Posted on 07/16/2002 12:17:32 PM PDT by Fred Mertz
It's no joke: Young girls in stitches
By JACOB BENNETT
As they tried to thread the needles on their sewing machines, many of the girls raised their hands to ask for help.
The 12 young females were at the Hardin County Extension Office in Elizabethtown on Monday as part of a camp to learn what Liz Kingsland considers to be an old-time skill with a new-age twist: sewing for fun rather than to keep clothes on their backs. That twist keeps sewing lessons in big demand these days — both this week's camp and another next week are full with waiting lists.
"Sewing is a heritage skill we've always had," said Kingsland, an extension agent who was teaching the class with the office's Beth Loving. "It's relaxing, and it's stress release."
Monday was the first day of the four-day sewing camp for children ages 10 to 14, and they were starting from scratch. Eleven-year-old Stacie Bratcher of Buffalo learned where to put needles and thread and how to attach foot pedals and presser feet.
Stacie laughed when she saw her presser foot that holds fabric in place during sewing.
"It's like ski shoes," she said.
Sewing clubs and classes have become popular in the area, Kingsland said, as people turn to more traditional ways of doing things. Parents taking adult sewing classes requested that their children also be able to learn the skill, so the sewing camps were scheduled.
"If you get them interested in it at their age, as they get older they might appreciate it more, especially when they can sew buttons on shirts and their friends can't," said Charlotte Brammer, whose 12-year-old daughter, Stacy, is enrolled in the camp.
Stacy has sewn before, including several pillows used in various rooms of her Elizabethtown house. She still wears a blue scrunchie in her hair that she made.
At the camp, Stacy hopes to learn more techniques so she can sew her own purses.
"You get to put whatever features you want in it," she said. "You can get one in every color."
By the camp's end Thursday afternoon, the girls will have sewn purses, shorts, skirts and accessories. But first, they had to watch a video on how to use their Viking machines.
"This is the boring part of learning to sew," Kingsland said. "But it's the most important part, because if you don't learn it at first then you'll have a mess when you start sewing."
Jacob Bennett can be reached at 769-1200, Ext. 428, or e-mail him at jbennett@mail.the-ne.com.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAA
The two years of Home Ec I took also come in mighty handy although I will admit that I am not 1/3 the cook that Mrs. Lurker is.
That being said, the seafood pasta I whipped up for myself tonite was pretty darn good. I even managed not to overcook the mussles or the shrimp and the sauce I made was mighty tasty. I didn't even feel guilty about mopping up the last of it with my wifes homemade bread.
Somedays it's awfully good to be me. Today was one of those days.
Regards,
L
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