that selected the materials for the needlework classes, and those choices weren’t always to the students’ taste!
In 5th grade, we sewed a skirt (dark or light blue with white polka dots) and had to embroider the waistband, along with a white blouse featuring a red-and-blue embroidered polo-style placket… In 7th grade, the theme was baby layette: a piggy-pink Dutch-style jacket, a red-and-white checkered little dress plus matching bloomers (though “matching” is relative—they were about four sizes bigger than the dress! My daughters wore them anyway later on, though they only wore the jacket at night!), and a baby bunting with hemstitch embroidery… The real kicker came in my last year of school: flannel pajamas, light blue or pink with white polka dots—after the first wash, they barely fit a doll! Luckily, thanks to my Latin classes, I managed to avoid the worst of it: those old-fashioned, grandma-style knit underpants! Thankfully, I was able to choose my own garments at home, and that’s how I’ve kept my love for needlework alive!

I have to tell you this story:
About two years ago, some schoolchildren—around fourth grade—came into my shop and wanted to crochet a hat. When I asked them if they already knew how to crochet or if they were beginners, they replied very proudly, “Sure, we can crochet. We learned that in school.” It turned out, however, that they had only crocheted a foundation chain of about 2 m.
At that time, it seemed that needlework classes had been reintroduced in our schools. A lot has happened since then, and it seems there are now qualified needlework teachers, because the kids really can crochet now—including great hats and the like.

I’m amazed at how much needlework class you all had—some of you even for several years, covering all kinds of craft techniques. For me, it was exactly half a school year in 3rd or 4th grade during the summer. Only the girls were required to participate. Meanwhile, the boys were allowed to play outside. I thought that was very unfair. Our old needlework teacher believed that girls had to know how to do things like that, but boys didn’t. We embroidered a bookmark and sewed on buttons. I found it pretty boring.

@Ina
At our school, needlework was for girls; boys had woodworking. Sometimes I would have been interested in woodworking with a fretsaw and such—but unfortunately, we girls weren’t allowed to!

There was also a strict separation by gender where we were, and sometimes I even envied the boys :-).

For me, the beginning was really depressing. Since my mom taught me how to crochet, sew, and knit at a very young age (which I really enjoyed), I was excited when I first had needlework as a class in 3rd grade. While my classmates were trying their hand at pot holders, I didn’t want to come across as a know-it-all by showing off what I could already do, so I crocheted myself a jacket. It was just made of double crochet stitches, but still. My mom had given me bright red yarn for it, though (I don’t like red myself, but I was just glad she’d given me so much yarn), and I crocheted white cuffs onto it. My teacher gave it a 4, explaining: “Great crocheting, but the color combination isn’t pretty at all.” I’ll never forget how disappointed I was back then, because I’d really been counting on a good grade… if only for the effort I put in :-(
From then on, my interest in needlework at school was zero, and in the following school years I always opted for woodworking. Needlework didn’t become interesting to me again until I was about 23 years old. That’s when I started filet crochet and was fascinated by all the patterns. I still have a big box in the attic full of all those doilies and table runners. That lasted about two years, then I hit a lull with crocheting again. I then got more into knitting—from patterned sweaters to socks, I had to make everything.
I didn’t really start crocheting (except for filet crochet, of course) until just under four years ago. I stumbled upon a crochet group on Facebook by chance and only then realized what was possible. I spent hours on YouTube, joined what felt like 1,000 groups, and just soaked up all the techniques. Well, I’ve been with CP since last year, and I still can’t believe how much positive feedback I get almost every day. It’s just so much fun, and I hope it lasts for a loooong time.

Best regards

Hi, I always liked it.

In 3rd grade, we started with weaving—a rug
; in 4th grade, embroidery—a small doily
; in 5th grade, crocheting—a simple
hand puppet; in 6th grade, knitting—a sweater for a teddy

; and from 7th grade on, it was woodwork, metalwork, or painting.

