Handy With a Needle? Summer Camp for Fashionistas

A really fun summer vacation has come to our attention, and it's an ideal getaway for that child in grades K-10 who loves to work with his or her hands.  It's called The Handwork Studio, and it's described as "a kids' needle arts and fashion community based in suburban Philadelphia." Of course, you can always enroll the kids there by booking a Philadelphia hotel and setting yourselves up in this fair city for a week-long vacation.

But the women behind this are doing a Road Tour this summer to take their unique, award-winning summer camps, in operation since 1991, around the country. Read on to learn about the other great destinations you can vacation in while the camp is in progress.

According to their press release, The Handwork Studio's program about needle arts and machine sewing is designed to foster creative expression in an energetic daily program that is both fun and on-trend. 

Instructors Miss Julia and Miss Alisha will be driving The Handwork StudioMobile, a van filled with sewing machines, bolts of fabric, baskets of yarn and tons of needle arts accessories -- arriving at each of their locations prepared to teach camp.  The StudioMobile has been outfitted to provide the identical high-quality one-of-a-kind experience found at the main studio. 

The Handwork Studio's "Summer Road Tour 2011" includes stops in the following cities:

*  June 13-17, 2011:  Washington, DC: Sidwell Friends School
*  June 27-July 1, 2011: Dallas, TX: The Parish Episcopal School
*  July 11-15, 2011:  Colorado Springs, CO: The Colorado Springs School
*  July 18-22, 2011: Avalon, New Jersey: Avalon Elementary School
*  August 1-5, 2011:  Washington, DC: Sidwell Friends School
*  August 8-12, 2011:  Potomac, MD:  The Bullis School
*  August 15-19, 2011: Montclair, NJ: Montclair State University
*  August 22-26, 2011:  The Gill St. Bernard's School, Gladstone, NJ

At each location two programs will be available.  Handwork Day Campers (grades K-6) will participate in creative activities such as knitting, crocheting, machine sewing and making crafts.  Gender-appropriate projects include backpacks, stuffed animals, room decor, toys, fashion accessories and more.

In the Machine Sewing Camp (grades 5-10), kids begin the week by choosing several patterns from the Studio's large selection of projects which include pajamas, hoodies, skirts, quits, bags, dresses and more.  While creating their projects, campers will learn pattern reading, measurements and sewing techniques.

"Thanks to the popularity of TV shows like 'Project Runway' and a host of DIY crafting Web sites, kids are tuned in to the various handwork and machine sewing techniques," says Laura Kelly, founder of The Handwork Studio. "The 'Summer Road Tour 2011' will allow us to share our unique camping experience beyond the New Jersey to Maryland corridor that we currently serve."

Miss Julia and Miss Alisha's on-the-road antics, pictures and videos of the kids they meet, and the projects they create will be documented daily on the Handwork Studio' website.

For more information on the Handwork Studio's "Summer Road Tour 2011" or to register for a camp session, call (610) 660-9600 or visit www.TheHandworkStudio.comwww.