82-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 4,1986
These Male 4-H‘ers Take Pride In Setting Prize Winning Clothing
Editor’s Note: The 4-H club
members featured in the following
story are just two of the 4.3 million
young people across the country
who will celebrate National 4-H
Week, Oct. 5 to 13.
In observation of National 4-H
Week, Pennsylvania 4-H’ers will
be promoting their program as a
“people development” program
for all youth aged 8 to 19.
Lancaster Farming salutes all
4-H members and volunteer
leaders during this week-long
celebration.
BY BARBARA MILLER
Lycoming Co. Correspondent
BLOOMSBURG Perhaps it’s a
touch of male backlash in a tune
when the women’s lib movement
daily dominates headlines, but
James Aten and Doug Haladay
seem to take particular pride in the
fact that they are expert sewers.
They have accumulated blue
ribbons in local, regional, and state
4-H competitions.
“Some are shocked at how good
it is... They think it’s good
somebody like me can make
something like that ‘cause some
people don’t think guys can sew,”
says James Aten, with a pndeful
glow in his eyes.
James was commenting on the
general public’s reaction when
they discover he has sewn an ar
ticle of his clothing. The 15-year
old 4-H’er has won blue ribbons at
every level, including the farm
show, for his expertise.
One aspect of sewing Doug
Haladay enjoys is, “Being able to
wear it to school and have people
be amazed to see that I sew.”
Fourteen-year-old Doug has
garnered blue ribbons in local and
regional sewing competitions.
The youngest child of Charles
and Barbara Aten of Berwick,
James is a tenth grader at the
Columbia Montour Vo-Tech
enrolled in a distributive education
(business) course. For seven years
he has been a member of the
Centre 4-H Club, taking sewing
courses from the beginning along
with other projects such as
vegetables and cooking.
Barbara Aten, sewing leader of
the Centre 4-H Club, says she
encouraged her son to sew because
it was an artistic outlet and
because in their school district
home economic courses such as
sewing are a mandatory part of
education in grades five through
eight.
A bean bag mouse was one of
James’ first projects, but he also
recalls making kakhi pants with
matching jacket and corduroy
trousers and vest. But it was a
sweatsuit that took first prize at
the farm show two years ago.
James’ entry at the Bloomsburg
Fair this year, that he considers
his overall favorite project, took
three blue ribbons. The entry was
comprised of a light gray wool
blend blazer, dark gray polyester
slacks and a light blue button-
James Aten shows his three prize-winning entries at the
fair. The light grey blazer, dark grey polyester slacks and light
blue button down long sleeved shirt took first prize at the
Bloomsburg Fair.
down, long sleeved shirt.
James says he sews because, “I
like to go to shows.. J like to win.”
He adds it could come in handy if
he ever needed to make a certain
item.
Showing and modeling on hot
days, James reports, is one phase
of a sewing project he finds dif
ficult.
Some advantages sewing entails
for James are that clothes are less
expensive and they fit better. And
what about girls? With such a
small percentage of males in
volved in sewing competitions, it
must present a great opportunity
for meeting the opposite sex?
“Yeah, 1 meet a lot,” James
confesses with a very wide, fet
ching grin.
Although James has talent when
it comes to designing and sewing
clothing, he says he’s not in
terested in sewing for a career. He
believes he won’t have a lot of time
for sewing while managing a
career in business.
One of six children. Doug
Haladay is the son of Francis and
George Haladay of Catawissa. The
14-year-old is a ninth grader is
enrolled in the gifted program at
Southern Columbia Area High
School and a member of the
marching and senior bands, Junior
National Honor Society, and the
basketball team. Doug’s career
National
plans include working as an oc
cupational therapist or finding
related work in the medical field.
For the past seven years Doug
has been a member of the Roaring
Creek Valley Community 4-H Club
taking such courses as cooking,
flowers and vegetables, em
broidery and photography. He
began with sewing projects three
years ago.
With a polyester blend print
short sleeved shirt and a pair of
navy blue pleated pants made to be
work with suspenders, Doug took
second prize at the Bloomsburg
Fair this year. In past years, ac
cording to Doug, his sewing
projects all took first prizes at the
fair. Twice, he says, he was
eligible to participate in regional
competitions.
Despite coming in second place
this year at the fair, Doug says his
alltime favorite sewing project
was this year’s entry. The shirt
and pants he completed gave him
more of a challenge than prior
projects, he reasoned.
Doug, who admits he likes
sewing clothes better than
modeling them, says he became
interested in sewing because his
sisters sewed. “All my sisters
sewed. One sister made a wool
outfit which she went to state
competition with. I thought it
would be fun. She encouraged
Doug Haladay displays his polyester blend short sleeved
shirt with front pockets and matching pants of navy blue
polyester that took second prize at the Bloomsburg Fair.
me.” Doug notes his interest was
further piqued when he served as
an escort at the regional dress
revue for two years.
One edge Doug has on the
competition is the fact that his
sister, Cindy Knepp, a home
economics teacher, is readily
available to advise him on any
sewing difficulty.
“Modeling in front of C>e judges
and being criticized,” Doug ob
serves is his least favorite segment
of a sewing project.
Advantages, though, according
to Doug, are that he can make
clothes less expensively and that
he now knows how to mend his own
clothes. And what about the
wmesfead
tA/o(es
greater opportunity to meet girls?
“It helps,” he observes with a
smile
How do male peers react when
they discover Doug has sewn a
garment he’s wearing 7 Any
teasing?
“No. I would say I made the
outfit and they wouldn’t believe me
and I’d say, ‘Check for the tag’”.
In the future, Doug says, he may
consider sewing as a sideline
because he has a friend who says
she will design clothes if he wants
to sew them. For his next sewing
endeavor Doug says he’s thinking
of designing and sewing a tuxedo
so he won’t have to rent one for the
prom.