School and Community Summer 2023

Stitching Success Textiles Program Weaves Community Support

BY LINDSAY JAMES, MSTA CREATIVE MEDIA SPECIALIST, PHOTOS BY KARA POTTER M exico High School’s Fashion, Textiles and Design program has captured the attention and hearts of the local community. Led by Sarah Gooch, who also teaches business and family and consumer sciences, the program has grown from just 13 students in its first year to approximately 39 students every year since. Gooch recalls the humble beginnings of the program.

cycle,” she said. “The members of the Quilt Guild have been able to see and identify the fabrics that they’ve donated and how they were used. It just sparks more enthusiasm and synergy from our community because they want to continue to help our students learn.” The program not only teaches practical skills such as sewing and design, but also helps students develop grit and resilience. “If there is something they want to make, let’s say a skirt, they have to think about what we have that is no longer used and can be cut up for fabric to make that skirt,” Gooch explained. “Or if they have a hole that they accidentally cut with a rotary cutter, that’s an opportunity for them to do some hand stitching or hand embroidery to create a flower over it. There’s math involved, too. We always say, ‘measure twice, cut once.’” For many, sewing has become a passion that extends beyond the classroom. One former student, Lillian Yager, and her family have become owners of a local quilt shop called Homestead Hearth. The shop is less than a mile from the school and has provided the program with unique collaboration opportunities. “It’s brought me closer to my family and by helping the school, I feel like I can really give back to the program that

“All we had to work with was half a bed sheet and a bag of googly eyes,” she said. “There were some broken sewing machines over at the middle school that we were able to get over here, but that was it for a while.” Determined to build a successful program, Gooch turned to the community for support and has since received over $137,000 in donations and grants, including fabric, tools, accessories and enough new sewing machines to seat an entire class. The local Quilt Guild has been a large supporter of the program. Gooch believes that getting students in front of the community is key to garnering support. “Whether it’s in pictures, in the newspaper or in person with different organizations, it helps our community know, ‘Oh, this is what they’re making,’ and then they want to be a part of it. It’s just a wonderful

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