On June 7 Jerilyn’s Sewing School in Cranston hosted its ninth annual Kids Can Sew & Fashion Design Fashion Show at Cranston High School West’s auditorium.

The runway was adorned with hand-sewn flags from countries all over the world, highlighting this year’s theme: “Sew Many Cultures, Sew Many Styles.”

According to Jerilyn Perry, owner and operator of the school, each student was asked to choose one country’s flag to create for the event, a project that connected several learning areas including social studies, geometry, and foreign languages.

“We don’t only cover sewing skills in our classes,” she said. “There’s a lot of math involved, and we cover a lot of other subjects when we create our projects.”

Additionally, each of the 70 students this year walked the runway twice, often highlighting multiple completed projects they’d worked on throughout the course of the year in their weekly classes. The male and female students ranged in age from kindergarteners to adults, and their projects featured backpacks, pillows, coats, aprons, matching child and doll clothing, and other accessories, as well as pants, shirts, skirts, pajamas, and decorative items for the home, such as tree skirts and table runners.

Two of Perry’s students, Emmaline Hall and Cadence Dodge, began the event by singing the national anthem, kicking off the multicultural celebration with a tribute to their own United States.

In place of an admission fee, Jerilyn’s Sewing School asks each year for guests to contribute canned goods and non-perishable food items for the Rhode Island Food Bank. As Jerilyn’s events grow in size and number each year, so does the annual donation.

“This year we were able to donate 346 pounds of food and $332 to the food bank,” Perry said. “This is up again from last year.”

Jerilyn’s Sewing School is located at 252 East St. in Cranston and also features a unique handmade gift show, the Creative Corner, which features handcrafted items of all kinds.

Jerilyn’s is beginning its schedule of summer camps and classes on July 11, which will continue through Aug. 27. For a full listing of summer class, camp, and project options, view the schedule at jerilynssewingschool.com.