Needlework class at school was definitely not my favorite subject. We girls also thought it was “really mean” that we had to sit in school in the afternoons when the weather was beautiful and be “tormented.” During those two class periods, the boys were jumping around outside the windows, happy that they didn’t have to sit in there.
My pot holders didn’t deserve to be called that. My mom threw them away right away and gave me a scolding for wasting good yarn. It wasn’t much different with knitting. There were deep grooves on my fingers where the yarn “ran,” and the stitches on the needles were so tight that it was hard to knit them properly. As a result, I always ended up with holes.
When it came to sewing, I did manage to finish my apron, but only with my mom’s help—she sewed a seam or two for me at home. She was probably afraid I’d ruin the nice fabric…grin. Somehow, that little gem got sewn and embroidered to completion. I was able to embroider reasonably well. But I got scolded by the teacher because I kept changing the color of the thread. But I couldn’t help it—my aunt still had some gradient yarn at home that I used up.
One thing my teacher said has stuck with me: “Girl, you’ll never manage to make a single pot holder in your whole life.”
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to show her my first christening gown…

My early days with needlework were often accompanied by scolding, so I’m very glad I’ve overcome that “trauma.” The teacher had her favorites—the ones who could do everything and always got it right. That’s not a particularly good way to introduce children to needlework.

I think it’s great how things are handled today. There’s no separation between boys and girls; everyone does everything.

Best regards, Marlies

I was just talking about this with my coworkers—what a coincidence!

I really liked needlework. But I didn’t have it until secondary school. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the teacher, and she didn’t like me either—Sabine, I’m sure that was the case for quite a few people.

It was probably because I was so stubborn and told her I definitely wasn’t going to do what she was telling us to do because I didn’t like it. So I always ended up doing completely different things. I always ended up with a C on my report card. She couldn’t give me a lower grade because the things I made were always perfect.
By the way, I didn’t learn a single thing from her. My mom taught me everything. When she saw what we had to do in school one time, she just shook her head and told me to do my own thing.

Gender segregation was also very strict where we lived. My little sister was the first girl allowed to take woodworking class. She hates needlework like the devil hates holy water, so my mom went all the way to the principal and said she’d go all the way to the top school board official if they didn’t let her take woodworking.
She was allowed to, and she made some really beautiful wood carvings and carpentry projects.
The following year, her best friend was also allowed to take woodworking.

And since my kids now have crafts and needlework classes in elementary school, I can say that things have definitely improved. The main thing is that no child who refuses is forced to learn how to crochet or knit.
My son already crocheted a hat in third grade, and he can also felt and weave.
My daughter makes beautiful wooden crafts, and she’s also good at pottery.

In elementary school, needlework was my favorite subject. Along with choir singing—I’d volunteered for that. But I was better at needlework than singing.
The teacher was very nice and went out of her way to explain everything clearly. The first thing we knitted was a scarf. We started it at school, and I remember being very disappointed because I’d voluntarily knitted it almost to completion at home before the next needlework class, and the teacher then said I shouldn’t work so fast. We also sewed, embroidered, and crocheted, but knitting was definitely my favorite. Apparently, that’s stayed with me.

@PeKa

Well, I know that problem:

“Why should I sew it that way? My grandma is a seamstress, and she explained it to me like that.”

She’d always throw her hands up in the air, and over time, she stopped grinning.
It’s really awkward for a teacher when a student corrects her.

When people ask me why I didn’t become a needlework teacher and I tell them this story, most of them laugh.
Especially the ones who know that woman ;-)

Here’s a funny story:
My son has been able to choose his elective courses since 6th grade… there were quite a few options, including needlework. He was the only boy in the entire 6th grade to sign up for it. His homeroom teacher immediately asked him if that was really what he wanted and if he realized that he’d be the only boy among 20 girls and that his classmates might make fun of him. He replied: “Yes, Ms. Martin, my parents don’t even know about this, and I’m supposed to sign up for whatever I want.” 1. I think it’s great that I’ll have all the girls to myself; 2. we don’t have tests in needlework (in the other elective courses, there’s one test per semester), so I don’t need to study for it; and 3. my mom is really good at crocheting—she can help me if I get stuck. And I don’t care if others laugh at me… I’ll be the one laughing when they have to study for their tests.
After that, his teacher called me, laughing, and congratulated me on my “little sloth.” And the needlework teacher asked me to stop by sometime and show a few pieces… just to motivate the kids. Long story short, I spent a whole year helping the needlework teacher for two hours every Friday; it was all a lot of fun, and my son actually got an A on his report card. He certainly didn’t deserve it, but of course we didn’t complain either ^^. Everyone had fun, and that was the main thing....
After that year, though, my son immediately swore he’d never pick up a crochet hook again....lol