I had my first sewing class several days ago. It was a lot of fun and a little chaotic. There were four girls (ages 11-15) and two moms. We had three sewing machines and were all together in my living room. Luckily I have a good sized living room and I purchased a few small sturdy folding tables and some extension cords.
We made an infinity scarf. I will post the tutorial soon. It was perfect for a beginning project. All straight seams and a little bit of handsewing.
I taught the girls a little bit about their sewing machines. We wound a bobbin, loaded it, and threaded the machine. Then we practiced sewing straight lines on pieces of fabric. I taught them how to secure the seam with a backstitch at each end. This concept seemed more difficult to them than I expected. They were backstitching for an inch or so every time, but I guess it doesn't hurt anything.
One thing I read about learning to sew is that you should pay more attention to the edge of the fabric than the needle to keep your lines straight. I guess I've been doing it for so long that I forgot that's how it's done. To help the girls remember which line they need to follow I shared this little tip with them...
During our next class we're going to start a skirt. My plan is to talk about picking a pattern, measuring for your size, choosing fabric, and preparing the fabric and pattern.Labels: Sewing, Sewing School, Tips and Tricks
