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5th Grade:
Sewing and the Singer Machine
The 5th grade classes focused on the invention of the sewing machine and the affect it had on clothing production around the world.
To begin their exploration, the 5th grade visited the Fenimore Art Museum's Iroquois Storage Facility to learn about inventions and sewing. At one station, students were led on a historical timeline of the invention of the Singer sewing machine and its relationship to Cooperstown. At the second station, they observed patent models from the collection and used critical thinking to decide what they were used for. At this station they also teamed up to solve a problem by drawing up their own invention. At the final station, students compared the benefits and setbacks of hand sewing and machine sewing. They looked closely at some hand and machine sewn clothing from the collection and learned that everyone was taught to sew in the 19th century; it was a survival skill. Students then practiced their own sewing using burlap, yarn and a paper clip "needle" to craft a wallet.
In their following two visits, the fifth graders took their sewing skills to the next level by crafting their own quilt squares. They began with a presentation by CGP student and historical costumer, Emma Bresnan, on what she has made using hand sewing. The students then chose fabric, pinned and sewed the squares together using a running stitch. This required a lot of focus and fine motor technique, which the 5th graders had in abundance! In the next visit, CGP students helped the 5th graders use a sewing machine to attach a backing on their square. Many students thoroughly enjoyed using the sewing machine and made observant connections while using it. As one student explained, "It's like driving a car: the harder you push on the pedal, the faster you go and the less control you have." You can view the quilt show below!
For their final lesson, the 5th grade took their textile explorations into the present to see the global impact the sewing machine has today. Students brainstormed where people can get clothes in Cooperstown and hypothesized where those clothes were made. Everyone picked a piece of clothing they were wearing and charted where it was made on a world map. Explore what they found out!
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