Sewing for Kids

Sewing can make you rich and famous, if you're talented enough -- just look at designers Anna Sui and Donna Karan. It's mostly the "rich" part that 10-year-old Olivia Viola is thinking about when she announces that her friend said he'd pay her $10 if she fixed his shirt. That same friend also offered her $50 to make a stuffed animal, Olivia volunteers.

She pauses, hovering over a piece of animal-print cloth that she'll soon transform into a pillow. "I want that $50."

Olivia is at G Street Fabrics in Falls Church, enrolled in Getting Started Teen I sewing, learning the basics. Such as backstitching, which you need to do to make sure the seams stay together, and the importance of pressing and ironing the fabric before you cut to make sure the measurements are just so . She learns about cutting cloth (keep it flat on the table and gently slide scissors underneath) and pinning patterns (never sew over the pins). And the grown-ups in the store are learning, in the company of two 10-year-olds and two 12-year-olds, that sewing has become . . . hip?

"It's just cool to be able to make stuff," explains Kelsey Saunders, 12, who enrolled in the class hoping to improve her sewing skills enough to fashion herself some trendy clothes.

Industry insiders attribute sewing's surge in popularity among young people to a number of factors. There's the whole DIY movement, for one. There are hot television shows such as "Project Runway," a favorite of 12-year-old Emily Winchester, also in Getting Started Teen I sewing. There are technological advances to sewing machines that make it easy for kids (and stitch-shy adults) to be creative.

Whatever the reason, youngsters are increasingly putting their foot to the sewing-machine pedal. Attendance at local G Street Fabrics stores' 2006 summer sewing camps grew from 400 to 600 students; every class was at capacity. Margo Martin, executive director of the Houston-based American Sewing Guild, said new chapters for young sewers are being added across the country; last year the trade magazine Sew News spun off a biannual publication aimed at teenagers called Sew Simple.

Of course, sewing isn't always simple, as the girls learn in class. Olivia has grand plans to make a dress for her mother. A chiffon dress, to be exact, with lots of sparkles. But shiny fabric is tricky -- and it's out of her league, she's told. Olivia looks momentarily crushed but quickly rebounds. For now, there is a pillow to be sewn -- and, perhaps, a profit to be made.

Where to Learn More

Local classes for beginners abound, with many specifically tailored to the 18-and-younger crowd.

Columbia Art Center: Two Fashion Design and Home Design classes are being offered this fall -- one for ages 8-12, another for ages 13-16. Students apply the basics of color and design using paints and fabrics to create the latest trends in fashion and interior design. This class is more about getting in touch with your crafty side than sewing, per se: Sewing is limited to hand-stitching, and machines will not be used. Both classes begin Saturday, meeting for six weeks for the younger group (10 a.m.-noon) and seven weeks for the older group (1-2:30 p.m.). Columbia Art Center, 6100 Foreland Garth, Columbia. $95-$115. 410-730-0075. http://www.columbiaassociation.com/ .

G Street Fabrics: The fabric chain offers classes at its Rockville and Falls Church locations. Courses for young sewers include Getting Started, in which students learn the basics and make a pillow, backpack and elastic-waist pajama bottoms; Teens Sew as You Go, which invites students with prior sewing experience to pick out their own fabric and pattern to complete in class; and Trendy Skirts, which focuses on skirts for teenagers and requires some sewing experience. Two classes have been added this fall for young sewers: Teens Trading Spaces, a home decorating class, and Bags, Bags, Bags!, which teaches students to make purses, overnight bags and iPod cases. Start dates vary for each class, and fees range from $59 for three two-hour sessions to $129 for six two-hour sessions. 6250 Seven Corners Center, Falls Church, 703-241-1700; 11854 Rockville Pike, Rockville, 301-231-8998. http://www.gstreetfabrics.com/ .

Jo-Ann Fabric & Crafts:

The fabric store behemoth offers a basic sewing class, Kids Sewing I, at its Frederick location. Students learn how to make basic stitches on a sewing machine and how to lay out and cut fabric. Final project is sewing a pillow. Two two-hour sessions, Oct. 21 and 28. 1003-C Route 40, Unit 11, Frederick. $28. 301-662-8500. http://www.joann.com/ .