In the second floor youth room in the Elora Centre for the Arts, on any given Tuesday evening, the sound of sewing machines competes in volume against the laughter and chatter of young voices working away, stitching together fabric with friendship.
The room, sponsored by the Centre Wellington Rotary Club, is home to the Tutu In You sewing club.
“It’s an improvisational group to encourage each other to celebrate differences,” explains organizer and founder Stephanie Toohill. “It’s all about mentorship and celebrating, being curious about each other and things, because when we’re curious, we learn so much.”
The inspiration came from Toohill’s vision to create tutu skirts where young girls could take material memories or pieces of material they liked and create a one-of-a-kind skirt that would represent the many layers of who they are.
“The name just kind of stuck. The tutus would represent who we are … and that was the beginning of it,” Toohill said. “This grew as a manifestation of friendship and supporting each other in our dreams.”
The group began in 2007, intended to be a self-esteem workshop for Grade 7 and 8 girls at Elora Public School. With the support of then youth councillor Janine Costello and art teacher Donna Hull, the group grew.
“The Grade 6 girls wanted to join in and others too, and the group became too big,” Toohill said, adding she was inspired by the success of the group in a way that made her want to continue.
“I wanted to open the group up to all girls in the area,” Toohill said, adding, “the Elora Centre for the Arts phoned and asked if I would move it here?”
“We have the good fortune to have the Centre Wellington Rotary Club sponsor the youth room, which allows the room to be open to youth all over Centre Wellington,” Toohill said.
Now the free drop-in group, has attracted youth from the ages of nine and up, enough to make two different groups, bringing together youth from different schools, home schools, backgrounds and abilities to get creative together.
“If young women are encouraged to express who they are, they may feel empowered to make more mindful choices for themselves in the future,” Toohill said.
But Toohill is careful to note the group is not intended to be a counselling group. It is run entirely by community volunteers, peers who enjoy working with the youth, such as Randi Vann, Libby Carlaw, Peloma Von Fielitz, Nora Wardell and Judy Blundell.
“It’s not like we’re teaching. We are supporting and we encourage mentorship,” Toohill said. “They learn from each other’s skills, always with an emphasis on creative problem solving.”
She adds, “When you are creating and sharing, it unlocks so much in your mind.”
That includes social problems too, which can be a challenge, but one Toohill works to handle in a positive way.
“There are no corners in this room for people to get cliquey,” she points out and describes another area of the room, with couches set in a circle, as a place to relax and talk.
At the door there is a sign that reads “all welcome” and beside it, a worry box, where the children are encouraged to write down anything that is bothering them, so it doesn’t interfere with their creativity. Toohill says, “often times, by the end of the night, the worries aren’t a worry anymore”
A “rope of celebration” hangs from the ceiling, strewn from one end of the room to another, as a place for the youth to add a ribbon or bow to it, so that all new members are represented and can add to it at anytime. Everyone is to feel they belong.
There is a full length mirror on the wall painted with the phrase: “You are amazing.” On the chalkboard in bold letters it reads “You are beautiful.”
A dress-maker dummy allows the youth to build on their designs, but the emphasis is not to create a perfect piece of fashion.
“We don’t do any measuring because each of us is our own unique shape, so we use lots of lengths of wool and chalk to measure, so there is no comparing sizes. We are the shape we are,” Toohill said.
In the corner is a costume rack of donated goods, so the sewers can see how things are put together, turn them inside out and figure things out.
The environment is technology-free, so that everyone is engaged and communicating.
In the centre of one table there is a bell, a device to allow the ringer to be heard.
“Anyone who rings the bell has a voice. Everyone has to stop and pay attention,” said Toohill. “I encourage all the sewers to have a voice in leadership.”
Chelsea Campbell, co-leader, has been involved with Tutu In You for three years. For her, the reward in volunteering is seeing the changes in the youth over time.
“Always, when they first start, they are really shy for the first two sessions,” she said. “Then it changes. They always gain a confidence they didn’t have, from learning to use the machines and making something themselves.
