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Saturday, March 10, 2012 – Daily News Country Life & garden A sewing revival: New kick for ancient craft HARTFORD, Conn. (MCT) — When Aida Acosta first heard the growl of the machines, it scared her. But within a few months, the once-ominous whir had turned a length of flannel into a robe and three yards of blue houndstooth check into a stylish jacket for her sister. She was now friends with her sewing machine. Under the tutelage of Margrete Olsen, a profes- sional seamstress, Acosta and other class members at Loaves and Fishes Min- istries, a Hartford, Conn., nonprofit group which offers services for services for families in need, have learned to stitch a seam, install a zipper, read a paper pattern and make alter- ations. A wide range of fabrics, including ethnic prints, and easy-to-apply underpin- nings, such as iron-on inter- facing (the stuff that makes a collar or placket hang just right) along with the avail- ability of sewing machines for every budget has made sewing more accessible than ever. Visions of mak- ing a quilt for baby, hoodies for the twins or even a one- of-a kind creation that might wow Heidi Klum of "Pro- ject Runway," have spurred many consumers to try their hand at sewing. "Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts has boosted its class offerings," said Courtney Talkington, the company's manager of education. "Sewing classes are our most popular offerings. To accommodate the growing popularity, we offer a vari- ety of classes at various skill levels, from basic skills to more involved pattern- based classes. We have seen double digit increases of enrollment in our sewing classes, primarily in the Sewing 101 classes," Talk- ington said. "We're hearing from younger sewers — young old, male, female," says Deana Tierney May, editor of Threads magazine, pub- home Diggin In: Green Thumb Award-winners named (MCT) — A fresh gardening season means a slew of new plants and products, including almost a dozen winning the 2012 Green Thumb Awards from the Direct Gardening Association, formerly known as the Mailorder Gar- dening Associ- ation. Winners were chosen by an independent panel of garden writers and edi- tors. lished by Taunton Press in Newtown, Conn. Threadsmagazine.com had its highest traffic month in January with over 1 mil- lion page views. Traffic at the site is up 28 percent as of January, year over year. To meet the increased demand from a new genera- tion of sewers, Taunton recently launched a maga- zine aimed at younger and beginning sewers — Sew- Stylish (besewstylish.com). Two years ago, Threads launched the "Teach Your- self to Sew" DVD series. The series' second season came out last Fall and sea- son three debuts this fall, May says "Project Runway," the popular Lifetime television show, has sparked renewed interest in sewing, May says. "Making your own clothes wasn't a cool thing to do for a while," says Tier- ney. "When 'Project Run- way' appeared, it opened up people's eyes to possibili- ties." Interest in home sewing has risen in recent years: Knowing how to hem a skirt or a pair of jeans can save on tailoring costs. "Mass market and off- the-rack clothing is made to one body type and height," says Tierney. "Everybody has variations and fitting is a big factor." Sewing your own allows you to craft a quality gar- ment that fits fabulously, May says. Sewing machines, including the familiar Singer and Brother brands, are available at discount stores and discount clubs for $100 or less. More elaborate sewing machines with 150 types of stitches or more, including quilting and embroidery, typically sell for $300 or more. There's just one hitch: Once you buy a machine, you have to take it out of the box. "Some of the women I teach bought their machine 10 years ago and have never taken it out of the box," says Nightwing Whitehead, who teaches beginning-sewing courses through West Hart- ford Continuing Education program (www.whlife- learn.org). Whitehead requires stu- dents to bring their sewing machine to class; the rest of the session is usually spent learning how to thread it. Olsen, who also teaches sewing classes through the continuing education pro- gram, says 90 percent of problems experienced by beginning sewers is because "they haven't threaded the machine right." Master that and you've eliminated a major roadblock. And here's the other secret: Learning to sew doesn't have to be painful. You can learn as much or as little as you choose. Whether you simply want to learn to hem a pair of jeans, make pillows, copy couture dresses or get a job providing full-service alter- ations for stores such as Nordstrom or David's Bridal, there's a local sewing group or class to match your aspirations, Olsen says. "I had one man who just wanted to make a pair of Madras pants to go to Flori- da," says Olsen. "Another man wanted to be able to hem his jeans — once he learned that, he stopped coming to class." "I'm done; I've learned what I wanted," he told Olsen. Yet another pair of women wanted only to learn to make doll's clothing for antique porcelain dolls. "They came to our ASG group for four years, and that's all they did," Olden says. Others want to learn how to make a ready-made garment fit. In the long run, sewing your own can really pay off. "You can build a dress that you'll be able to wear for 10 years and that fits you!" Olsen says. 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