TEACHING
ON HOW TO SEW
Sewing is the craft of fastening or
attaching objects using stitches made with a needle
and thread.
Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts,
arising in the Paleolithic era. Before the invention of spinning yarn or weaving
fabric,
archaeologists
believe Stone Age people across Europe and Asia sewed fur and skin
clothing
using bone,
antler
or ivory
needles and "thread" made of various animal body parts including sinew, catgut, and veins.
Although
usually associated with clothing and household linens, sewing
is used in a variety of crafts and industries, including shoemaking,
upholstery,
sail making,
bookbinding
and the manufacturing of some kinds of sporting
goods. Sewing is the fundamental process underlying a variety of
textile arts and crafts, including embroidery,
tapestry,
quilting,
appliqué
and patchwork.
Sewing has an ancient history estimated to begin during the Paleolithic
Age. Sewing was used to stitch together animal hides for clothing
and for shelter. The Inuit,
for example, used sinew
from caribou
for thread and needles made of bone; the indigenous peoples of the American
Plains and Canadian Prairies used sophisticated sewing methods to assemble tipi shelters. Sewing was
combined with the weaving of plant leaves in Africa to create baskets, such as
those made by Zulu weavers, who used thin strips of palm leaf
as "thread" to stitch wider strips of palm leaf that had been woven
into a coil.
The weaving of cloth from natural fibers originated in the Middle East
around 4000 BCE, and perhaps earlier during the Neolithic Age,
and the sewing of cloth accompanied this development.
The
main reason why I have decided to choose sewing is because I wanted
these teenagers or young adults to notice that there are so much more than
being drug addicts, drinking alcohol and unlimited social life. All of these
could lead to zina and maksiat. As a Muslim, I feel obligated to help everyone
around me who is in the wrong direction of path. At least, by sewing, it would
take of their mind of something unbeneficial and do something else for a
change. Even Allah S.W.T. has it being written down in the Al- Quran about the
“When
the prohibition of wine (was yet to be) declared, Umar said: O Allah, give us a
satisfactory explanation about wine. So the following verse of Surat al-Baqarah
revealed; "They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say: In them is
great sin...." Umar was then called and it was recited to him. He said: O
Allah, give us a satisfactory explanation about wine. Then the following verse
of Surat an-Nisa' was revealed: "O ye who believe! approach not prayers
with a mind befogged...." Thereafter the herald of the Apostle of Allah
S.W.T. would call when the (congregational) prayer was performed: Beware, one
who is drunk should not come to prayer. Umar was
again called and it was recited to him. He said: O Allah, give us a
satisfactory explanation about wine. This verse was revealed: "Will ye not
then abstain?" Umar said: We abstained.”[1]
This
shows how much Allah despises doing unlawful sins that would lead young
generations to go astray.
Moreover,
the second reason why I want sewing be taught to the students is because sewing
is an easy and an interesting skill to be learnt and to be understood. If the
students constantly work hard, they definitely are able to catch up with
skilling up and soon are able to sell their products to make a living.
Furthermore, one of the reasons why sewing is important and useful is because
tailors are always needed for every century and for everyday life. There will
be constant demand for tailors with the ability to do sewing. The higher skill
you have in sewing usually ends up in a higher salary. Thus, I am going to do my
best in training these twenty students so that they can become successful and
independent tailors. All they have to do is attend all the class and all the
tutorials that are going to be held every weekend.
There are many benefits of sewing.
One of them includes planning. This could help someone to be more discipline
and more reliable. The students must know that they are the decorator. You are
the decorator when you sew. They can start by looking at the decorating needs
and sewing projects room by room. A home generally looks larger and more
pleasing when colors and patterns flow easily from one room to the next. Colors
and patterns should relate, but they may branch off into different color
schemes and moods.
The first step of planning is to know when to
start. They are going to learn on how to start planning the color scheme and
then be shown on what to sew and how to sew. Next, they are going to be taught
on record keeping. An important part of sewing plan is a notebook with pocket
folders so that you have a place to collect samples and swatches. Pictures and
ideas should be clipped in the notebooks with ideas. Mix in fabrics and colors
should be looks upon. The more ideas collected the better. The measurements of
plans, pictures and snapshots should be kept in this notebook, along with phone
numbers of important resources. [2]
I am going to teach them the basics of design, such as color and coordination.
