Join The Hannah Project at Barnes & Noble Corte Madera on Saturday, November 23rd at 2pm a Kids Crafting Time with Miriam Alfonso of Alfonsina Inter-Sewing Studio of Mill Valley! All are welcome to attend this free event.
Miriam Alfonso loves sewing. “No one is teaching it anymore,” she said recently in an interview with Robert Goldman, of Goldman & Associates in Larkspur Landing, “at least, certainly not in schools.” She decided to teach children in Marin City because after working with adults she realized that it is best to learn sewing as a child. There’s a certain amount of hand-eye coordination and dexterity that is best learned when you’re young.
“Working with children is gratifying,” she said. “When kids finish making a puppet, they are so excited! They get to make it, and then play with it. It's so much different from a store-bought toy. Kids play with them for a few minutes, and then, they’re done. When you make something with fabric, not only are you learning the technique of sewing, you are learning fine motor skills. You learn to focus; you learn to observe; you touch, and you feel different textures. Then, you get the satisfaction of completing the project, and it makes you feel proud. For a kid, for anyone, this is a huge and wonderful thing. And I tell you, some of the moms get into it, too!”
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Miriam continues, “You see that people are thirsty for exposure to craft making.” Miriam's mother was an artist and a tailor. She used to paint, too. Growing up in Argentina, Miriam learned how to do all these things at home and in school. “We don't have these things in school anymore; now everyone wants just math and English and science without the humanities. Art is something that makes you more complete, more balanced. I do think it gives you some sensitivity that we need for humankind.”
In her Mill Valley studio, Miriam makes “soft home furnishings,” - drapes, pillows, slip covers, and textile art in her free time. She has studied fiber sculpture locally at College of Marin; she's taught Spanish through Berlitz at both Strawberry Pointe and Edna Maguire elementary schools in Mill Valley, and she's taught literacy to adults in the Canal.
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Miriam is preparing a holiday theme for the Hannah Project Kids Crafting event at Barnes & Noble Corte Madera on November 23rd at 2pm. Children will be able to make fabric greeting cards, felt animals, and puppets for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Chanukah. Materials will be provided.
This event is part of the Bookfair Fundraiser for The Hannah Project. From Saturday, November 23 to Friday, November 29, 2013, Barnes & Noble will contribute a percentage of every sale made with a special Bookfair voucher to The Hannah Project. Vouchers will be available online at the Hannah Project website www.thehannahproject.org and in hard copy at their offices in Marin City. You can also shop in support of The Hannah Project by shopping online at www.bn.com/bookfairs from November 23 to December 4, 2013 and include the Bookfair voucher ID (#11191491) on the payment page during checkout. For more information, contact Laurel Kidd, Community Relations Manager for Barnes & Noble Corte Madera, at crm2274@bn.com.
