SOUTH POINT – Six-year-old Brandon Conley watched Carolyn Waddle carefully stitch his name into a piece of cloth.

Wednesday, December 06, 2000

SOUTH POINT – Six-year-old Brandon Conley watched Carolyn Waddle carefully stitch his name into a piece of cloth.

Brandon’s classmates all took turns, watching, waiting and learning about their own designs.

Later, the young South Point Elementary first-grader and his friends would take the piece of cloth home – as an ornament for their family Christmas trees.

Ms. Waddle, a friend of teacher Susie Waller, was invited to the class to demonstrate her machine, and spread a little Christmas cheer.

The sewing and embrodiery machine is programmed by a laptop a computer to stitch designs without the guidance of the operator, Ms. Waddle said.