Buckles and Bobbins - Real men do sew!

Learn to Sew! From plugging in the sewing machine to sewing pajamas, Buckles and Bobbins, our boys sewing book, guides the novice tailor with clear, step-by-step instructions.

Sixteen projects, complete with sewing patterns, are useful items you will be proud to use, wear, or give. Pillowcases, potholders, duffel bags, blankets, vests: each sewing project focuses on mastering specific sewing techniques, and builds upon skills learned. An extra life skills section covers how to sew on a button, and how to iron a shirt.

Special techniques beyond the basics ensure that the final creation will be as professionally constructed as it was fun to make. Guys agree, learning to sew and design your own outdoor gear is cool.

	Quan.	Description	Price
1.		Buckles and Bobbins A Beginning Sewing Book for Boys! by JoAnn Gagnon and Corrie Gagnon Berneking Item No. BBB	$24.95
2.		Buckles & Bobbins patterns for 18" dolls Plan on taking your doll with you to your next pajama party or campout, dressed in outfits that you have made yourself and that match your own. Buckles & Bobbins 18" doll patterns include fifteen projects that coordinate with the projects in the book. Item No. PAT-BBD	$9.95
3.		Buckles & Bobbins plus Sewing and Growing with God's Wisdom Item No. SB-BBGW	$32.90 $34.90
4.		Buckles & Bobbins PLUS 18" Doll Patterns $$SAVE$$ Purchase both Buckles & Bobbins, A Beginning Sewing Book For Boys and the coordinating 18" doll clothing pattern, and save $4.00! Retail - $34.90; You pay - $31.90 Item No. BB _ PAT	$32.90 $34.90
5.		Buckles & Bobbins book and 18" co-ordinating doll patterns, and Sewing & Growing with God's Wisdom Item No. SB-BBGW18	$41.85 $44.85
6.		Extra set of pattern sheets for Buckles & Bobbins Item No. BBB-XP	$5.00
7.		Let's Go Camping "Are you wanting to sew something for that little boy in your life but are tired of clothes? Let's go camping is a pattern for a cloth book that might keep your boy still long enough to realize that he really wants to go camping! The book you make will teach him to zip, tie, count, button, buckle, snap, learn his colors, and more. You'll have as much fun making it as he has playing with it." Item No. PAT-Camping	$9.95
8.		Sewing & Quilting Activity Pages "This fun filled activity book will keep you in stitches for a while with dot to dot, coloring, mazes and word searches. 32 pages of puzzles and more, including a couple of sewing projects! You will build the love of sewing and learn a few skills along the way as you inspire and challenge your budding seamstress. Learn to sew while having fun!" Item No. Bk-SQA	$4.95

All prices in US Dollars

Book Review for Buckles and Bobbins:
A quick history lesson: knitting did not used to be the province of little old ladies in rocking chairs. Shepherds - many of whom were tough, muscular, men - knitted and crocheted to fill in the many hours of watching sheep chew. The lesson? Real men knit, crochet, and sew.

Yes, real men sew, which means that real boys sew, which means that Buckles and Bobbins: A Beginning Sewing Book for Boys is the resource of choice for 9 to 15 year old males who want to develop a skill beyond replacing a button on a favorite jacket. Authors JoAnn Gagnon and Corrie Gagnon, veteran sewers with 50 years of stitching, ripping, restitching, designing, altering and tailoring between them, have put together 16 sewing projects that even Tom Sawyer would be proud to admit that he had made.

Arranged according to difficulty, the sewing lessons begin with pillowcases, laundry bags, book covers, and strip quilting a blanket; progress to a bound fleece blanket and roll-up wrench case; and culminate with sewing a backpack, cargo pants and multi-pocketed, reversible zipped sports vests that can be customized for fishing, hunting, hiking, or just walking around and looking like a man. Step by step instructions, copious line drawings, and full-size sewing patterns ensure that the journey from novice to tailor is a smooth one, and one that can be accomplished whether or not the boy's parents can sew. Because each project builds upon skills learned in the one before it, sewers pick up new sewing techniques while perfecting old ones.

By the end of the book, a boy is not only sleeping in pajamas of his own making, but also knows how to install a zipper, line a vest, put in a facing, understitch a seam, craft an elastic waist band, bias tape a raw edge - in short, he is far beyond the replacing-a-fallen-off-button stage.

Sewing requires precision, accuracy, craftsmanship, imagination, and time - essentially the same attributes necessary to build a house or repair a car. Buckles and Bobbins enables today's male to construct wearable clothing and repair what's hanging in his closet (or lying on the floor), developing a skill that increases self-sufficiency and enhances the independent spirit. Now what could be more masculine than that?

A Note from a Customer:
“Dear JoAnn, I received a copy of Buckles & Bobbins yesterday, and I am so excited! I have three boys

12, 1.5. This is great for them. So much sewing is

directed towards girls, so thank you for providing

my boys and chance to learn a valuable skill.”

