Fashionistas find Sonora course a stitch

“At that point we said, ‘let’s open it to the general public and see if they’re interested in sewing,'” she said.

As it turns out, they were very interested.

Griffin expects to have 50 students once enrollment is closed and

the school has expanded to offer five separate classes, numerous

workshops and youth sewing camp. The six-week course for beginners and

intermediate sewers is split into two-hour sessions once a week. For a

$150 fee, adults have full access to all the school’s sewing machines,

special equipment and a wide range of fabric styles.

Griffin and fellow teachers Megan Houseberg and Debbi Poterlance

all possess fashion degrees and have endeavored to build a local

version of “Project Runway.” Students come from as far away as Merced

to learn how to wield a needle and thread, and classes are offered at a

variety of times to suit busy schedules.

The classes begin with an introduction to the sewing machine and

move on to basic seams, buttons, darts and zippers. By the end of the

course, Griffin promises, students will walk away with a completed

simple top, skirt or dress.

“They come in not knowing how to use a sewing machine and walk out with a finished product,” she said.

Youth seamstresses older than 10 pay $120 for a eight-week course

that runs on Mondays and Wednesdays. All of the classes are small and

Griffin said she generally doesn’t work with more than six students at

a time.

She said her students encompass a wide cross section of Tuolumne

County and include students, working adults, stay-at-home moms and

seniors. She said the classes are popular with tweens and eighth

graders, but the biggest challenge has been getting more high

school-aged students interested in the classes. As a result, the school

will begin offering classes to make and alter prom dresses.

The school also holds several workshops that focus on some of the

finer points of sewing like tailoring to fit garments, hat and scarf

making, jean construction and introduction to pattern drafting.

“Bring in a pair of jeans you really like and we teach you how to

recreate them,” Griffin said. “In the process, you learn to sew.”

Griffin learned to sew at a young age from her grandmother and her

skills led her to win the prestigious Prince’s Trust award in the

United Kingdom. She used the money from the prize to start her own

clothing and design business at age 21. Since moving to Sonora, she

began working for the nonprofit Senior Youth Partnership and has

focused her attention on teaching kids to love sewing.

“I felt that it was a skill that was dying out – it wasn’t being passed on,” she said.

Three winter sewing classes will begin this month with the next

sewing class starting on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to noon. Classes will

also begin on Feb. 7 from 10 a.m. to noon and Feb. 9 from 6 to 8 p.m.

The school is located in downtown Sonora at 77 N. Washington St.

For more information or to register for classes, call 533-5641 or

743-6034, or visit sypartnership.com.

“Once we get people in the door, they want to stay and they want to keep learning,” Griffin said.

Contact Ryan Campbell at rcampbell@uniondemocrat.com or 588-4526.