What do sewing and a public library have in common? Why, anyone who knows what a public library is can answer that question – books! Of course! The public library has every possible book on sewing that you could ever imagine. While not every library will have them all, put them together and anything that has been written on the subject is there.
Public libraries are evolving though. They do not just contain books as our forefathers first envisioned them. They started out slowly with the onset of books on tape, then CDs, then DVDs, to today with just about anything you can imagine can be borrowed. Libraries contain items that you never would expect.
Would you expect your public library to offer sewing lessons? Maybe. You could see a person coming in and providing sewing lessons for an hour or two to introduce the public to the concept of sewing since libraries are a place where knowledge is discovered. Well go a step further. Would you be surprised to find a sewing studio in a public library?
Photo courtesy of Fairfield Woods Branch Library
The Fairfield Public Library in Fairfield, Connecticut has a sewing studio with not just one, but six modern sewing machines. This sewing studio resides in the Fairfield Woods Branch Library that is “Fairfield’s neighborhood library.” The idea was conceived by one of the enterprising staff members who presented her proposal fearlessly to the Friends of the Fairfield Public Library, which in turn graciously funded the sewing studio.
The sewing studio abounds with all the amenities of an individually owned sewing studio with all the necessary sewing notions for each station. It would be the envy of any sewer with its own fabric stash stored in a shelved closet with another room breaming with stacks of donated items such as buttons and zippers just waiting to be used. Fabric and other donations have come from all across New England from generous individuals as well as a national sewing magazine company, a manufacturer of fabric and a clothing manufacturer. Each donation is a grateful addition to the studio.
The new sewing studio was announced in the library’s Winter 2015 newsletter with classes beginning later that month. The classes have been quite successful and have been expanded to include a weekly “open sew” on Thursdays and a mini summer camp for teens during the month of July (but that is for a later post).
Congratulations Fairfield Woods Branch Library on your new venture!
What does your library offer in the way of sewing?