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Tuesday, May 27, 1975
 nother man has sewed up a victory in the ongoing campaign to break sex role barriers.
Today, Sterling Calder is at ease talking about French seams and showing how they are done. But Calder, a drama major
at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, signed up for a sewing course last January ha had never taken a stitch.
"Those first days of class when I suddenly found myself surrounded by women and sewing equipment I knew nothing about,
were a bit awkward," he admitted.
That initial feeling of awkwardness - both at the sewing machines and as the only male in the classroom - passed
quickly and now Calder said he works confidently even at the more intricate procedures involved in putting a garment
together. He isn't the least defensive about his newfound interest, and seems to have as much fun playing this new
role as he does a part on stage.
Feeling no need to prove his masculinity, he can be free to explore creative possibilities unknown to many men, he
said. A pincushion on his wrist and scissors on a leather strap around his neck are part of his daily costume in the
home economics building.
"I guess in the beginning no one knew exactly what to expect of me," he said, "but when they realized I really was
serious about learning to sew, I was accepted.
In fact, according to his teacher, Ethel Hill, a UWSP Home Economics professor, he is one of her better students.
"He's learned a great deal in a very short time. Some of the techniques called for in the Vogue shirt pattern he
used, beginning students usually aren't willing to attempt," Miss Hill said, "But Sterling works very precisely and is
careful make certain he knows exactly what to do before he begins."
The professor sees an increase in the popularity of man sewing and looks forward to having more males in the
classroom. Calder says he would encourage other men to take up sewing.
Calder seems to be willing to try a lot of things. In pursuing his acting career he headed foe Hollywood two summers
ago and managed to land a walk-on part in Clint Eastwood's "The Drifter" and last summer joined a repertory group in
Johannesburg, South Africa, with some of his friends he made while back stage in London while on the UW-SP semester in
Britain program.
He's also been active in many of the university's theatrical production and said he thinks his interest in sewing
stems from work with costumes.
"But I really enjoy sewing and I plan to make more of my own clothes," he said.
Calder's project for this beginning clothing construction course was a gray tweed gabardine shirt-jacket with
coordinating trousers in entirely his own.
"A lot of my hard work, though, is on the inside where no one will see it," he lamented, indicating the neatly
finished, bound French seams.
Although at one point he admits to being tempted to take a baseball bat to the shirt when he couldn't get some
creased to set, Calder said frustrations involved with the project have been minimal
Who knows? He may turn in his acting card for a career in fashion design.
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