EDINBURG – Just in time for the holidays, volunteer sewing experts in Edinburg will host an event Dec. 5 to sell handmade crafts and teach others how to make their own, according to Joanne Ureste, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service family resources agent for Hidalgo County.
The first annual Master Clothing Volunteer Craft Sale will be from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the AgriLife Extension office for Hidalgo County, 410 N. 13th Ave, Edinburg.
“The sale will be held indoors so we don’t have to worry about the weather,” Ureste said. “Members of the Master Clothing Volunteers, a program of AgriLife Extension, will be selling Christmas stockings, wreaths and table runners. Others will be selling jewelry, scarves and ladies’ bags, among many other items.”
All items are handmade and will range in price from $2 to $50, Ureste said. Proceeds will go toward the purchase of items needed to conduct the Master Clothing Volunteer Program.
“This program is designed to develop leadership and teaching skills among community members using textile techniques and garment construction, heritage sewing and home décor,” she said. “Trained volunteers work in the their communities to assist youth, families and community groups in learning how to buy, construct and care for garments and textile items for the home and the individual.”
The Master Clothing Volunteer program also helps residents create income, Ureste said.
“By design, many people have gone through the program and learned skills that helped move them from welfare to work by starting their own seamstress business. That type of expertise is in demand and can be done from home.”
The program holds free classes from 9-11:30 a.m. each Tuesday at the AgriLife Extension office in Edinburg.
“This AgriLife Extension program is the only one of its kind in the state and is run by a committee that votes on monthly activities,” Ureste said. “They are also highly devoted to community services. For example, the volunteers recently constructed 75 adult bibs that were donated to local adult daycare facilities. But they also construct items for use in their homes, to give as gifts, or for extra income.”
Interest in the classes has grown this year, she said.
“We started the year with about five people in the class,” Ureste said. “But now, we’re hosting 15 to 25 students per class. So far, we’ve served 91 participants this year. In our most recent class, we taught how to make napkin holders, placemats and coasters.”
Some 16 vendors will be selling their items at the craft sale while also conducting five, hour-long workshops beginning at 9 a.m.
“Volunteers will teach how to make one item per workshop per hour, including a snowman, a brooch,
bracelets, marshmallow rose and a stuffed owl,” she said. “Fees, to pay for the materials used, will be$2, $3 or $4 dollars, depending on the item.”
Depending on the success of this sale, others will be held in the future to coincide with holidays, Ureste said.
For more information on the craft sale, contact Ureste at 956-383-1026.
For more information on upcoming activities of the Master Clothing Volunteers, go to http://hidalgo.agrilife.org/master-clothing-volunteers/ .