What does sewing mean?
Word: Sewing
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Sewing means the work of joining cloth with a needle and thread, by hand or with a machine.
Synonyms: stitching, needlework, tailoring
Sounds like: sowing (said exactly like sewing but a different word; check the sentence first)
How do you spell sewing?
Syllables: sew - ing
Tricky part: Sew is said like so, but it is spelt with ew. A sound-alike word with an o means something quite different, so read the sentence before you choose.
Watch out for: soing, sueing, seweing
Memory tip: Sew, sewed, sewn: the e-w stays in every form of the verb, and in sewing too.
Sewing in a sentence
Example 1: Nani's sewing machine still works perfectly after forty years.
Example 2: Meera is sewing buttons back onto her school shirt.
Example 3: We learnt simple sewing stitches in our craft class.
Fun Fact
In 1846 the American inventor Elias Howe patented a sewing machine that used a needle with the eye near its point, an idea most machines still follow.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Twins
Choose the option that correctly fills both blanks:
1. Ma taught me ___ on her old foot-pedal machine. 2. The farmers are busy ___ wheat seeds before the winter rain.
a) sewing/sowing
b) 'sowing' in both
c) sowing/sewing
d) 'sewing' in both
Show answer
a) sewing/sowing. Needle and thread need sewing; seeds go into the soil when you are sowing.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) sewing
b) knitting
c) embroidery
d) stiching
Show answer
d) stiching. Stitching has a t before the ch, just like kitchen.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
nwegis 123456
a) 362514
b) 632514
c) 623514
d) 632541
Show answer
b) 632514. The -ing ending must close the word, and only one such order also starts with the s.
Word Champ
Which of the following statements are true?
1. A thimble protects your finger while sewing. 2. A spool is a tool for cutting cloth. 3. A tailor uses a tape measure.
a) only 1 and 2
b) all three
c) only 1 and 3
d) only 2 and 3
Show answer
c) only 1 and 3. A spool holds thread and scissors cut cloth, so statement 2 is false.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A sewing box is most likely to hold ___.
a) a packet of seeds
b) a jar of pickles
c) a hammer and nails
d) a pincushion and pins
Show answer
d) a pincushion and pins
2. Which job involves the most sewing?
a) a farmer
b) a pilot
c) a baker
d) a tailor
Show answer
d) a tailor
