Nancy Weeks looks on as co-instructor for Alberton Community School’s counted cross-stitch course, Kelly Gillis, practices her stitches. Gillis is also Alberton Community School coordinator. Classes start January 5.
Projects, she admits, can take more or less time to complete, depending on how much time is available for the stitching and how big and complicated the project is. She has one project at home that’s been a work in progress for two years.
Weeks and Alberton Community School coordinator Kelly Gillis will co-instruct counted cross-stitch during Alberton Community School which starts Monday, January 5, at Alberton Elementary School. They promise to start students off with less-intimidating projects.
Experience is rarely a prerequisite for any of the courses.
“I had a couple of ladies who couldn’t sew a stitch but when they left they were sewing bears,” Weeks said of the teddy bear-making course she taught previously.
Other new courses this year include dominoes, acrylic painting and craftsX3.
Some of the regular courses to choose from are digital photography, rug-hooking, fiddle, advanced mandolin and three levels of guitar. There’s also an off-site course on family and local history research offered at the Alberton Museum’s Eileen Oulton Genealogy Center.
Line dancing has been re-introduced to the course line-up.
Gillis said Community School numbers are climbing again. Last year they had 102 participants sign up, which is up from attendance in the 70s just a few years ago.
“This year’s line-up of classes will hopefully chase the winter blues away and provide for a great learning and social time as well,” she commented.
This is the first time counted cross-stitch is being offered as part of the program. Both Weeks and Gillis, however, are seasoned instructors. Besides teddy bear-making, weeks has taught ceramics painting, while Gillis has led courses in line dancing, computer, plastic canvas and healthy living previously. Both have taken several Community School courses.
“There are two types of people who walk through the doors on registration night,” Gillis offered: “Those with a purpose who know exactly what course they want to take, and those who like to browse the different options, maybe even sitting in on a class the first night and see what it is all about.
“It’s for those people that I like to have as many options available to them to make their choice as difficult as I can,” she laughs.
She’s grateful for the volunteers who share their talents and skills with others.
Classes run from 7 to 9 on Monday nights, starting January 5. There’s an 8 p.m. lunch break. Registration on January 5 starts at 6:30.
Classes run once a week for 10 weeks. On weeks when school is cancelled on Monday nights due to storms, Alberton Community School offers a Thursday night storm date.
