Walking through the local library today, I couldn’t help but to notice sewing magazines on the magazine rack. That took me back down memory lane. More precisely to grades six through eight when every girl had to take home economics classes.
Home economics class was pretty much one of the most hated class for me. It was right up there with math class and gym class (all the other classes were fine with me.)
At the school that I attended back in the late 1980s when I was in middle school, all girls took home economics while the boys took shop class. There was no choice for us kids, it was mandatory. Girls go to home economics, boys go to shop.
I was one of those girls. I would have been much happier in shop class.
Home economics was nothing more than learning to cook and sew clothing when i took it. By the time that I entered the sixth grade, I already knew how to cook and did it quite well for myself.
I had to know by that grade since with two working parents, I had to know how to fix a meal on my own. At my house, you learned at an early age to cook your own meal without the parents worrying that you would burn the house down or else you would get pretty hungry.
As far as sewing my own clothes, what a disaster that was. I can patch holes in my clothing if I need to, but don’t expect me to sew my own wardrobe.
I left that behind once I got into high school and never looked back. My interest in sewing was never there.
With that being said, I do envy those who can quilt. Quilters can make beautiful patterned works of art.
I will never do it simply I’m just not that interested in sewing. For those who do and love doing it, I do admire their work.
I sometimes wonder about the home economics teacher. Mainly because I feel sorry for her because she had me as a student.
I’m betting more than once that she had wished to be able to ship me off to the shop class. I don’t think I would have blamed her for it.
Photo by Getty Images/FabioBalbi