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Now available for preorder:
The San Francisco Panorama.
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- - - - CLEVELAND, May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- When women sewed of necessity, tradition held that mothers taught their daughters how to make clothes and household items. Today, those who sew do so because they want to, not because they have to, which begs the question, "How do you make successive generations 'want' to sew?" One very effective way to introduce today's youth to sewing is to tempt them through television, of course. "Sew Young, Sew Fun(TM)" is a 13-week public television program being supported this summer by a series of "Sew Young, Sew Fun" camps at Husqvarna Viking dealers across the country. "Certainly Association members feel an immense responsibility to promote sewing education through any and every avenue they can, whether through schools or volunteer groups such as the Girl Scouts of America," says Cathleen Campbell, of the Home Sewing Association (HSA), the not-for-profit trade organization for the home sewing industry. Campbell calls introducing the younger generation to sewing pivotal to the future of the craft. "Sew Young, Sew Fun(TM)" is the first and only television show designed to stimulate the young creative spirit through sewing. The Public Television series, only 4 months young and seen in 15 million households, plus companion website ( http://www.sewyoungsewfun.com ) are introducing pre-teens, teens and young adults to the joys and benefits of this self-satisfying hobby. "I started sewing when I was young, and I looked at it as a great way to express myself. It gave me an outlet to shield me from a lot of the things teenagers face," says Gretchen McGinnis, who co-hosts the program with Nina Kay Milenius. "Sewing is about engaging your mind, your hands, and your creativity and seeing it all come to fruition." This summer as children become "bored" with beautiful weather and determine they have "nothing to do," consider introducing them to this age-old craft which will subliminally prepare them for the future. Independent Husqvarna Viking sewing machine dealers hosting Sew Young, Sew Fun sewing camps are basing the curriculum on the projects shown on the television series with the objective of introducing today's youth to the educational and creative benefits of sewing. By completing the step-by-step projects during the day camps, new stitchers progressively improve their sewing skills. Projects include a drawstring skirt, a reversible vest, and even a bean bag chair. "Today's busy parents have less and less time to devote to their own hobbies, let alone to teach others," says McGinnis. "Therefore, we wanted to make it easy for moms and dads to encourage their children to pursue a creative hobby that offers plenty of educational benefits." While self-preservation is obviously a big industry motivator, it's not as if sewing was void of fulfillment. A university study of children who sew revealed heightened levels of creativity. And according to Sew News magazine, 93.5 percent of their readers sew because they enjoy it and 59.4 percent sew because they find it relaxing. Sewing classes may focus on the project at hand, but what happens is that all the other skills -- reading, math, following directions to their entirety -- that are necessary to create a well-rounded person, happen as a by-product. In addition, smart educators view sewing education as more than a domestic skill. According to Viking Sewing Machines Inc., exclusive U.S. distributors of Husqvarna Viking sewing machines, today's sewing machine technology is encouraging teachers to apply for joint funding with business classes and technology grants. PC software allows sewers to create original embroidery designs that are saved to a floppy disk that slides into a built-in disk drive of a sewing machine with a large color touch screen. It's simple then to envision a class project which has students sewing images of school mascots on clothing or just creating original one-of-a-kind items, perfect for generating spirit plus teaching true responsibility and entrepreneurial skills. An example of what sewing teaches the young at heart is Eugene David Walters. This 19-year-old Fashion Design and Merchandising major from Kent State University, has been sewing for 10 years. His 4-H advisor in Powhatan Point, Ohio introduced him to the craft, and Walters's frustration in finding clothing to fit his tall frame motivated him to hone his skills. He credits sewing with more than just leading him down a career path. "Sewing taught me to do things very methodically, to organize my study habits and focus my skills. And it also taught me patience, because I learned that you're not going to get it right the first time," says Walters. "In that sense, it definitely helped to improve my grades." His active wear outfit -- a fleece pullover and nylon wind pants -- was selected as the overall State winner at the 1999 National 4-H Conference. In 2000, he will submit an outfit he is designing for his aunt who is physically challenged and requires all her clothing to be specifically altered. As you shop around for recreational activities to occupy your children this summer, consider sewing. But before you do, erase those images of polyester pants with elastic waistbands because sewing just is not what it used to be. "Sew Young, Sew Fun" camps will have your kids pointing and clicking their way into a new hobby while learning creative problem-solving and building self-esteem. SOURCE Viking Sewing Machines Inc.
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