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In today's world, sewing is no longer a necessity as it was in our mothers' and grandmothers' day. Most women of that era knew how to sew, and could clothe their families by using their sewing skills. Although there are many sewing enthusiasts today, sewing is pursued as a hobby, rather than a necessity.

We are very fortunate to have all the conveniences of today, but I often wonder how many of us could survive if these conveniences were somehow taken away from us. My husband and I have struggled financially for much of our marriage. In spite of that, we managed to survive by using some skills that not everyone possesses. We saved pennies in a penny jar, and when those added up to about five dollars, I would take my girls out to eat for lunch as a special treat. Our family clipped coupons and watched sales in order to save money when shopping. I learned how to bake bread and found that it was cheaper than buying bread at the store. My husband had a small vegetable garden, which provided us with food as well. It was also during this time that I began sewing, and I sewed clothing for my two girls.

Because I had to learn to adjust my habits to our strained financial situation, I also learned patience. Baking bread took much longer than buying a loaf of bread at the store. Sewing my girls' clothing also took much longer than it would have if I had simply bought their dresses at the local department store. This taught me patience because I had to learn to be patient with my circumstances, and patient with the processes of baking bread and sewing clothing.

Young people today live in a time when they receive almost instant gratification. They can text their friends or e-mail them, or IM them and get an immediate response. I often see young people who are very impatient if they have to wait for something for a few minutes. If we teach our children to sew, we are teaching them much more than just a simple skill; we are teaching them patience as well.

Anyone who sews understand that it takes time and patience to sew even the most simple garment or quilt. If sewing a garment, correct body measurements must be taken, the pattern must be bought, and fabric and sewing notions also have to be purchased. When preparing to sew, the fabric has to be washed, and then it is time to pin the pattern to the fabric, cut it out, and begin the sewing process. All of this takes patience.

Teaching your children to sew may also help teach them to laugh at themselves in a healthy way. Even if they have learned patience, seamstresses of all skill levels make mistakes, and sometimes we make silly mistakes. Laughing at these silly mistakes helps reduce stress, and perhaps even reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously.

Any sewing enthusiast also knows that when tackling any sewing project, problem solving skills must be used. Commercial sewing patterns aren't perfect; sometimes the directions are wrong; sometimes the pattern must be altered to achieve correct fit. All of this requires thinking through a problem and trying to come up with a solution. Once again, if children are taught how to sew, they are learning patience and problem solving skills.

Patience and good problem solving skills are important for all of us, and teaching our children to sew might be a very enjoyable way for them to learn these lessons.

Learn more about this author, Belinda Beasley.
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