On Saturday morning, I hauled all my supplies over to the Old Hardware Store, home of the Wrangell Mountains Center to begin the first day of Sew Fun.
This is the Old Hardware Store. During the gold mining days in McCarthy this really was a Hardware Store, but now it is the central hub of the Wrangell Mountains Center an arts, science, and environmental educational facility.
Here is another view.
Sew Fun is a three day workshop where stitchers can sign up for one, two, or three days of sewing fun. The idea is that I provide the materials, sewing machines, and assistance for participants to complete their own projects.
We had two tables for supplies and cutting fabric.
My scraps are put to good use at this workshop.
Here are the fabrics for participants to use during the workshop.
A beautiful row of old Berninas waiting to be put to good use.
Sewers of all skill levels tackled all kinds of projects from tote bags to curtains to quilts. Most of the students are from the McCarthy area, but there was an Anchorage contingency as well.
The first few hours of the first day were the most intense. Trying to get ten students off and running with ten different projects was quite the challenge, especially because many of the students were very new to sewing on machines.
It truly is amazing to see how focused everyone is during this workshop. For me that’s the evidence that creative making is good for the soul.
Mark busy making yet another masterpiece.
One of the great things about the workshop is the exchange between sewers.
Through out the day I give demos of different techniques. Here I am showing a group how I machine quilt.
By the end of the first day many projects had been completed by students of all skills levels. It was great fun to watch everyone get so intensely involved in their projects and then to see the results.
Beth made this fabulous baby quilt and that was just the beginning of her projects.
Making totes was a very popular activity at the workshop.
Pajama bottoms and totes–useful and fun to make. These young models look SEW good in their creations.
Some students finished small landscape pieces of their favorite places in the Wrangell St. Elias National Park where McCarthy and the Wrangell Mountains Center are located.
Day Two coming up next. Maybe you will even think about joining me next year. It is going to be SEW fun. I promise.
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Working backwards on your blog has been fun and inspirational. Just trying to catch up….
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