Our Museum Career Ladder (MCL) is a volunteer and employment readiness program offering opportunities for teenagers to engage in fun and meaningful work at the Thinkery to prepare themselves for future endeavors.
This post was authored by one of our fantastic MCL volunteens, Sally! The activity below was designed for our SmART summer camp, but kids and adults alike can definitely try it at home!
I have never used a sewing machine before, so once I heard that I would be learning how to use one, I was so excited! At first glance, using the sewing machine looked difficult and complex, but once I learned the steps, it was simple and my coaster turned out beautifully.
Here is my coaster that I made:
As you can see, it can be used as a little mat for hot cups and mugs. It can even be used as decoration!
Although there may be more parts and other functions, these are the few basic parts of a sewing machine that I learned and needed to sew.
I had such a fun time teaching the kids how to make their own coasters. They were focused and excited at the same time to make something using a sewing machine. Because of that, there was a long line of fabrics waiting to be sewed!
I was satisfied and glad to see the look of happiness once they completed their creation and their engaged expressions. Furthermore, it was heartwarming to watch parents helping their child pin the fabric and creating coasters together. As the project went on, instead of making coasters, some kids made purses, and one kid made an outfit for his teddy bear.
I think this event was a great experience for the kids, especially since it was a few days before Father’s Day and would have a present to give. Even little kids who you’d think would be too young to get use the machine followed directions extremely well and made their amazing coasters. Making the coaster itself didn’t take very long, and with some repetition of the steps in using the machine, all the kids got the hang of it. Now those kids will have the knowledge in using a sewing machine!
For those who weren’t there that day, here are the steps in making your own coaster for you to try out! If you don’t own a sewing machine, you can hand sew your creation if you’d like.
