Sewing in a STEM Makerspace for All

Once upon a time, just a year ago, a STEM coordinator (who also sewed, quilted, and crafted) told me that sewing could not be considered a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) club. I disagreed as hand and machine sewing, fabric design and construction, pattern making, garment construction, cross-stitch, quilting, and embroidery all involve varying degrees of STEM depending on the project and difficulty.  

In Stephanie Vasko’s Creating Craftier Engineers: Why Students Should Learn to Sew in STEM Classes, https://slate.com/technology/2015/06/stem-classes-should-include-lessons-about-low-tech-crafts-like-sewing.html, Vasko stresses that crafting can be just as important as technology and should also fall into the maker category, along with other handicrafts. With a PhD in chemistry and nanotechnology, she felt a disconnect at techie DIY/makerspaces because she was often the only female in attendance. However, in female sewing circle groups, she felt shunned because her educational background. 

Vasko likes the fact that some schools have put the A for Arts in STEM, but feels that everyone should be included regardless of gender, race, educational level, and preference of activities. The article stresses the importance of arts and crafts being non-gender specific and be included in STEM/STEAM classes or makerspaces. Sewing is a STEM activity that is often neglected, and can be low or high-tech. Some of the high-tech sewing materials include conductive thread, sewable circuits and programmable LEDs. I have not tried any of those high-tech with sewing, but I’m anxious to give it a try in a maker station. 

From teaching a STEM class to sponsoring a sewing/craft club, called “Sew What?”, I made sure that my club group members were diverse in many categories, except males. While teaching that STEM class of nineteen, eleven students received Special Education Services and I wasn’t quite sure how that was going to work out. I had no control over who was placed in the STEM class, but it was a great experience. These middle school kids got to sew a pillowcase for themselves and another one for an orphanage. Two of most excited and hardworking students during that unit was a non-English speaker and a student who barely knew the alphabet. The latter student had used a sewing machine at home. The unit called for students to design an emergency shelter on paper, but I thought that was boring and not very real-world, so I incorporated sewing pillowcases for a local orphanage. Some of the students were so excited they wanted to make pillowcases for their teachers and family members. While students were waiting for a free sewing machine, they started pilfering through the fabric and polyester fiber fill boxes and started making no-sew pillows for their dogs and/or girlfriends! I couldn’t get upset! 

The photos below are from a recent maker station in the Library/Media Center. Students made fabric coasters for veterans. I set out the materials and invited prior members of The Sew What? Club to stop by and participate, as well as any student who was in the library to check out books. One or more students at a time would design, fold, assemble, pin, sew, trim, flip, and iron. At times, students worked collaboratively or had an assembly line going.  

I wanted to have a maker station in the Library/Media Center last year but was just too overwhelmed as a first-year media specialist. This was my third and most involved maker station this year. Dr. Heather Morefield-Lang's advice about not feeling pressured to have a maker space is great advice. I thought about it a lot last year, but couldn't pull it off. One of my professional goals for the past two years was to have a maker space in the library. Now, that I’ve tried it, I’d like to step up the sewing to include using conductive thread, sewable circuits and programmable LEDs.  

Sewing Maker Station: Folded Fabric Coasters

Sources: 

Morefield-Lang, H. (2018). Makerspaces, SLIS 761. Retrieved from YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBsEHD0XE6E&feature=youtu.be 

Vasko, S. (2015). Creating craftier engineers: Why students should learn to sew in STEM classes. Future Tense. Retrieved from https://slate.com/technology/2015/06/stem-classes-should-include-lessons-about-low-tech-crafts-like-sewing.html 

Additional Sources:

Folded charm coasters with a twist. Retrieved from https://www.daysfilledwithjoy.com/2017/12/15/folded-charm-coasters-twist/

Symbaloo makerspace webmix which includes sewing links. Retrieved from https://www.symbaloo.com/mix/classroommakerspaces

SLIS 761 Digital curation overview and links:Makerspaces. Retrieved from

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dPMpY8bXpbgegvuzmxC4rXjGWCm2DJFl8BBU9kycBuc/edit?usp=sharing