Teenagers sat patiently, concentrating on learning a useful life-skill at a sewing workshop held recently at the 42ndedition of Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF). Task at hand involved sewing up a cover for their iPads. Pink thread on black, navy on grey, yellow on white, teens excitedly chose vibrantly coloured, contrasting threads to stitch together the two felt cloth pieces lying in front of them with a needle.
“Who has never used a needle?” asked the instructor Ouiam Sellami.
Those that raised their hand were assigned an assistant to supervise their stitching. Regular needles were given to children aged 7 and above, while younger children were encouraged to sew using a plastic needle.
The event is aimed at spreading the importance of acquiring this basic Home Science skill.
“It’s very important to learn stitching. It can help children, especially teenagers to create something with their own hands. It’s also very useful. In case there is a tear in your clothes and you want to repair it, you need to know how to use a needle,” Sellami explained.
“Picking up a needle and using one’s hands to stitch, has the added advantage of putting the cellphones down”, Ouiam added.
After sewing together three sides of their covers, the teens reached out for the bright colourful buttons they had to sew onto the flap, before embellishing their pretty iPad covers with crystal decorations – which also had to be stitched onto the felt.
“At the end the kids feel proud to make their own creations, which they can take back with them,” Sellami added.
Held under the theme ‘We Speak Books,’ the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) is hosting over 460 cultural activities this year, including daily writing workshops, poetry readings and book signings by renowned authors and artists from across the globe. Taking place from 1-12 November 2023 at the Sharjah Expo Centre, the event is a gateway for visitors who simply love the written word.