The next story in our monthly series, as Jolene’s Sewing School looks back over the past fifteen years!
When I started my sewing business, I paid close attention to the Kids Can Sew program, which lays out ideas and suggestions for those just starting out. One of the ideas they had was to do a fashion show at the end of the year. I thought that was a great idea but I didn’t want to just do it in my backyard – I wanted students to get the chance to share their projects with the community. So we decided to host it in a retirement home each year. We found a great location that said they would love to host it – they would provide the snacks etc., and all I had to do was show up with the students.
It was a huge success. Each student picked their favorite item they had sewn that year, and I was the announcer, sharing about each student and what they made as they walked the red carpet. My daughter even came along each year as the photographer. There was always a big turnout, as a lot of the elderly people in the audience had been sewers back in the day, and really loved seeing what students made. We all had a blast!
Sadly, when we moved to our new location after six years, the fashion shows didn’t continue. But as I look back on those years, I wonder: might it be time to re-envision what this could look like again?
Take a look at some of these old photos from fashion shows gone by!