Did you make anything at school ?

Welshwife
jam roly poly is on the best menus these days!

I think I made the usual things in needlework and cookery, but they weren't very inspiring.
Much better was a craft class in the 6th form, where I screen-printed some fabric and covered a small armchair with it.

I started a dress aged 14, by the end of term it was still at the halfway stage, it went into a drawer and never saw the light of day again! That was the full extent of my sewing skills. Oh, in the infants we made Red Indian wigwams by folding stiff paper into cone shapes then sewingup the sides, slightly more successful.

When I was in the primary school we were taught basic embroidery stitches doing them on a sort of fine canvas - herring bone, satin,chain etc. the high point was a sort of canvas chair back which was embroidered - looked Ok but very uncomfortable to put your head against.
At Grammar school the first term was spent making an apron and cap - all done by using herring bone or similar stitches to hold the seams etc. - as I had continued to do embroidery at home I was fairly quick and those of us who had finished were given the task of cleaning the cottage we had our lessons in - instruction about cleaning doors from the bottom So the water runs didn't make marks you couldn't get off. - oven cleaning involved a pink paste called Chemico. Then we went into cooking - one week a demonstration and the next we made the dish. There was one time we had to make a jam roly poly! My mother was a good cook so much of what we made at school didn't pass my test of being an OK thing to eat! This happened to the poor roly poly - once the suet stuff was jammed and rolled it was cooked in a large cloth with flour sprinkled on it and then boiled in a pan of water!!!! The flour sort of turned into a glue! That evening this monstrosity was sitting rejected on the side when my Dad spoke to me - he needed to slightly alter the run of water from the sink to the drain and said would be mind if he cut up bits of the said cooking and use that - it worked very successfully as he got the flow right and did the pipe work. His friend was horrified when he saw what he was doing but I didn't mind at all and found it funny. Till the day he died he always referred to it as 'plum duff' and from time to time when doing a job would ask if I had any!!

What my education lacked in English grammar (something that I've only overcome through studying foreign languages), it certainly made up for in creative / practical skills - I remember making too many things to list, in both primary and secondary school.

To this day, I love making things, whether by sewing, knitting, cooking etc. and don't recall a single 'practical' lesson at school that I considered a waste of time. Frome domestic science lessons, there are recipes that I use to this day (albeit adapted over time in the case of some of them), and in sewing, I learned all the skills that I needed to follow a pattern, and we were allowed to make whatever we wanted by the time we were half-way through secondary school.

Many thanks to Meltham C of E and Holmfirth High School on this score

which were even worse than mine at home.
*oldgoat lol

I made some fairly inedible food in my domestic science lessons including disgusting neck of mutton stew with eyes of grease floating on the top and ginger nuts which were so hard my dad's pigeons couldn't eat them.
At the end of every lesson the saucepans had to be presented to the DS teacher who ran her finger round the inside corner to check for food remains, then the ovens had to be cleaned before we were allowed to leave.
I have been to cookery classes in local schools recently and have been shocked at the state of the ovens which were even worse than mine at home.

I remember making, in the first year of seniors, an apron and cap for domestic science. Later, a yellow gingham skirt with pleats (hideous - never wore it), and a pair of lined slacks with a zip at the side, which caused me more trouble than anything before or since. We had an Austrian sewing teacher with a thick accent who said to me once "you are sewing zer seams like zer blind cow is valking!!" I liked her too ! I hated, and still hate, needlework. I envied the boys their woodwork lessons - I would have been good at that!
I still have, and use, a spectacle case that DD made in a needlework class, and a wooden stand for putting your watch on that DS made at school.

Made loads of stuff at school- sewing, knitting, woodwork, etc.

For cookery, that was a whole morning, theory and discussing the menu and how it was balanced, then we were sent out with the list and money to do the shopping and then account back- and then cook the 3 courses, and then washing up! Glasses first, then cutlery, then plates, then pots- and always rinse properly!!!

baubles sock knitting is very popular again now - a friend does it and gave me some bright stripey ones for my DGD, but I haven't tried it myself

At junior school I made one of those samplers with embroidery stitches, a needle case in the shape of a crinoline lady (still lurking around somewhere in my needlework box) and a quite nice (or so I thought at the time) dark blue flowered skirt with ric-rac around the hem, all handstitched, which I wore that summer. I must have been about 9.

