Well, it's happened. I feel like I've finally turned a corner with my sewing. Instead of constantly heading down Crap Avenue, I'm finally strolling towards Doing Okay Boulevard.
What's helped enormously is taking some sewing classes. First up, I took a class to make this cute zippered little bag:
What's helped enormously is taking some sewing classes. First up, I took a class to make this cute zippered little bag:
The instructor was great and aside from learning this pattern, I also learned about some basic techniques. Because the bag had four zippers it gave me some experience with putting in zippers. I also learned how to work with interfacing. My little bag turned out so well, mom asked me to make her one for Mother's Day. Here is her finished product, which is now waiting patiently for May to arrive:
After the bag class, I took a class called "Learn to Pattern Sew". The instructor Kathy was wonderful. She has so much knowledge about machines, techniques, fabrics - it was a fantastic crash course. I wish I had taken this class years ago when I first got my sewing machine. A few things I learned:
There were definitely times when I wanted to give up. But I'm so glad I stuck it out. The satisfaction I get from finishing a project and having something hand-made to wear is really rewarding.
- Dressmakers pin are the best invention ever. YOU CAN SEW OVER THEM. Holy crap you wouldn't believe how much easier that makes everything.
- Pattern sizes. You gotta measure to get the right size. Pattern sizes DO NOT equal store sizes. Now that I know that, I'm not just randomly trying to guess what size to make.
- Finishing. I didn't know what this meant but it makes a huge difference to the overall quality of the final product. It's actually one of my favourite things. Once you finish a seam, you feel like you're really making progress.
- Ease. Again, I never knew what this instruction meant so I always ignored it. I could never figure out why the %$#@ sleeves never fit in the armholes. Ease! It all makes so much sense now!
There were definitely times when I wanted to give up. But I'm so glad I stuck it out. The satisfaction I get from finishing a project and having something hand-made to wear is really rewarding.