FEATURE
FROM THE SAME CLOTH
L
isa Prewitt is a 7th and 8th grade social studies teacher at Dysart Middle School. What you may not know about her is that her first college degrees were in Fashion Merchandising and Fashion Design. She used to design and create all sorts of clothing, ranging from wedding dresses to rock band attire in the early 1990s. But the practical side of her took over and she decided to go into teaching instead. But that love of fashion and sewing never left her. To this day, she continues to create, fix, and help out those in her community. One day while talking to students about dress code and appropriate attire that is both professional and stylish, she had an idea. Why not create a club at the school where she could help students learn how to sew. - Lisa Prewitt “Once upon a time everyone knew the basics because it was taught in school,” said Prewitt referring to the now sparse Home Economics classes. “Now unless you seek it out, you do not learn these skills. I think it is important for everyone to have these basic skills.” So during the 2020-2021 school year, Prewitt started the Fashion Club at Dysart Middle School. She had quite a few students sign up that first year and attend. However, a variety of factors led to most of those students dropping out of the club. For one,
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it was just after COVID, which impacted participation. Additionally, she had sparse materials and equipment for the students to use. By the second semester of the club’s first year, she only had one student left. So she approached the student and asked her what she wanted to make. “She wanted to learn how to sew a top,” Prewitt said with a smile, recalling the conversation vividly. “I said ok, let’s learn how. I had one sewing machine and the student and she created a shirt.” The next year, she started up the club again, worked with what she had, and managed to get a few more students to stick around and learn some of the basics. “We had three machines, and we started with 20 students,” she said. “It dropped to a core of eight students because I didn’t have a lot of supplies. Word of mouth grew around the school, and the club began to pick up steam. But students were oftentimes waiting for help and materials to do the work. After last year, Prewitt realized that if this club was going to succeed, it needed more equipment and supplies. So this year she paid a visit to the Quilters on Grand, a Sun City club. She carefully explained a little about her Fashion Club, and asked for any
This is what I am supposed to do. I learned sewing back then, I had fun with it, and now I am supposed to spread that onto others.
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24 OCTOBER 2023
