- The Port Aransas Education Foundation (PAEF) donated 9 sewing machines to Ms. Low's fashion design class at Port Aransas High School.
- Before the donation, Ms. Low's class only had access to old machines that did not work properly.
- The fashion design students are now learning how to make and mend clothes.
- Ms. Low is extremely thankful for the donation of the nine sewing machines and she has big plans for the rest of the school year.
In September, The Port Aransas Education Foundation (PAEF) donated nine brand new sewing machines to Ms. Kate Low's fashion design class at Port Aransas High School. It is the first year PAHS is offering a fashion design class, and Low is now using the new sewing machines as a part of her daily curriculum.
“Ms. Low wrote a grant to the Education Foundation for sewing machines, and she mapped out how she would use those in the classroom to implement those with her everyday curriculum, and the board voted on the grant, and it was approved," Ashleigh Robertson, the Vice President of the Port Aransas Education Foundation said.
Low said she feels extremely thankful to have this resource to advance her students learning. One of the first projects the students are working on is making vests for all of the Port Aransas Independent School District 1st graders.
“It means the world to me. Prior to having the sewing machines donated, we had a handful of very diverse sewing machines that were missing parts, that weren’t necessarily in great condition," Low said.
One freshman student in particular, Gwyneth Bode, is very fascinated by this new classroom tool.
“I want to be a fashion designer. So, yes, I could definitely use this in a career," Bode said.
Bode is interested in pursuing a career path in fashion design, especially making dresses.
“I want to make dresses, like wedding dresses and stuff. And so learning how to sew right now is really nice, so I don't have to learn how to do it in the future. I can just have that as a little craft that I can do," Bode said.
Low believes that sewing is a lost trade and she said its hard to find a reliable seamstress these days.
"On public forums, such as Facebook, I see so many people say 'I need to get a dress hemmed, who in Port A can hem a dress?,' and its crickets. It's appalling. And it's like oh my gosh. I feel like it is a dying art breed. But I feel like its still so necessary," Low said.
Low doesn't only teach her students how to thread a needle and how to navigate a sewing machine. She uses sewing to instill other life lessons in them as well.
"My biggest role as a teacher, in my opinion, should be that my students leave here as self-taught learners. They can be faced with any problem, not only problem-solve it, but do it themselves. And I try and pride myself on that and really stick to it because going off to college, you're going to have to teach yourself things," Low said.
Low's seamstresses-in-training also believe they're learning more than just how to make and mend clothes.
“Definitely working together. We all work together at the tables and we can asll ask each other questions," Bode said. "That’s definitely one thing that I’ve learned, is working together. And not just trying to do things by yourself, because there’s always people that can help me.”
Low and her seamstresses have plans to use the new sewing machines to make spirit jeans, homecoming mums, and ugly Christmas sweaters throughout the rest of the school year.
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