After many local high schools cut sewing and home economics
from their curriculum, Sue White noticed a huge hole in Central Massachusetts.
“I realized there was a need for sewing,” she said. “A lot
of high schools cut home [economics] from their curriculum…[people needed to learn] the basics, like sewing a button or hemming pants.”
White mended that hole by opening Ready, Set, Sew, a small sewing shop that provides sewing classes and services on 40 North Main St. in North Grafton.
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White said she began hand-sewing at age eight, and gradually graduated to cross stitching and sewing machine work.
But as she transferred to different schools in junior high, she missed home economics and sewing.
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“[Later after college] I had a background in retail and product development and I had read about Sew Easy in Newton,” she said. “They taught kids [how to sew], and I thought that was a good thing. That’s where my inspiration [for my store] came from.”
The name for her store came from her twin seven-year-old boys.
“They would play with toy cars and say ready, set, go,” White said. “And [so I called] the store Ready, Set, Sew.”
White also said her boys like to do some sewing of their own. So far they’ve made “oddball” stuffed animals and pillows for the Webkins
toys.
"We would like to see more boys sew,” she said. “Especially since they can use a [sewing] machine.”
Since moving her store from Northborough to North Grafton in
October 2010, White and other instructors have taught both kids and adults of all sewing experience levels how to work a needle and thread.
Ready Set Sew also has classes and summer sewing programs for kids.
One recent week's theme was fashion.
Rose Mandella of Sutton spent time with a sewing machine
to stitch a pair of pajama shorts for Fashion Week. She has also made a pin cushion and an American Girl doll sleeping bag.
Her favorite part of the program is that "there's lots of lessons to learn,'' she said. "You learn a lot here.''
White couldn’t agree more.
“You don’t get a lot of kids that have previously sewn,” she
said. “We want to show them what they are capable of. They are amazed at what they can do.”
For more information on their services, visit the Ready, Set, Sew website.
For more photos of the sewing class, visit our Viewfinder section Thursday, July 28.