Class 7 Sewing

As the Class 7 students enter the artistic flourishing of the Renaissance and the rebellion of the Reformation in both the curriculum and in their own development and physical maturity, they discover their incredibly diverse aesthetic capabilities as well as their own awakening powers of thinking and protesting. In their artwork they often become extremely creative and make elaborate designs, and they certainly are competent in working with colour.

This year, the Class 7’s are ready to do projects that would not have been expected of them in the years before. The students learn to hand sew really well and make a pair of pyjama pants to wear. The whole idea of transferring a hand drawn design onto a piece of cloth for something to wear is a new experience. The students expand on their fine motor skills, learn new stitching techniques, and of course, challenge their will. After almost a term and a half of hand stitching, the students are starting to see the fruits of their labour and are seeing the pieces of material which they have stitched together transform to be a garment that they will proudly wear, which they have made with their own hands by thinking, feeling and willing.

Class 8 Spinning 

Knitting, crocheting, sewing, embroidery - what could possibly come next for Class 8’s who are always looking for something new and interesting? What does come next is creating the very material that they used in their early years to learn these fundamental crafting skills. The Class 8’s are immersed in the ancient craft of spinning wool which is a traditional skill that connects people to nature and to the history of textile production. It's a valuable hands-on experience that can teach students about the process of creating yarn from raw materials.

After washing the dirt, grease and impurities from the raw wool fibres, the wool is combed to align the fibres and remove any other impurities, after it is dry, it is then ready for spinning on a drop spindle, a skill that requires practice and coordination.

Learning these traditional skills not only offers a practical understanding of how textiles are made but also promotes patience, precision, and an appreciation for traditional crafts. It is a wonderful way to connect with history and nature while developing a new set of skills. 

The capacity for conceptual thought lies on a higher level of cognitive development. The process of abstraction can be exercised by having the students analyse their own work. The method of examining why a piece of wool became too thick in a particular area or why it kept snapping lends itself to such mental evaluation. When students analyse their crafting work, such as figuring out why a piece of wool became too thick in a particular area or why it kept snapping, they are engaging in several important cognitive processes, including problem-solving, cause and effect, metacognition and abstraction. 

Using their own hand-spun and dyed wool to create tapestry art is a creative and meaningful project for the Class 8 students at PSC. In weaving, every thread is connected to the others, and the final fabric relies on each individual strand’s contribution. This is a powerful metaphor for interconnectedness in life, where our actions and relationships are interwoven to create a larger whole. It also teaches balance: tension must be consistent, and the design must be harmonious, just as in life, balance is often key to success and well-being.

Alison Athoni

Craft Teacher