There is something very special in passing on your knowledge to those who desire it. When I was first offered to take over teaching Theatre NorthWest's Summer Sewing Camps, I was excited. I had long enjoyed helping new sewers pick out the supplies for their first sewing projects at the fabric store where I had been working up to this moment. Their excitement was contagious and they were eager to absorb every little tip and trick I was able to pass on in the short amount of time I was helping them. To be able to get hours with a group of students to inspire a love of sewing in them was a chance I couldn't pass up.
There are so many moments that make these camps so very rewarding to teach. Seeing the moment a child gets the hang of threading the sewing machine for the first time, or when they excitedly show me the perfectly straight seam they made for the first time. The moment they finish their first project and can’t wait to start another. Even the moments where they forget to put the presser foot down and the thread tangles but they try to say otherwise are moments that make me smile. However, one of the things I always cherish is the pride in their eyes as they run out to show their family what they made in class that day. Each project is as unique as the child who made it.
Theatre NorthWest’s Summer Sewing camps are more than just a place children come to learn a new skill. I get to watch as the uncertain, shy child comes out of their shell day by day as their confidence and comfort grows in the class, often becoming one of the chattiest of the bunch by the end of the week. I get to see the kids bond over all sorts of things and by the last day they are all friends that want to stay in contact even beyond the sewing camps.
The last day is always bittersweet. There is always a feeling the week ended too soon that sweeps through the class. I know I did my job well when I hear them wishing the class could be another week and being determined to return to learn more or even ask their parents for a sewing machine for their birthday. My main goal is to inspire a love of sewing and a desire to pursue costuming in the future generation and nothing makes me happier than to have a child tell me that one day they would like to have my job and ask how I came to work at Theatre NorthWest.
- Samantha Perrin attended Kelly Road Secondary and is a graduate of Grant MacEwan University’s theatre production program.
