'A LOST ART': LEARNING THE BASICS OF SEWING

MAKER STUDIO PAIRS UP WITH BLUEBERRY MOON TO OFFER LEARN-TO-SEW CLASSES

It might be considered old-fashioned, but there's something empowering about sewing, said crafter Julie Morin.

"There's some sweat, tears and sometimes blood involved," The Maker Studio owner said with a laugh.

Using a pattern and making items with fabric is basically a life skill, Morin said, and she is willing to teach others who missed out in high school.

It's no longer about wearing heels and pearls and celebrating domestic bliss like the Singer sewing machine ads of the 1950s had you believe.

"We're taking it back," said Morin, who is hosting beginner sewing classes at Blueberry Moon.

Her passion for selfmade fashion didn't start out that way. Instead, she desired her own sewing machine to stitch paper for intricate scrapbooking

pages a decade ago.

After getting the machine, Morin decided to explore what else she could do. She found sewing blogs and started making clothing for kids, and then

turned to making clothing for herself.

She opened The Maker Studio a few years ago, selling patterns and fabric to the Barrie community.

"I'd discovered sewing

workshops with a friend and was looking for a space here," she said. "I feel like a lot of people wanted to pick up (the hobby) through COVID, after watching TikTok videos."

And that's when she started the collaboration with Blueberry Moon.

"People think this is something only grannies did," Blueberry Moon owner Heather Kennedy said.

She, too, has been sewing her own clothing for almost a decade and enjoys creating one-of-a-kind pieces.

"I have expensive taste, and this reignited my confidence that I can make that," she said.

As a local business owner, she's passionate about bringing women together to make things with their hands.

"Empowering them connects us to our ancestors," Kennedy said. "I like that it's inclusive sizing and it's a skill everyone has the capacity to do."

For workshop details, message Blueberry Moon on social media.