Ladyfingers Sewing Studio of Oley is hosting it’s first ever “Sew for the Animals” event on Saturday, Feb. 20.
More than 20 sewing machines will be set up with supplies readily available to make pet beds. These beds will be donated to the Animal Rescue League of Berks County.
Studio owner Gail Kessler says the staff is excited about the upcoming event.
“We’re hoping to make several hundred small dog and cat beds,” says Kessler. “All sewing and none-sewing abilities are invited. We’ll be here to help.”
“Many haven’t tried sewing before – we’ll be able to expose them to that,” she said. “We’re hoping for it to be a smashing success.”
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. All ages are welcome. If it is successful, Kessler will be ready to host the event again and has already chosen the Berks Humane Society to be the next recipient.
“Everyone has been very generous,” she said. “And we’re hoping Scouts or 4-H members will get involved.”
While indivuduals are welcome to bring fabric, Kessler says people just need to come – everything else will be provided.
The fabric for the beds will already be cut to size and ready to be assembled. All that is needed now is the “help of humans” to sew everything together.
As a Bernina brand dealership – Kessler explained how the company created a special edition machine called “best friend” with a paw print design. A portion of the sales from that model will benefit <Petfinder.com>, a website which helps potential adopters find their ideal pet through a search system.
“I took it from there,” said Kessler.
She started to think about what the studio could do to help locally and the idea of inviting the community into the studio to make pet beds was born.
Her business has been operating out of Oley since 1993 and has been a Bernina dealership for the past year. In addition to selling machines, they also repair and service various models.
“Sewing is not like it used to be,” she said, comparing the today’s modern sewing machine to a robot with touch screen capabilities. “The beds don’t take long to make.” The beds will be 12 by 18 inches in size, ideal for small dogs and cats.
There will be a donation area for ARL collections, check out the website at <www.berksarl.org > for a list of current needs.
Representations of the Berks ARL will be on site for a portion of the event and will have an adoptable pet or two on hand.
Ladyfingers Sewing Studio, Inc. is located at 6375 Oley Turnpike Road in Oley.
