Time to get stitching

Story by Katy o’bryanPhotos by Lizz daniels

Colette 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 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 .

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 do it. Once we learned a whip stitch and another time a straight stitch. They would practice, make, then take home their projects.”

Faith and I took the pattern and made her own little version of it. I would sit next to her on the sewing machine and guide her a bit.

Eleanor has participated in the 4-H fashion programs for four years, Colette two, and this was Faith’s first year to compete before events were canceled state-wide. Ever since her sisters began competing, Faith had to sit on the sidelines and wait for her opportunity to showcase her creative side.

“For a couple of years [Faith] was just like, ‘when is it my turn?’” Nicole said. “When Colette made her poncho last year Faith and I took the pattern and made her own little version of it. I would sit next to her on the sewing machine and guide her a bit.”

The girls are using their free time during the pandemic to refine their sewing skills, and have worked on miniprojects to keep busy. Faith learned how to sew bookmarks over spring break and was planning to donate them to her school library. Eleanor is gathering material to make herself a dress since she loved the way her romper turned out. The Forsberg dining room has transformed into a creative room with their family sewing machine on the table and scraps of fabric strewn all over the place.

“These [projects] have been great during the shutdown and a good activity to keep them busy,” Nicole said. “It’s not sitting in front of a TV or playing games, but it’s something different that keeps them busy and they can use it as a creative outlet.”

In the Duds To Dazzle competition, each team is given 60 minutes to take a piece of clothing or material they are given and redesign, create, and turn into something new and unique. After, they must tell the judges how they redesigned it and why. When presenting their projects to the judges of the Fashion Show, contestants must answer various questions including “Why did you choose this pattern,” “Where would you wear this,” “Where would this be sold,” “How much would it be marked for,” and more. The pieces are then theirs to take home and keep.

Being part of these competitions has taught the Forsberg girls life skills. Working in groups with other children helps them develop teamwork skills, and the competition itself teaches organization, structure, project management, and more.

Each of the Forsberg girls have big plans for the pieces they created to enter in this year’s competition. Eleanor wears her romper to summer hangouts (as her vacation was canceled). Colette wears her pajama pants when partaking in her favorite activity, “sleeping,” and Faith anxiously awaits the day she can show off her handmade skirt at church.