On Tuesday night, I took a “Sewing 101” class at Joann’s. I have been talking about learning to sew for quite a while now, so when we were there a few weeks ago with Jose’s mom, I picked up their class schedule. They had plenty of offerings in July and now seemed like as good a time as any!
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the whole experience was actually great. When I signed up, they provided a full supply list so I knew exactly what I needed to bring. I had to take two different fabrics that complemented each other, along with straight pins and a pin cushion, a tape measure, scissors, a seam ripper (just in case!), and thread.
Our project was a very simple pillowcase, which was perfect for a beginner like me. The other nice thing is that there were only two students — me and another woman around the same age. (I asked several friends if they were interested, but didn’t have any takers for Tuesday night.) She was really nice so we enjoyed chatting throughout the class. The instructor was great too. She started out by teaching us a few basics about fabric, and then showed us the various features of sewing machines. She also answered all of our questions about the best machine to buy as a beginner, which was really helpful. We were only sewing for about 20 minutes of the whole class, but it was exactly what I was looking for.
Ta da! I made that! It turned out great. I don’t know if I will actually use it — but that was never my intention. It’s just a practice piece. I enjoyed the class so much that I immediately signed up for “Sewing 102” on Saturday morning. Next project: a “hipster” bag.
I like that fabric! Send it up here if you’re not going to use it!
It doesn’t match any of our bedding, and since the fabric was cheap it’s actually a little bit scratchy for a pillowcase. But now that I know how to make them, I could make some for real!
Glad to hear the class was good. I know zilch about sewing and I need to take a class like this.
I definitely recommend it. But if you do, make sure to ask your Joann’s what you’ll make — the instructor told me that some of the Joann’s in the area don’t actually have you sew anything in the 101 class, which would be lame!
So glad you enjoyed it! I think sewing is/has become a lost art. I know the basics but nothing more, so I hope you keep it up.
I actually remembered a bit from when you helped me make the t-shirt quilt years ago.
Sounds like fun Sarah! I actually have my Grandmother’s sewing machine (circa 1980) and I’ve thought of taking classes, but just never made time for it. I did take sewing in the 8th grade, but I don’t remember much!
Looks great! I look forward to seeing more sewing creations.