“It’s really inspiring to see them teach each other to sew. Sewing is a dying art form,” Campbell said. “The kids are really independent now. They have learned to sew purses, bags, clothes and stuffed animals.”
Toohill describes a setting where there is always music playing to keep the creative juices flowing.
“I think this is a safe place for breaking down barriers,” Toohill said. “The rules are to be kind to yourself and others and respectful of all the equipment and materials.”
Eleven-year-old Lily Harrison joined the tutu group over two years ago and is proof that the efforts of Toohill and Campbell, are on the right track.
“I love that it is a safe place,” said Harrison. “We have the worry box and we can put our worries in it … I’ve used it once or twice,” she said adding she didn’t need to take the worries away at the end of the night.
“I find it really easy to make friends here. It’s the number one place to make friends, easier sometimes than at school,” Harrison said.
She credits Toohill with helping her deal with issues at school, by acting as a sounding-board and role model for coping with peer issues.
“Last year I had a problem with friends and Steph helped us get through it. She’s the kind of person who teaches you sympathy and compassion for anyone else,” Harrison said. “This is a safe, happy place.”
Harrison believes the group “definitely boosts confidence” in her fellow participants, by allowing them to be as creative as they want.
“Steph helped us make this crazy, messed up doll,” said Harrison, holding up what has become the club’s mascot, an odd shaped stuffed creature, made of patched pieces and buttons. The girls call it the Giant Thumb.
“I always tell the girls, ‘you are in charge of your own creativity. You are the driver. You drive that creativity wherever you need to go,’” Toohill said, adding that mistakes are part of learning and usually the best teacher.
For nine-year-old Rebekah Denton, Tuesday nights are an outlet to be her creative self.
“I like that we can just get to do whatever we want and be really creative,” Denton said. “I like to sew pillows.”
Her mother Valerie is grateful that the tutu club exists.
“I think this has been wonderful for her. When I read about the program and how they get to design their own fashions, I knew that was for Rebekah. She is her own person and this is perfect for her.”
An important component of the group is the environmental message of recycling.
“We’re about recycling, reusing, thinking of different ways to make things: alter-couture … wearable art,” describes Toohill.
Each of the donated sewing machines have names, based on their usefulness, like Reliable Ruby, who never breaks down and Smooth Suzie, with always even stitches.
“We can always use donated material, thread, ribbon, buttons, lace, wool, any kind of sewing paraphernalia, knitting and crocheting needles,” Toohill said. “We need help having sewing machines maintained and serviced too.”
Harrison adds, “Most of what we have gets donated. Our community is a very generous place,” said Harrison.
That is why Toohill and Campbell encourage the youth to participate in community events, to pay it forward.
“I encourage the sewers to support community events. It gives them an opportunity to feel celebrated and inspires our community to think creatively of how to do things differently,” said Toohill. “It teaches them to be community leaders.”
The Tutu in You club has helped make comfort dolls for the Centre Wellington Fire and Rescue Department, to hand to children involved in accidents or fires. Wish dolls were created as a fundraiser to support the materials needed for that initiative.
“The sewers are committed to make things and raise the money that goes back to them for supplies,” explains Toohill.
The sewers have created outfits and modelled them for the Anime North “Alice in Wonderland” Steampunk Fashion Show in Toronto, the Women in Crisis in Fergus, and the annual Planet Youth Extravaganza event in May at the Gorge Cinema.
Their art has been added to the Monster March parade, where the group created a giant octopus with Puppets Elora, and they are collaborating with Bear Epp of the Junior Art Collective to “embellish the reindeer and Santa’s suit” for the Elora Santa Claus Parade.
For Toohill, the success of the group is the difference it makes in the lives of each individual sewer.
“And some of that comes just from teaching someone to thread a needle.”
Tutu in You meets Tuesday evenings at the Elora Centre for the Arts. For more information on Tutu in You, visit www.eloracentreforthearts.ca.
