Learning a new skill can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be.
The Indiana Memorial Union Board welcomed students to a beginner-friendly sewing lesson Tuesday in the Frangipani Room for visitors to come learn basic hand stitching.
Sophomores Martha Abraham and Sanjana Jain, co-directors of Canvas Creative Arts, the Union Board’s creative arts committee, pitched the event to the board. Jain was the sewing instructor for Tuesday’s lesson. She said she believes that sewing and altering clothes are basic life skills that everyone should learn.
“I'm very experienced with sewing, so I wanted to do something that everyone could come and learn something,” Jain said. “Every person's body is made differently, so to make something fit the way you want, you might want to take in something.”
During the lesson, students learned three basic stitches: blanket stitch, back stitch and running stitch.
“Those are three things that are the most universal,” Jain said. “You can use those for multiple different things and easier things, like mending, embroidery sometimes, taking in stuff and altering stuff.”
Bloomington Fine Art Supply provided fabric scissors and sewing kits for the event. The kits included a measuring tape, tailor’s chalk, pre-threaded needles, straight pins, a seam ripper and bobbin threads.
Sophomore Mickey Makai, Union Board vice president for relations, reached out to Heather Farmer, owner and founder of Bloomington Fine Art Supply, to see if she’d be interested in partnering to supply sewing kits for the event.
“I love encouraging not just students, but all of us to see and appreciate the lifespan of our physical possessions,” Farmer said. “I love the idea that we're envisioning a longer lifespan for the things that we purchase and that we use and interact with.”
Sewing not only allows people to increase the longevity of their clothes, but Farmer said it is also a chance to take a break from technology. Mending can even be a form of personal expression, where the use of a brightly colored thread draws attention to the stitching.
“It is yet another opportunity to implement individuality, to demonstrate the value of taking a minute,” Farmer said. “If someone has mended their jeans, they have at least put their phone down for 20 minutes.”
Jain explained each item in the kit and its use. Even though the needles were pre-threaded, she included instructions on threading a needle on a slide projected at the front of the room.
Jain then turned on the overhead projector so attendees could see the demonstration close-up. She first taught the running stitch, which works best for hemming materials like denim. The lesson continued with the other stitches and ended with how to sew a button. Jain walked around to help any students were struggling with the steps.
IU senior Maia Crowley said she saw a flyer in the IMU for the event. Crowley had sewn previously but wanted to learn more about mending techniques.
“I like upcycling stuff, so being able to mend those clothes would be great to know how to do,” Crowley said. “I kind of go through phases of sewing and not sewing, so I feel like this will kind of bring back my joy for sewing and make me want to make more things.”
More information on Canvas Creative Arts can be found on social media or beINvolved.
