After submitting pieces for judging for over 21 years, art and home economics teacher Sharon Scharf was given the privilege to watch another student enter and win a competition for his work. Although students in the past have placed first for their drawings or paintings, senior Eric Johnson won the top award for the best sewn shirt at the Fresno Fair.

Johnson entered Scharf’s home ec. class in his junior year and, according to Scharf, found a natural talent in the art of sewing.

“Eric started making his shirt last spring, and diligently worked on it every day since,” Scharf said. “It may not seem like it all of the time, but Eric is a perfectionist, and has a great deal of patience; he made sure that every last stitch was perfect, and that it fit just right.”

Johnson visited Scharf at home during summer break in order to put finishing touches on his design.

“Last summer, Eric came over and worked on his shirt for three solid hours,” Scharf said. “He still did not completely finish, but by him coming over and focusing on his work, I was able to see that he was determined to do his best.”

Regardless of the commonly held conception that sewing excessively feminine, Johnson pursued his project which eventually led him to a Best of Show at the Jr. Exhibit building at the fair.

According to Scharf, Johnson is the third student who won the first place prize, a Singer “curvy 8770” sewing machine, donated by D and J Sewing Center, in this particular Fresno Fair competition. In previous years, her two daughters won three sewing machines each, all of which are currently used in Scharf’s home economics classes.

“When I first started sewing, I didn’t like it because I felt like a girl,” Johnson said. “However, Mrs. Scharf encouraged me to join the competition because she thought I was good enough to win. We were both really confident that I would finish in first place.”

Although Scharf recognizes Johnson as having a “natural skill” in sewing, he admits that he struggled with particular aspects of creating his shirt.

“The most difficult and annoying part about sewing my shirt was when I messed up, and I had to take all the thread out and start over,” Johnson said. “Making the shirt was very time-consuming already, so messing up just prolonged the project.”

Considering this is her 21st year teaching, Scharf says some students rush through their projects and do not take the time to polish up the small details that need to be fixed. However, she recognizes Johnson as a diligent worker and honors his high-quality projects.

“I have had students who try to get their projects done as soon as they can just so they can wear what they made,” Scharf said. “Sometimes they do not even care whether a stitch isn’t quite right, or if the hems are different. Eric, on the other hand, takes his time and wants to make everything as perfect as possible.”

Johnson says winning the competition furthered his appreciation of sewing, and credits Scharf for his success.

“As I said before, I didn’t like sewing that much at first,” Johnson said. “But after I got the hang of it, it got easier and easier. Mrs. Scharf encouraged me each day to do my best, and if it wasn’t for her, I probably wouldn’t have won the competition.”

For his first project with his new sewing machine, Johnson plans to make his girlfriend, Kory Thompson, ’11, a Hawaiian shirt in remembrance of his success.

For more information about The Fresno Fair competitions, read the Oct. 12 article: Fair competition showcases high school artwork or check out Handiwork or Chalk it out.

For more information about home ec., e-mail Scharf.