Student Spotlight – Lindsey S.
Lindsey is currently a 7th grader at Churchill Center & School. Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with her grandmother, cooking, making crafts and sewing together. Lindsey’s grandmother has imparted her love of and talent for sewing with Lindsey. Using what she has learned over the years, Lindsey now shares this passion with Churchill by creating custom-made, smaller-fitted apron smocks that are perfect for our first and second graders in Art Class!
Every morning since the school year began, Lindsey has sewn and tailored St. Louis Cardinal aprons for some of our tiniest students. Thanks to Lindsey, we now have ten custom-fit art aprons for our first and second grade students to use and love for years to come!
Please read on to hear Lindsey in her own words share her journey and passion for sewing, and the amazing relationship she shares with her grandmother as a result.
We are grateful for YOU, Lindsey!
Lindsey with our grateful art students in their custom aprons!
Thankful for My Grandmother’s Legacy
Hey Bulldogs!
This is Lindsey S. here to tell you about the work I have been doing for the 1st and 2nd graders. All of the aprons that the Art Department has for students to keep paint off their clothes were way too big for the 1st and 2nd grade students. So to fix that problem I have been sewing and tailoring custom-fit St. Louis Cardinals aprons for them to use. Every morning since school started this year I have been going into the Art Room to sew before school. After lots of hard work, the aprons are finished and we now have 10 small aprons for the little kids. Sewing is something I love to do and have been doing since I was in 1st grade.
Whenever I tell someone that I sew, they always say they are amazed. They ask me who taught me. I smile and respond, my grandmother did. My grandmother started sewing when she was 13 years old and was self-taught. Lucky for me, my grandmother taught me how to sew because I am her only granddaughter. She didn’t even teach her own daughter (my aunt) to sew so I am really lucky. Since I am her only granddaughter she decided to pass the talent on to me. My grandmother has three grandsons and me. She loves us all equally, but I think we spend more time together because we cook, make crafts and sew together.
My cousins are all boys and are more into playing sports than doing arts and crafts so over the years my grandmother has imparted her wisdom to me. When she first started teaching me to sew I bought a small sewing machine. It couldn’t handle a lot of material so sewing something took a long time. After a while, I became faster and faster and better and better. When my grandmother saw how fast I was getting she gave me her old sewing machine, which could do so much more than mine. My grandmother’s machine could stitch out logos like a small embroidery machine. Once I received her machine I was excited to make designs on my dresses, shirts, and skirts. Using this machine, I’ve made lots of clothes all by myself or with the help of my grandmother.
Although my grandmother taught me how to sew, I also went to a sewing camp. The camp was at Notre Dame High School, (which is the high school I would like to eventually attend). I sewed my first pair of shorts at that camp. While attending camp I learned that Notre Dame might be a great high school fit for me! It is a small school which also has a sewing class so I can continue sewing in high school!
I never dreamed that by learning to sew I could share the talent my grandmother passed on to me with others. It is because of that gift that I was able to make the new aprons for the first and second graders.
One day, while I was in the Art Room talking to my Art Teacher, Mrs. Kieffer she said that all of the lower school students wanted to wear the aprons I was sewing. She said they were amazed that an upper school student was taking time to help the younger kids. Sewing makes me happy, keeps my mind busy and allows me to use my brain and talents to help others.
When I first started sewing I wasn’t that great, but I stuck with it. Each piece of clothing that I have made over the years has given me more and more experience and helped further develop my skills.
As it turns out, sewing is now one of my many talents and one of my favorite hobbies. I am so thankful for all of the hours my grandmother and I have spent sewing and learning together. I will always cherish the time we have spent with one another and hopefully one day I can pass this talent on to my own daughter and grandchildren.