Kids come together for lessons on quilting at Old Town library

We all know that libraries are magical places where curiosity is satisfied and learning from books and other materials is something we take for granted. Quilting with Kids @ the Library, a program at the Old Town Public Library, opens a new dimension into the realm of learning and offers a hands-on class to area elementary school children who want to learn to sew and quilt. In the class, youngsters are introduced to the world of stitching – by hand and by machine – and the attendant joys of learning a new skill and getting to take home the tangible result of what has been learned.

The program, said Old Town librarian Valerie Osborne, is in its seventh session, and this time, three boys signed up for it. They are learning to operate the sewing machines and to make stuff along with the girls in the class.

Each session, Osborne said, is aimed at a different age group, and this time around, it’s the fourth- and fifth-graders’ turn.

Osborne and children’s librarian Cynthia Seger, with assistance from members of Old Town’s Canoe City Quilters, teach the sessions.

Grants from the Samuel and Rose Rudman Trust and the River Coalition allowed for the purchase of 12 sewing machines and many yards of fabric. Soon things were organized and children were making quilted pillows or quilted tote bags, depending on the child’s age. In a coming session, participants will learn to make lap quilts.

Each session accommodates only 10 children, Osborne said. Because of the popularity of the program, a future session is already filled.

Christine Herman of Old Town said her daughters, Victoria, 11, and Alexandra, 8, took the sewing class during the summer months. They learned to make quilted pillows.

“They loved it,” Herman said. “They got to choose their own material and design. They learned enough to know what quilting is all about.” The girls already are asking when they can continue the sewing lessons, their mother said. “They feel confident about what they learned.” Confident enough to teach their mother everything they learned about sewing and quilting – a perfect example of how stitching pieces of fabric also stitches mothers and daughters more closely together.

Quilting with Kids @ the Library includes a show-and-tell evening attended by sewing class members, parents and members of the Canoe Club Quilters group. The children show off what they have made, meet professional quilters and enjoy social time with family – one more aspect of the magic the sewing program at the Old Town Library offers.

The program is free. But in order to keep the program going, more volunteers and funding are needed, Osborne said. Those with skills to share or dollars to donate may call Osborne at 827-3972 to obtain information.

Snippets

. If you live in the Pittsfield area and yearn to learn to knit and crochet, or if you want to share your skills with others, come to the First Friday Fiber Fun event at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, at the Pittsfield Public Library. Yarn, needles and instruction books are available at the library. To obtain information, call 487-5880.

. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a map that pointed us fiber fanatics in the direction of those who produce, process and crate with it? Well, stand by. Maine Fiberarts is creating a tour map of studios and farms so that consumers can find a farm where cashmere goats are raised, a spinnery where yarn is dyed and spun, a shop where baskets are made or a studio where fiber artists work. Fiber studios, farms, processing mills, shops and galleries that want to be on the map may visit www.fiberarts.org, call 721-0678, or e-mail fiberarts@gwi.net to sign up. The deadline is Saturday, Dec. 31. The map will be available next spring when free copies of the map will be distributed at state visitors centers, festivals, inns, Maine Fiberarts Center in Topsham and other participating sites.

. Visit www.lionbrand.com to find patterns for children’s caps that are knit to resemble an apple, a frog, a bear and other animals.

Ardeana Hamlin may be reached at 990-8153, or e-mail

ahamlin@bangordailynews.net.