Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Sewing Part Three

In March my friend, Donna, came and started teaching the girls to sew.  She started with some simple hand stitching.  Then she returned in June.  Some of the older girls were able to start on machines.  Mi Esperanza graciously loaned their center, for which we were very thankful.  Donna was here for just a weekend and some of the girls started projects which they could not finish because of time.  Some measured wrong and their shirts were a bit too short.  These things happen with beginners, but the girls were a bit discouraged.

This time Donna came for a whole week.  Mi Esperanza again graciously offered their center each morning as they had classes in the afternoon.  There were some days the girls had school of a morning and the time was going to be limited again.  Donna had raised some money for machines and brought one with her.  We really wanted the treadle machines.  As the electricity went off and on all day Thursday and Friday, we were glad for this decision.  Luis had already priced the machines.  He picked Donna up at the airport and then off they went to El Centro to buy sewing machines.  We were able to set up our own mini sewing center at Casa De Esperanza.  Of course, we did not have the big cutting table and things, but two long table pushed together worked almost as well.


Thursday morning began with the younger girls making bracelets and then head bands.  They tore pieces of fabric and braided them together.  They then had to hand stitch the bracelets together.  Nohemy had a great sense of picking three fabrics that really went together.  The other girls, not so much.  But after they were braided, no matter what I thought of the combinations originally, all of the bracelets  were pretty.  This was easy and the girls loved it.  There will be 37 new bracelets for sell in the store.
















Later on Thursday morning, the older girls came in.  They had to learn to measure themselves and make their own patterns.






The girls were going to make a skirt and a top.  Donna had brought fabric for nine outfits.






I was so excited about this fabric.  I thought watching the girls chose their fabric was going to be the most fun part of the whole week.  And, it was up to that point.  Something better came later.







Then came pinning their patterns on their fabric.  And cutting.  I was very nervous as the girls began to cut. 






Before fabric was placed on the machine, each girl had to spend time learning to work the machine.  I not sure I could have worked that treadle, but the girls learned fairly quickly.








At last, it was time to start sewing.  I do not like to sew and I ruined a lot of fabric when I tried to learn.  If I thought the cutting made me nervous, it was nothing compared to what I felt, when the girls started putting the fabric under the needles.  Donna did not seem to be a bit nervous.




The girls did amazingly well.  Except for the fact that Ana could not sew a straight line.

There was more than one night that Donna and one or more of the girls worked quite late.  The outfits were coming together nicely.

The younger girls had the chance to do one more project before the week came to an end.  They sewed beads or charms on some old t-shirts and made some really cute collars.










When all projects were completed, the grand finale was to be a style show.  Everyone that had made something was to participate.  The pavilion became their runway.










They all were adorable.




















After individual and group shots were taken, they prissed and pranced and blew kisses down their runway.





 Yesterday was the best part as we watched them model the things they had made.  Each girl was so proud.

Next sewing class is already planned for the last of January, right before school starts.


1 comment:

merawoods said...

What a great experience! I'm so glad your friend was able to do that.