Library classes help residents learn skills, build community connections

Tiha Kabir learned to sew as a child, picking up basic mending skills from her family. Years later, she stood at the front of a library meeting room, teaching those same techniques to adults eager to learn them.

“In my family, we all learned to sew from the older generation, but that’s not true for a lot of people,” Kabir says. “A lot of people don’t know how to sew, and it is a life skill you kind of need.”

Public libraries are addressing that gap in practical skills through access to informal learning. At the Kent District Library’s Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch, Kabir and her co-instructor, Drea Taylor, teach a class called Sashiko Mending, combining traditional Japanese embroidery with opportunities to connect.

On a recent Tuesday evening, about 30 people gathered for the hourlong session. Some came to learn stitching. Others came to meet people. Many left with both.

“It’s a free place where you can gather with friends and make new friends,” Kabir says. “I think that’s really rare in the community.”

‘Word got around’

Sashiko is a form of embroidery that uses a running stitch to create repeating patterns. It has been used to mend and reinforce clothing and is now often used decoratively.

Kabir discovered the technique while browsing library books.

“I saw books on sashiko, and I really fell in love with it,” she says. “It’s so simple, but if you do it in multiple layers, it creates really intricate designs.”

Participants received a tote bag, needle, thread, and patterns, all provided by the library, and learned two basic stitches.

“In its core, it’s a way for someone to learn the basics of sewing in a fun way,” Kabir says.

Kabir and Taylor first offered the class at the Grand Rapids Public Library. Interest grew quickly.

“A lot of people who attended wanted us to put it on again,” she says. “I think word got around.”

At the Kentwood branch, the class filled quickly and developed a waiting list.

Learning a new skill

Many participants say the classes offer something they do not find elsewhere. Emily Kuhn, a longtime KDL user, says the sessions provide a chance to learn new skills close to home.

“Time for me is few and far between, so it’s pretty precious,” she says. “I like that it’s free, and it’s things that I wouldn’t necessarily learn on my own.”

Kuhn was attracted to the sashiko class because of her background in mending.

“I have always mended things. My grandma taught me,” she says. “This is a type of visible mending, which is intriguing, because I learned that all mending was supposed to be invisible.”

She says KDL classes allow her to try activities without spending money on supplies.

“You get to try something that you probably wouldn’t have necessarily, without investing a lot of money yourself,” she says.

Linda Fedewa, who moved to the area about a year ago, says the classes help her meet people.

“They’re a good way to meet people, but they’re also so informative and so diverse,” she says. “There’s so many different classes available. I just think this library is amazing.”

Her interest in sashiko comes from her past.

“I grew up in Japan, and I wanted to learn how to do this,” she says.

Fedewa plans ahead to secure a spot in the class.

“I actually put it in my calendar. I was afraid that I would not be able to get in,” she says. “I got up at 6 o’clock in the morning to sign up, almost like concert tickets.”

Making connections

Nearby, Heather Havens was attending her first library class.

“I like to take a lot of different craft classes. I already do a lot of crafts,” she says. “This is something that I kind of just dabbled in, and I thought, what better opportunity than the library?”

“It’s nice that they’re free. It’s very educational with all their programs,” she says.

She says the class gave her a reason to leave home.

“It was something fun and interesting, and gave me a reason to get out too,” she says.

Joy Rivers, who recently moved from Ottawa, Canada, says the class was part of getting to know the area.

“We just moved into the community a few months ago and joined the library,” she says. “We started looking at the classes, and the subject matter was interesting to me, something I wanted to learn.”

She says the session offered a chance to meet people, and regular activities help build connections.

“When you’re doing it every week volunteering with people, that’s where we made most of our friends,” she says. “But also through a few classes and things along the way as well.”

She left the class wanting to continue learning.

“It was a lot of fun. I’m ready to go home, finish, and learn more about the tradition and the practice of it.”

Safe, welcoming

Participants attend alone or with friends. Kuhn says both options work.

“I invite friends with me, so it’s a fun activity to do with people I already know,” she says. “It’s a great way to meet people if you don’t know anybody. I’ve always met very nice people at the library.”

Fedewa says the environment supports those interactions.

“The staff here is welcoming. They make you feel comfortable,” she says. “I think it’s a really safe place and you’re going to meet other people in your neighborhood.”

Kabir says connection is part of the class experience.

“I think most of the women love to sew, but I think it’s also like a safe place,” she says. “The sewing is kind of secondary.”

Participants sit side by side and work at their own pace. Instructors move around the room offering guidance.

“They were just very quick to welcome people in, really spoke to people one on one,” says Katie Blakeslee, branch librarian generalist at the Kentwood branch. 

“There was a sense of like, ‘Oh, this is my person next to me, we’re in this together. We’re learning something,’” she says. “Even just being in the very back row, I felt completely immersed and completely included. It just created an environment where people didn’t feel that pressure.

She observed that the patrons left in high spirits.

“It’s absolutely that human connection,” Blakeslee says.

Tommy Allen contributed to this story. Photos by Tommy Allen.

Literacy Matters is a series focused on the importance of knowledge, community resources seeking to remove barriers to access, and the value of our library systems to society. Literacy Matters is supported by Kent District Library.