4-H program offers sewing opportunities for youth
- Laurie Sidle, OSU Extension Wayne Co.
- March 25, 2025
- 425
4-Hers who want to learn to sew will find plenty of helping hands through the Wayne County 4-H program.
Volunteers are ready and eager to help in a variety of ways, starting with our Pattern and Fabric Selection Clinics at Hobby Lobby in Wooster. 4-H sewing project members and their families are invited to attend either Wednesday, April 23 from 4-6 p.m. or Saturday, April 26 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
On hand will be family and consumer sciences project volunteers, 4-H Food and Fashion Board members, and master clothing educators to help members choose a pattern and fabric for their project. With guidance from our volunteers, members can leave the store with all the supplies they need to get started sewing a garment or outfit.
Master clothing educator Linda Prochazka talked at last year’s clinic how rewarding it is for her to help 4-Hers. “I love seeing their eyes light up as they realize they are going to be making something they can wear.”
4-Hers can choose from 18 different 4-H sewing projects at all skill levels. Those taking the introductory project Sew Fun are eligible to attend Wayne County 4-H Sewing Camp June 3-5 at Fisher Auditorium. Members can enroll in one of two sessions offered each day from 8:30 a.m. to noon or 1-4:30 p.m.
Volunteers who helped at the Pattern and Fabric Selection Clinics, along with additional experienced sewers, will return for camp. They work one on one with campers to help them complete their Sew Fun project — an elastic-waisted skirt, shorts, pants or capris. Marcia Brueck, Wayne County Junior Fair secretary and longtime FCS project volunteer, leads the camp and begins by introducing the campers to the basics of sewing. They practice sewing on paper before stitching on material. To get a feel for using the sewing machine and some hand stitching, they make a pin cushion.
On day two the campers start cutting out and constructing their garments, and if all goes well, they leave camp with a completed project. They get a quick lesson on modeling and participate in a mini style revue for family members.
Registration will open May 1, and a letter about the camp is sent to all Sew Fun project members. The cost is $20. Each session has a maximum of 10 participants and a minimum of five.
Sew Fun is a beginning-level project but can be taken by a member of any age. Other beginning projects include Sundresses and Jumpers and Terrific Tops.
As sewers advance, they can choose from such projects as Loungewear, Clothing for Middle School, Sew for Others, Clothes for High School and College, Creative Costumes, and Dress-Up Outfit.
Not all sewing projects require the member to construct a garment.
For example, in the project Accessories for Teens, the 4-Her takes a wardrobe inventory and accessorizes it to achieve a more complete appearance in an outfit.
In Designed by Me, 4-Hers explore current fashion and various embellishment techniques to design a one-of-a-kind top that reflects their personality.
Shopping Savvy asks members to compare brands of the same clothing item, study current fashion trends, learn proper clothing care and, of course, go shopping. Look Great for Less has members use their creativity and resourcefulness to pull together a Total Look outfit as inexpensively as possible.
The deadline to enroll in 4-H is April 1. Come stitch with us.
Laurie Sidle is an Ohio State University Extension family and consumer sciences and 4-H program assistant and may be reached at 330-264-8722 or sidle.31@osu.edu.