Theatre NorthWest has been providing an activity to Prince George youth that’s been leaving them in stitches.
Throughout the summer, Theatre NorthWest has been putting on sewing camps, providing a place for kids and just about everyone else to learn the skill at different levels.
“We have classes for young children specifically, we also have skill-based where kids, teens, adults, people of any age can join, just depending on their skill level,” Theatre NorthWest Accessibility Coordinator Heidi Klepsch. “We have classes for beginners, intermediates, and advanced.”
Klepsch noted they also receive a lot of returning students in the programs.
“Sometimes they start in beginner, and then in the same summer they want to come back for intermediate, because they’ve had so much fun and they’ve learned, and we welcome that,” she explained. “Kids come back year after year as well just to keep building on the skills and having fun.”
Klepsch said the social aspect is a big part of the kids coming back as well.
“When I used to assist with these classes, my favourite part was seeing how friendships would develop over the week,” she said. “In one particular beginner class that we had, it was full, I think we had like ten kids at once. They were all really shy and quiet on the first day, but then by Friday, it was really loud and rambunctious and they were all friends and they wanted to stay in touch. That was genuinely really beautiful to see.”
Klepsch added the students in these classes will make a wide variety of project, but they start out with making a pin cushion.
“It just helps them get familiar with the machine they’re working on, because even if they have a machine at home, the one they’ll be using here with us is usually a little bit different,” she said. “We just start them in easy with a pin cushion, and then we have a variety of projects, including like stuffed animals, we have plushies of different shapes, like we’ve got a fish, teddy bear, flying squirrel, a dinosaur, that’s brand new and it’s very cute.”
There are more advanced projects as well, such as backpacks, messenger bags and more.
Klepsch noted a sewing camp graduate hasn’t come back to create costumes for Theatre NorthWest yet.
“It’s always our hope that through these classes, we inspire some local young people to realize working in the theatre and having a skill like sewing can be really valuable and lead to some cool and creative career outlets,” she said. “It’s always our hope that maybe one day, these classes will spark a future costume designer or wardrobe technician. I guess we just have to wait and see.”
The next camps are set to open on Monday, with registration available on the Theatre NorthWest website.
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