Sandy Li Yuen-pik never cared much for sewing. The 26-year-old secretary hadn't picked up a needle and thread since home economics class in school. But that changed two years ago after she spotted a notice for a class on making garments for dogs.
A doting pet owner, Li signed up immediately so she could kit out her golden retriever in style. Most clothes stocked at pet shops were too small for her dog, Bobo, she says. 'I've never made clothes for myself. I took the class because of him.'
Li was so pleased with her creations that she recently took an advanced class in making T-shirts, hooded jackets and festive clothing. Next on her list is a raincoat-making class to prepare for the wet season.
More than 200 people have taken the PetZone garment-making workshops run by the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Lady MacLehose Centre, an Anglican community group in Tai Kok Tsui, since classes began in 2007. Students pay HK$350 for two two-hour sessions (including materials), during which they learn techniques from taking measurements for a dog to sketching and stitching.
Participants are of all ages, says instructor Creamy Kong Siu-suet, who works as a women's fashion designer. 'Some single women devote all their attention to their dogs, and they make outfits for pets the way some girls knit scarves for boyfriends,' she says.
Kong was pleasantly surprised to see a few men join her class, including Li's fianc?, Anthony Liu Chek-han. 'The men's needlework is sometimes even better than some girls',' she says.
