FOR THE KIDS : Sewing Up a Storm to Benefit Library : Youngsters in Deon Turley’s House of Fabrics class hope to make 100 book bags to raise funds for the quake-damaged facility.

Since 9-year-old Cara Kuebert took up sewing last summer, she has stitched herself pants, shorts, culottes, two shirts and a nightgown. But lately, she has been turning out book bags--nine so far--to raise money for the Thousand Oaks Library.

Kara’s sewing class, taught by Deon Turley at Newbury Park’s House of Fabrics, set a goal of making and selling 100 bags to help the library, which was severely damaged in the Jan. 17 earthquake.

So far, the kids have finished 34 of the colorful drawstring bags. Charging $5 apiece, they’ve sold 20, mainly on Saturday mornings at the Newbury Park library branch where Friends of the Thousand Oaks Library are also fund raising with regular bake sales.

“The library was especially hard-hit in the children’s section,” said Turley, who came up with the project idea. “The Friends were looking for help from children’s groups--any children’s groups who wanted to help.”

When the girls were first learning how to make the bags, it took them up to two hours to complete one. With a little experience under their belts, they can now turn out one in about an hour. Some, like Cara, even work on them at home.

“Every time I turn around, she’s bringing one in,” Turley said.

The bags include a tag designating the Thousand Oaks Library Restoration Fund as the beneficiary of the project, as well as the name and age of the young seamstress. Some bags have a pocket for a library card.

House of Fabrics donated material for the project, and Thrifty Drug in Newbury Park offered colorful shoelaces to serve as the drawstring.

Turley teaches her classes out of a nook in House of Fabrics called the “Kids Korner.” There, her students have four sewing machines set up.

She uses a program called “Kids Can Sew,” which includes easy patterns for clothing that can be assembled quickly, such as the book bag and shorts. Higher levels of sewing include more difficult projects, such as T-shirts or stretch pants. The program is provided by the Simplicity pattern company.

Her students start sewing as young as 6 years old. Most are 8 to 10 years of age. She began teaching them in her home more than two years ago, but the demand grew and she moved to the fabric store. Now she has one-hour classes Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

“Parents are finding out that the schools are less likely to offer much in the way of sewing now,” Turley said. The recession has spurred more interest in sewing, not only in making clothing more affordable but in maintaining the clothing families have.

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Janet and Judy, that bubbly musical duo, are now sharing the stage with Ritt Henn, a comedian and bass player, in a style reminiscent of Peter, Paul and Mary and the Smothers Brothers. They’ll all be performing at 10 a.m. Friday at the Ventura High School auditorium. (No school for Ventura kids that day.) Advance tickets are $4 for kids and $5 for adults, $1 more at the door. To charge by phone, call 650-5900.

Details

* WHAT: Book bags on sale to benefit the Thousand Oaks Library.

* WHERE: Newbury Park branch of the Thousand Oaks Library, 2331 Borchard Road, Newbury Park.

* WHEN: On Saturdays beginning at 10 a.m., through April and May.

* FYI: For information about the bags and classes (including weeklong summer classes), call Deon Turley, 498-2392. House of Fabrics in Oxnard (981-2982) also offers kids sewing classes, as does Creative Sewing Center in Simi Valley (579-9356).