Sewing patterns can provide an interdisciplinary focus for social studies topics – the history of women and average people; revolutions in industry, technology, and communication; and economic trends such as globalization. Patterns also are excellent primary sources for the elementary, middle and secondary classroom.
I love the idea of using old sewing patterns in the classroom as primary sources. I would love to use this in a lesson/ unit of study about women in history. I think examining their clothing and how their clothing changed overtime can tell students a lot about how culture and the idea of how women should behave in society has changed overtime.
You can use a variety of different sewing patterns throughout history and have students examine how fashion patterns have changed. You could ask students questions like “How can we examine women’s role in society based on their clothing?”
This is a fun and interesting way to get students involved in the classroom and getting hands-on with primary sources.
I think this is a great primary source to use in my future classroom! It would be a great lesson to teach my students about globalization and how clothing used to be made at home, but is now made mostly overseas in factories. The students could compare the different styles of clothing that were popular during each decade. Personally, I would love to show my students the unique fabrics that people used to make their clothes, while allowing my students to understand the cultural and economic reasons of the use of specific styles, patterns, and materials.
I’ll use this as a primary source for one of my lessons about culture, history, or even economics. Most elementary students don’t even know that most people in the past created their own clothing. Students can learn from this simply through examining the details and then applying what they discover to the new concept. Incorporating this would be fun and engaging for students.