	Sewing Tips and Ideas Can and should boys learn to sew? Yes! Yes! Sewing teaches a skill that all boys need in their repertoire. Boys are fun to work with and approach sewing for a different purpose than girls. You'll find yourself learning some tricks from them. Here are some ideas for adjusting how you teach sewing to boys.
		Finding sewing projects of interest is vital to a positive sewing experience. Cargo pants, knife shields, gear cases, bags and packs are always winners. What are his hobbies? Does he like camping or fishing? Is he mechanically inclined? Select sewing projects that have a purpose, even if they are above his skill level. He'll rise to the occasion when it's worth it.
		Small hand coordination does not develop as soon in boys as in girls, making pinning and cutting out patterns, threading needles and snipping threads a frustrating process. You may want to help pin the main corners of the pattern piece, and let him practice pinning in between the pins, one inch in from the cutting edge. For success with the scissors, I suggest you cut around the general outline of the pattern piece, then he can turn the pattern piece as he cuts for more accuracy. Also, rather than have him cut notches, purchase color coded sticky dots from an office supply, and let him stick these on for markings.
		I think a boy's favorite word is "WHY?" Boys want to see the big picture, and by explaining the 'why' of each step of the sewing project to him at the beginning, you will avoid a barrage of questions throughout the sewing process. Be aware, however, that there will still be a lot of questions. While both boys and girls have limited concentration abilities, boys are especially prone to asking unrelated questions at unexpected times.
		Plan short sewing sessions - 45 minutes maximum, and don't keep him at the machine after his attention span has run out. Keep sewing fun.
		Boy's don't press; they iron - with gusto!
		Boy's deal with frustration - both theirs and yours - differently. They may blow up; You may blow up; but when it's done it's done. Boys get over the episode and are ready to resume the task at hand as if nothing had happened. This is refreshing.
		Boys are bold, creative, and imaginative! Allow them to develop their ideas. Their color choices may make you shudder, but limit your suggestions to one or two. Boys are less concerned about harmony than they are about impact. Also, let them look through your fabric stash; they will find purposeful uses for scraps that you never would have dreamed of.
		Can boys sew? You bet! Let your sewing experience together not only be exciting and lots of fun, but a catalyst to help him develop a lifelong interest in sewing.

Check it out!

Instructional Slide Show: "Coming Soon...Exposed Zipper Application!"

"Buckles & Bobbins," a review from The Old Schoolhouse Store:

I have found the answer to teaching my children to sew! I am so excited about this, you can't even believe it! When I found a curriculum on teaching our daughters to be homemakers (see review for Future Christian Homemakers on our website) I was intrigued by the sewing curriculum the author recommended. I contacted Mrs. Gagnon, and asked if I could review her sewing curriculum so that readers could see of what the homemaker book was talking. Am I ever glad I asked!

This is the cream of the crop for teaching young children (girls AND boys) to sew. The book for girls is called Stitches and Pins and the book for boys is called Buckles and Bobbins. My mother-in-law had taught her son to sew and bake and I was so happy to marry someone so self-sufficient that I promised myself I would teach our sons and daughters the same way. There was only one problem; I hadn't been taught how to sew! I knew enough to get by, but teaching it is entirely different. These books will help! They are written to teach children aged eight to 16, and are written in a very easy to understand format, with step-by-step instructions. Both books come with 14 projects, and while the books contain the patterns, the supplies needed are to be purchased separately. Kits for all projects can be purchased from the website, www.bunkhousesewing.com, and include all fabrics, notions, and thread to complete the projects found in the books. This is an excellent way to know that you have exactly what you need, especially if the thought of entering a fabric store sends you into a panic attack! These are great kits, and you have a choice of fabric from which to choose. Now, back to the books themselves!

The books start out very basically, and step you through all parts of the basic sewing machine, along with the basic sewing supplies with which you should be familiar. There are simple, clear black and white drawings to accompany the explanations. The books go on to describe everything you need to know about fabric, including fiber content, grain lines and preshrinking! Patterns are discussed and clearly explained, as is the directions on how to pin the pattern to the fabric. All this before you are ready to sew, but it is presented in such a clear manner, that I wasn't stressed or afraid that I would never "get it." Mrs. Gagnon and her daughter are obviously very talented seamstresses and are also very articulate and able to explain concepts clearly and simply. It is evident throughout the books that they love what they do! Each project is clearly laid out and easily followed with the step-by-step approach. The projects start out very simply with a pillowcase, and progress to more difficult concepts and techniques.

You will be making pajamas, potholders, vests, skirts, etc. The differences between the boys and girls books are small, but important. The projects in the boy's books are geared for boys! Most young boys don't want to make a doll quilt, like the girls do in project number six, but they would get interested in making a patchwork quilt for using at night to watch TV or read a book! Most boys probably wouldn't be interested in making a skirt or purse either, but I don't know any boy who wouldn't be interested in making a fisherman's vest and a pair of cargo pants! The authors have addressed the gender needs of their students very well, and I am excited about teaching my son how to sew these projects. I know the satisfaction it will bring him when he realizes that he can do this himself! The book for boys also includes a few pages of basic sewing that they will need for life skills, such as ironing a shirt properly (they will have to have a job someday!), as well as mending rips and holes and sewing on buttons.

Both of these books are just so well written and illustrated that I feel confident in using them to teach my children these very important skills. In today's world we often think of the more "hi-tech" skills our kids need to learn, but sewing is very important and a needed skill, for both our sons and daughters. Now I know why these books were recommended so highly by the other author I was working with, and I recommend them just as highly!

There are also other kits available on the bunkhouse books website, including doll patterns for 18" dolls that are designed to make use of the leftover material you will have when you finish a project in Stitches and Pins. This way, your daughter will be able to make coordinating outfits for her dolls. What little girl wouldn't want to do that? There is also a coordinating doll pattern book for the projects in Buckles and Bobbins, and plans are in the works for an intermediate book for girls called Pins and Needles. Also, on the website you will find a downloadable curriculum outline written to go along with Stitches and Pins. The outline contains extra projects available on the website, and when used with the book, the projects work out to be 110 or more school hours that you can use to document your work. There is also a downloadable award certificate available on the website. The authors are very excited to help with the homeschool movement and have made an effort to help you with your planning! You won't be disappointed with your decision to go with these books, I for one am very glad I found them!

Additional Viewing Pages for Buckles & Bobbins

Buckles & Bobbins Instruction Page

Buckles & Bobbins Project Page

Buckles & Bobbins Table of Contents