A Nathalie Cowl Class

I taught a class yesterday on making the Jalie Nathalie cowl top. Only two students signed up, but we had such a good time. The best part was that both of them finished their tops, which fit perfectly. I got a photo of one of my students, and with her permission, I am sharing it here:

This student has been in a couple of my classes. Last fall, she made a Harper Cardigan that she wore on a trip to Europe. Her kids told her it looked “very professionally done.” This is her Nathalie, made from a midweight ribbed knit from the WalMart remnant rack.

[That classroom is huge. I love teaching at this store.]

My other student made her Nathalie from some black rayon sweatshirt knit from Joanns. She was still hemming hers at the very end of class so I didn’t get a photo, but I was so proud of her. She hadn’t made a lot of garments before. She also had some fitting adjustments to make but jumped in fearlessly after I showed her what to do. Her top looked great on her. Now she has a pattern that she can use to make more.

I know how I felt the first couple of times I made something that actually fit me. I love to see that happening for my students.

I also got a sneak peak at the Amanda Murphy serger quilt store sample. This is part of the top. It hasn’t been quilted yet.

Barb—who works at the store and has been in many of my serger classes—made this sample. She’s another one of my students who came in knowing absolutely nothing about sergers and about her L890 but now tackles even the most challenging projects.

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I was flipping through my YouTube feed early yesterday morning and ran across a video about Sew Expo 2024. I think the universe put that video in my feed for a reason (besides the algorithm). Interestingly, I had walked from the parking lot to the show grounds behind the two women who were the subjects of the video, and I remember that because one of them was wearing a beautiful tweed coat. I tapped her on the shoulder and asked her if she had made it—she had—and complimented her on how nice it looked.

Both ladies had taken a fitting class at Sew Expo and were shocked by the behavior of the teacher. Apparently, this teacher was a bit intrusive in her fitting methods and also made some inappropriate comments about students’ body shapes. I took a class from that same teacher at Sew Expo last year and had quite a few criticisms of my own, so I wasn’t surprised to hear their complaints. (I am being deliberately vague about all of this for a reason.)

That video was a good reminder, though, to respect students’ comfort levels and to ask if they mind me getting up close and personal before I charge in with a tape measure. Also, no teacher wants to end up as the subject of a negative YouTube video.

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We are under a winter weather advisory from midnight tonight until noon tomorrow, with a back door cold front bringing northeasterly winds and a few inches of snow. By Tuesday, we’re supposed to be back up in the mid-40s with rain. I ordered rubber Weather Tech floor mats for the Jeep and the dealer called yesterday and said they had come in. I’ll run up to Whitefish this morning to get them, do a chicken feed resupply, and probably won’t go anywhere else for the rest of the weekend.