Things that they have to provide by themselves are a notebook and some pencils.
Even color pencils will be provided for them. This would make them feel easier
to come and learn new things and so that they would feel burdened.
Second benefits of sewing in my
opinion are that it teaches patience. Patience is really needed in our everyday
life especially in this era where everything needs to be rushed and completed
as fast as it can. This can cause madness and disturbed heart and mind in our
society. So in my opinion, by teaching them to sew, these generations could be
the rare and explicit and would be the examples of many. Sewing consumes a lot
of hours of patience and accuracy which not everyone have the patience to do
so.
Sewing is
usually associated to the female population. And
sometimes they wonder if they are allowed to work in the society or what not. I
am afraid that they refuse to work in public. Hence, I have decided on teaching
sewing to these teenagers or young adults that they can be working at home and
will be earning money.
There is a
quotation in Al- Quran regarding the matter on working females Muslims. Muslim
women are not forbidden from going out in the community, working, or visiting
relatives and female friends, if there is no objection from their
guardian/husband and they are covered and behave and speak according to Islamic
guidelines and, if necessary, escorted by their Mahram (a close male relative).
However, a woman’s home should be the main base that she works from. Allah
(SWT) instructed the wife’s of the Prophet (SAW):
"O wives of the Prophet! You
are not like any other women. If you keep your duty (to Allah), then be not
soft in speech, lest he is whose heart is a disease (of hypocrisy or evil
desire for adultery, etc.) should be moved with desire, but speak in an
honorable manner. And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like
that of the times of ignorance, and offer prayers perfectly (Iqamat-as-Salat),
and give Zakat and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah wishes only to remove
Ar-Rijs (evil deeds and sins, etc.) from you, O members of the family [of the
Prophet (SAW)], and to purify you with a thorough purification." (Al-Ahzab
33:32-33)[3]
There are many ways on how sewing
could help the community. These students are going to grow up being
successful tailors and they themselves could help the community. One of the ways
is by sewing so that they could give out basic necessities to the homeless or
to the orphans in need. The rewards could only be given by the All Mighty
either in this world or the hereafter, or even both. Moreover, they could help
the community by teaching them on how to sew or even give out free lectures and
so on. There was a quotation of hadith by Prophet Muhammad S.A.W regarding this
matter;
“Whosoever
relieves from a believer some grief pertaining to this world, Allah will
relieve from him some grief pertaining to the Hereafter. Whosoever alleviates
the difficulties of a needy person who cannot pay his debt, Allah will
alleviate his difficulties in both this world and the Hereafter. Whosoever
conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults in this world
and the Hereafter. Allah will aid a servant (of His) so long as the servant
aids his brother. Whosoever follows a path to seek knowledge therein, Allah
will make easy for him a path to Paradise. No people gather together in one of
the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among
themselves, except that tranquility descends upon them, mercy covers them, the
angels surround them, and Allah makes mention of them amongst those who are in
His presence. Whosoever is slowed down by his deeds will not be hastened
forward by his lineage.”[4]
As the world evolves, there are many competitions between
humankind to make a living. This causes competition to arise. There are many
ways on how to make a living by sewing. First of all, you can make a
living by sewing by trying to sell out trending items. Let’s say that this
year’s hot trending item is a flowery blouse, and then you must follow the
trends and sew it accordingly. But as a Muslim, we must use our skills to
goodness. Hence, we must make sure that the fashion trends that we follow are
following the sharia of Islam and covering our aurah perfectly. There is no
need to follow a trend just to make money for a living as our rezeki is in
Allah’s hand alone. Not only fashion, they can also make money by sewing pillow
cases, spreadsheets, and even blankets. These are all basic necessities and
needed in our everyday life, so there will be a no problem in selling them out.
