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Get Stitching S t o ry by Kat y o’ b rya n P h o t o s by L i zz da ni e l s
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olette Forsberg, 11, and her sisters, Eleanor, 12, and Faith, 9, donned their handmade clothes in their home as they showed off their sewing talents. “Yep, I made these,” Colette said, boldly while showing off the pajama pants she was wearing. Eleanor modeled a romper while Faith spun in a shimmery skirt. The girls and their mother, Nicole Forsberg, gathered in the family’s dining room turned sewing room as they talked about the life skill the children are learning — one that Nicole called “a lost art.” The trio designed their clothing and brought their designs to life for the 2020 Guadalupe County 4-H Fashion Show competition before
its cancellation this past spring. The Forsberg girls participate in an event where contestants hand make a piece of clothing. They’re also part of a team that takes on Duds To Dazzle — an event that requires competitors to take an old piece of clothing or material and give it new life. Nicole taught each of her girls, and their teams, how to hand sew using varying styles and hosted mini-workshops leading up to the competition. “We would have all of the teams over to practice for Duds To Dazzle and we’d spend the beginning of each practice doing some kind of lesson,” Nicole said. “Sometimes we would watch a small YouTube video on how to
The Forsberg trio participates in the 4-H Duds to Dazzle competition which requires them to take an old piece, and re-envision it in 60 minutes. Once they are done they go before a judges panel and present their one-of-a-kind work .