I’ve been dreaming about teaching a Sewing 101 course for what feels like a century. I learned the basics when I was very young, and have picked up a good bit from my grandmother and the internet alike. I can craft basically anything I can look at, which comes in handy during cosplaying season.
When my husband and I signed on our house late last year, I made him promise he’d let me host classes. We’d found a place that had rooms enough for the both of us – an office for his AV work and a sewing room for me, along with a guest room, a bonus space for shooting pool, our main bedroom, and a formal dining room. At first, I’d planned to host the class (with a very limited size) in my sewing room, as the next step was to build a long, low table to hold all my machines, and a taller worktable for cutting and piecing. Unfortunately, those projects got bumped back to later this year, as our main breaker needed immediate replacement. The joys of homeownership, right? Instead, my dining room table works as the next best thing.
In the meantime, I spent the holiday editing syllabi for my ENGL 1101 and 1102 courses. While I knew I’d have 1102 this spring, I did want to make the changes to 1101 before I forgot what worked and what didn’t. Too, I’d picked up a part-time sewing gig in downtown Tucker, and my new boss had mentioned perhaps having the space for a sewing class when spring came around. I knew she meant directing it for youngsters, as her shop specializes in K-12 uniforms for schools and sports alike. I knew, too, I’d probably drop an F-bomb or six if I didn’t practice, first.
Thus, Sewing 101 was born. I opened the class to folks in my friend group who had previously mentioned interest. I made up a PowerPoint presentation to give myself some talking points for “Machine 100: The Pre-Basics,” to include an extensive glossary. Originally, I’d planned a simple topstitched zipper bag, something they could keep their materials in for the duration of the courses if they so desired, and take home at the end, with pinked edges to prevent fraying (and keeping the more complex “turning” and zipper methods for future classes). I had planned to include the simplest of zipper tutorials – basically stitching the fabric to the top of the zip with some free space and avoiding turning anything at all.
Thankfully, my first round of students were somewhat familiar with how to use their machines. I’d misplaced my personal pair of pinking shears, and the local craft store didn’t carry the pair I wanted (read: I got distracted and forgot to pick them up), so we changed the project slightly on the fly.
The class went well, and I think my students felt their money well-spent. We had initially scheduled a three hour class. I think, between delays in start and the extra time on pointers (and gossip – we are all friends, after all), we ran about three and a half hours, perhaps four at most. We worked first on sewing straight lines, understanding different stitches, and learning each of their machines. We moved on to reinforcing and back-stitching, then to threading and working through the bag project together. I’d precut the fabric and chosen a decently-sized zip. We didn’t use a zip-foot, which I’ll need to pick up a couple for the next go-round, I think. Things didn’t look as clean as they could have, but they all seemed happy with their projects. They ended up learning how to turn out a bag, how to clip corners, and the proper way to insert a zip, all more advanced techniques than I’d intended, but well-learned.
I do plan on running a 102 course. We’ll cover turning corners, bias tape, gathering, and quilting. I have a few options on the make-and-take project that I’m considering, which may or may not raise the price a smidge, depending. Seeing as these folks are using me to fill the gaps in their own knowledge rather than coming to me fresh-faced, I may put the projects up for a vote. Sewing 201- basic patterns and making a plush – will come soon, along with Hand-Sewing, for those interested.
I will definitely offer 101 again. I’ve got to get 102 scheduled first, but I’m hoping to get a new crop of students, either from my friend group again, or folks who’d be as understanding and helpful. I’d like to get to the point where I can approach a business owner and request to rent a space, but that’ll be a bit down the road, and once the word gets out. For now, keeping it small and manageable is the goal, even if it means running out of my house and hosting total strangers.
I know, too, there are plenty of teach-yourself-sewing sites and videos, but I hope the chance to learn face-to-face will take off. I can’t think of a better way to combine my dreams and vocation. Perhaps, if I can find a way, I may can stream the course on that patron site or some such, but that takes more time to develop than I have at the moment.
Are you, dearest reader, interested in joining us? At the moment, I’m hosting in Stone Mountain, GA. If you’d like to see more, I’m in the process of uploading syllabi and projects to my Course – Sewing page. We also have a group on Facebook (the best current way to keep track of everyone) on which we organize dates and courses, Crafting Courses.
The Crafty Medievalist 