Next, sewing is not as difficult and
complicated as it seems. There are many ways on how to be successful in this
field. The only step needed to be successful in this field is that you need
to practice lots and lots of times. You need to have the skills to make these
items. Hence, that is the reason why we are training these twenty students as
they have to be trained from a young age so that they can be successful fast.
Insyaa Allah, if they practice a lot and have good intentions, Allah will help
them too. As what said by Prophet Muhammad SA.W. ;
لأَنْ يأخُذَ أحدُكُم حَبْلهُ فَيأتِي بحُزْمةِ حَطب على
ظَهرِهِ فيَـبيعَها فَيَكُفَّ اللهُ بها وجْههُ
خَيْرٌُُ لهُ مِن أنْ يسألَ النّاسَ: أعْطُوهُ أو
مَنَعُوهُ
It
is better for any of you to take your rope and bring a bundle of wood and sell
it, (in which case Allah will guard your honor) than to beg of people, who may
give him or reject him.[5]
Or maybe after the class and tutorial is over, they can
independently attend colleges or universities if they are certain that they are
fully interested in designing or in fashion industries or maybe just sewing. By
having experiences and certificates, they can be more eligible to be joining
big businesses that require full time, certificated tailors who they can trust.
This is a big opportunity to be successful in this field. All they need is
patience, hard work and prayers. They should never feel like they do not
deserve to be in the higher ground.
They do not
have to be afraid on succeeding. As quoted by Elizabeth Zimmerman, a famous
British knitter;
“There is no right way to knit; there is no wrong way to knit. So if anybody kindly tells you that what you are doing is "wrong," don't take umbrage; they mean well. Smile submissively, and listen, keeping your disagreement on an entirely mental level. They may be right, in this particular case, and even if not, they may drop off pieces of information which will come in very handy if you file them away carefully in your brain for future reference.”[6]
Sewers
working on a simple pattern need only a few sewing tools: measuring tape, needle,
thread, cloth, and sewing shears. These items could be borrowed and supplied by
the classroom that the teachings are going to be held. If it wasn’t enough, we
will buy more items or tools using the fund that is provided by the villagers.
More complex
patterns done on a sewing machine may only need a few more simple tools to get
the job done, but there are an ever-growing variety of helpful sewing aids
available, such as presser foot attachments for sewing ruffles, or
hem repair glue. When the
sewer has gathered the necessary tools to tackle a pattern, there are several
elements of garment construction that are part of the process. Construction stitches include edge stitching, under stitching, stay stitching and topstitching;
seam
types include the plain seam, zigzag seam, flat fell
seam, French seam, and many others.
No matter what you do, there will
always be an impact no matter if it’s a negative effect or a positive effect.
So what does sewing do to help the society? By teaching these
students to sew and ways on how to earn money for living, these are helping
them and the society to reduce the amount of unemployment. Thus, this helps in
the economics of all our fellow Muslim. We need to make sure that Islamic
economics are in a very good state so that we could lead the world in a better
position than the current one.
Moreover, every day, we keep on
hearing that the teenagers and young adults have been wasting their time and
money to do unbeneficial things such as drugs, smoking and so much more which
could lead to big and dangerous things. We are trying our best so that these things
would not happen anymore, especially in our beloved country Malaysia.
Furthermore, by creating more
professional tailors, Islam’s name would be known for our excellence and thus
rises up our name in the global community and internationally.
The conclusion to this topic
is that teenagers and young adults need to be guided so that they will choose
the right path. This is our duty as fellow Muslims to help one another and warn
one another. Whenever they need help, we must be volunteering to help them. As said
in the Quran ;
“Help each other to goodness and heedfulness. Do not help each
other to wrongdoing and enmity. Heed Allah. Allah is severe in retribution.”[7]
No
matter what race and beliefs that they are having, we must continue to help our
society. Insyaa Allah, our hope is show them on how to pursue in this world,
and that would open up all of our hearts to gain hidayah. This is what keeping
us moving and only wanting rewards from Allah S.W.T. May that whatever we do will be blessed by
Allah S.W.T alone.
Finally, I hope that this project
will be beneficial to us all and opened up our eyes on how society these days
need a lot of help even though the country keeps on evolving from day to day
and so does the world.
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