Welcome to our sewing resources for ELL students. Our program has been providing both hobby and manufacturing sewing skills training for the last 12 years. In that time, we’ve discovered and developed lots of helpful resources and learned a few things about what works and what doesn’t. As we enter our 13th year of existence, we want to share more of what we’ve learned. So, for the time being, this page will serve as an online respository for tools you can use to teach (or learn!) sewing in a limited English context. This is a page in progress, so bookmark and check it frequently for updates.
Sewing Vocabulary
We teach 8-10 English vocabulary words each unit, using a combination of Total Physical Response (TPR), worksheets, games, and digital tools. For our beginner classes, here are the vocabulary lists and Wordwall practice pages.
- Unit 1 Sewing Vocabulary
- Unit 2 Sewing Vocabulary
- Unit 3 Sewing Vocabulary
- Unit 4 Sewing Vocabulary
- Unit 5 Sewing Vocabulary
Free Online Worksheets
- Seam Allowance Practice worksheet
- Sewing Straight, pivots and curves worksheet
Blog Posts Related to Teaching Sewing
At times, teachers write down their thoughts on teaching sewing and working in a classroom of mostly oral learners. We’ve compiled those blog posts all into one place for you.
- See Sewing Class in action
- The Hidden Story: Sewing class and trauma healing
- Why Sewing Class: Sewing and mental health
- In the Others’ Shoes: Cross Cultural Learning, Teaching & Patience