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Ottawa Citizen
May 20, 2006 Saturday
Final Edition
ESL: Edge-stitching a second language
by Margo Roston, Citizen Special
The women sit around sewing machines or at a table where they are
cutting fabric in the basement of the Caldwell Family Centre. Some
speak English without much hesitation; a couple barely speak English
at all. One or two wear the dress of their homeland; the others are
in western clothing.
What the women have in common is their interest in sewing and the
need to finish the outfits they will wear in an upcoming fashion
show.
They are members of an ESL sewing class run four days a week by the
Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board and its teacher Saada Hussain.
And while their lessons hone their skills with a needle and thread,
their classroom time is really all about learning a new language.
Nigar Islam, who carpools to the class from Kanata with her pal
Sayeeda Mirza, shows off the Pakistani national dress she'll wear in
the show: a blue embroidered kameez with matching shalwar and a
doppatta -- a dress, trousers and a scarf.
"I always did embroidery, but I had a fear of cutting," admits Islam,
who has lived in Canada for 20 years. "Now I am a grandmother and
I've begun sewing for my granddaughter." She has been making both
traditional and western-style clothing since she joined the sewing
group three years ago.
The centre occupies two townhouses in Bellevue Manor in the
Carlington community off Merivale Road. The complex houses a day
care, a food bank, a drop-in centre, a computer room and the sewing
room, which is filled with donated sewing machines, notions and
fabrics.
There is calm and quiet in here, the conversation all about seams and
button holes and zippers. It's obvious the women are comfortable
together and having a wonderful time.
"We have to talk in English," says Araclly Ossa, who immigrated to
Canada from Colombia more than 30 years ago. "The sewing is good for
us. You learn things to do, like making something for the bedroom."
Suzanne Lamirande lives in the community and acts as a volunteer with
the group. A French speaker, she says her English has improved along
with her sewing skills. She has even produced a book of fashion
designs she's keen to try out.
She also acts as a translator for Eulalie Nida, a recent arrival from
the Ivory Coast, who speaks only French. Tall and elegant, the mother
of three had never sewn before she joined the class, but has created
a colourful print dress to wear in the show.
Akur Mathaing is a newcomer from Sudan with a wide, cheerful smile.
She arrived a year ago to marry her Sudanese boyfriend, who had
already settled in Ottawa. In her short time with the group, Mathaing
has mastered the basics of both sewing and English.
The class, which when at full strength is 18-strong, pauses to admire
classmate Mirtan Aghazarian, an Armenian from Iran who came to Ottawa
in 2002. She's modelling a tweed suit that she made and a sweater
with glitter around the neckline.
When she's not working on a class project, Aghazarian makes little
gifts from scraps of material. "I'm learning a lot here. In the
summer I plan to do a lot of sewing." She already owns a sewing
machine, a gift from her teacher.
Hussain is the creative pivot of the room, passing on advice in a
professional and quiet manner. She has taught in her native Pakistan,
Australia and Kuwait, and has worked for eight years at the centre,
where she's determined to teach new skills along with English to new
and older immigrants.
"Many of the women take orders and make wedding dresses, some work in
dry cleaners and do alterations. And some of the women want to be
able to make their own national costumes since it's expensive to buy
them here, but they can find beautiful fabric here."
Some of the students have sewn before but need to learn English
sewing terms and new techniques in order to work. While the English
used in the class can be technical -- words about stitching, hems and
patterns -- there's a strong sense of community support and
friendship in the room.
For many of the women, it's also a place to have fun together. And
despite the mix of cultures, languages and dress, it's where
differences are most likely to be expressed with a bit of fabric, a
needle and some coloured thread.
The Caldwell Family Centre Fashion Show takes place at 10 a.m.
Wednesday, 1520 Caldwell Ave.
Margo Roston is an Ottawa writer.
May 20, 2006 Saturday
Final Edition
ESL: Edge-stitching a second language
by Margo Roston, Citizen Special
The women sit around sewing machines or at a table where they are
cutting fabric in the basement of the Caldwell Family Centre. Some
speak English without much hesitation; a couple barely speak English
at all. One or two wear the dress of their homeland; the others are
in western clothing.
What the women have in common is their interest in sewing and the
need to finish the outfits they will wear in an upcoming fashion
show.
They are members of an ESL sewing class run four days a week by the
Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board and its teacher Saada Hussain.
And while their lessons hone their skills with a needle and thread,
their classroom time is really all about learning a new language.
Nigar Islam, who carpools to the class from Kanata with her pal
Sayeeda Mirza, shows off the Pakistani national dress she'll wear in
the show: a blue embroidered kameez with matching shalwar and a
doppatta -- a dress, trousers and a scarf.
"I always did embroidery, but I had a fear of cutting," admits Islam,
who has lived in Canada for 20 years. "Now I am a grandmother and
I've begun sewing for my granddaughter." She has been making both
traditional and western-style clothing since she joined the sewing
group three years ago.
The centre occupies two townhouses in Bellevue Manor in the
Carlington community off Merivale Road. The complex houses a day
care, a food bank, a drop-in centre, a computer room and the sewing
room, which is filled with donated sewing machines, notions and
fabrics.
There is calm and quiet in here, the conversation all about seams and
button holes and zippers. It's obvious the women are comfortable
together and having a wonderful time.
"We have to talk in English," says Araclly Ossa, who immigrated to
Canada from Colombia more than 30 years ago. "The sewing is good for
us. You learn things to do, like making something for the bedroom."
Suzanne Lamirande lives in the community and acts as a volunteer with
the group. A French speaker, she says her English has improved along
with her sewing skills. She has even produced a book of fashion
designs she's keen to try out.
She also acts as a translator for Eulalie Nida, a recent arrival from
the Ivory Coast, who speaks only French. Tall and elegant, the mother
of three had never sewn before she joined the class, but has created
a colourful print dress to wear in the show.
Akur Mathaing is a newcomer from Sudan with a wide, cheerful smile.
She arrived a year ago to marry her Sudanese boyfriend, who had
already settled in Ottawa. In her short time with the group, Mathaing
has mastered the basics of both sewing and English.
The class, which when at full strength is 18-strong, pauses to admire
classmate Mirtan Aghazarian, an Armenian from Iran who came to Ottawa
in 2002. She's modelling a tweed suit that she made and a sweater
with glitter around the neckline.
When she's not working on a class project, Aghazarian makes little
gifts from scraps of material. "I'm learning a lot here. In the
summer I plan to do a lot of sewing." She already owns a sewing
machine, a gift from her teacher.
Hussain is the creative pivot of the room, passing on advice in a
professional and quiet manner. She has taught in her native Pakistan,
Australia and Kuwait, and has worked for eight years at the centre,
where she's determined to teach new skills along with English to new
and older immigrants.
"Many of the women take orders and make wedding dresses, some work in
dry cleaners and do alterations. And some of the women want to be
able to make their own national costumes since it's expensive to buy
them here, but they can find beautiful fabric here."
Some of the students have sewn before but need to learn English
sewing terms and new techniques in order to work. While the English
used in the class can be technical -- words about stitching, hems and
patterns -- there's a strong sense of community support and
friendship in the room.
For many of the women, it's also a place to have fun together. And
despite the mix of cultures, languages and dress, it's where
differences are most likely to be expressed with a bit of fabric, a
needle and some coloured thread.
The Caldwell Family Centre Fashion Show takes place at 10 a.m.
Wednesday, 1520 Caldwell Ave.
Margo Roston is an Ottawa writer.