At High School I made a revolting pink seersucker nightdress, it took two terms, and I can't remember cookery lessons at all.
I was so relieved to do Latin instead of Domestic Science after the first year.
However, the Latin wasn't much use after 'O' Level and I have done lots of machine sewing and other crafts since. And cooking

Jing we had to do similar, but the bib had pin tucks and there was a matching cap. Bit like maids in period plays.
We also had to embroider in 2" high satin stitch our first and second names across the top.
Mine consisted of 16 letters.
I STILL HATE SEWING

I bet your teacher would have been proud of you jings putting those mittens to use! I wish I'd kept the beautiful hand sewn dress I'd made as my GCE project. It was a classic design, waisted with a full skirt and inset tie sash. The front bodice was hand smocked and it had puff sleeves and a Peter Pan collar. At 16 I thought it horribly old fashioned and threw it away. When my DD was 5 I remembered it and sorely wished I still had it

We used to have to do embroidery type stitches on squares of canvas sacking. Can't remember what we did with them.

The mittens were made in junior school. So I kept them a long time.

Oh yes! And I knitted some little pink baby mittens, which I used for both of my two daughters. Still got them somewhere.

I made an apron with a bib top, and a circular skirt. The apron in particular taught me a lot about dressmaking, which I found useful in later years. The circular skirt was a nightmare to hem.

Had to make a nightdress, which I finished in two classes, so was then let loose on the only machine! Has come in handy many times - I made all dd1's summer dresses without a pattern for years. Was thrown out of cookery for asking why we couldn't make something sensible, like macaroni cheese, instead of endless fairy cakes. My mother had died and I really needed to learn!!

Oh yes! Cookery was obligatory and whilst I learnt things I'll never use like how to 'souse' a herring I learnt all the basics I've used every since, for pastry , cakes etc. We also had to take needlework to lower 5th , so I made an apron , a blouse and various bits and bobs for the scariest needlework teacher EVER !!

I made a yellow nightdress in my second year at secondary school. It was all sewn by hand and the material was brushed nylon stuff that pulled and caught on everything. It had to be sewn with French seams ( not sure if that is the right term) I gave it to my sister as a 21st birthday present! I also made a cap and apron in bright green gingham for use in domestic science lessons. When I think of all the hours wasted sewing when I really think I could have excelled at woodwork or technical drawing. I did take up sewing when my children were born in the early seventies due to money restrictions but soon gave it up in favour of reading and watching daytime tv.

Cookery apron and cap in the first term at secondary school. A gym slip in the second term and then numerous garments such as a gingham circular skirt and blouse. I was already a proficient knitter by the time I was ten and knit baby clothes for my sister born that year. In secondary school I was knitting jumpers and hiking socks on four needles. If I remember correctly I knit a Fair isle sweater for my skiing trip in Norway when I was fourteen. These skills stood me in good stead, it meant that my babies always had the clothes they needed even though we were relatively poor then.

For the dom. sci. school certificate we had to make some buns. Two of mine were decidedly wonky....so I ate 'em.We also had to make half a bra from a pattern and i often wonder what happened to them .Also I thought it would have been a good idea if half the country ha d made the left half and half the right. They could the have been stitched together and made hundreds of complete bras!

At primary school we knitted scarves and were taught basic embroidery stitches.
In secondary school we made our cookery aprons and lined gym skirts to start with. I later made a dress and skirt. I loved sewing and still like most crafts.

In primary school I eventually made a lap bag after many attempts to get my hemming stitch to the standard required by the stickler of a teacher. I'm glad she made me unpick it so many times though, my brownie/guide badges were always beautifully sewn on and now I'm doing the same for my granddaughter.

The knitting of socks using four kneedles has never been replicated though.

In high school I didn't set foot in the domestic science department until 6th year when I had a couple of free periods and used them to learn to sew and type. I wore my herringbone midi skirt many times, however the blouse I made to go with it wasn't such a success, I had a bit of a disaster with the button holes.

In the fourth year at grammar school all the girls had to make a Christmas Cake. It took all of the September term to first make the actual cake, then marzipan it, then several practice lessons with Royal icing before the final decorating was done. That base layer of icing had to be completely smooth and level - I mean 'spirit level' level! All the cakes were put in an exhibition and parents and friends invited along for an evening to view them. They were as good as anything you'd see in a quality bakery. My Domestic Science lessons have served me well, as have the needlework lessons. We were taught well.