Classes—Teaching and Taking

My Sew Expo classes were smaller than last year’s classes, but after seeing that overall attendance seemed to be down, I am not surprised. And small classes aren’t necessarily bad. I can give much more personalized instruction to fewer people. I thought this year’s classes went well, although I need to stress to the organizers that my classes are not “learn to knit” classes. One lady showed up halfway through one of my classes and announced that she had never knit and had no supplies with her. Apparently, someone sold her a ticket anyway. She went out to the vendor floor and bought enormous needles (size 15 or so) and some thin yarn and came back expecting to learn how to knit. I could only give her a few minutes of instruction.

My thread class had the largest number of students enrolled—eleven—although only seven people actually came to class. I find that a bit odd. Class tickets were about $60 for a three-hour class, so why would you buy a ticket and not show up? I guess some people have money to fling around indiscriminately.

I’ve taught that class almost half a dozen times now and have a good idea of pacing and potential issues, but teaching at Sew Expo throws another wrench into the works. Local sewing machine dealers bring in machines for the classrooms. After the show, the machines are sold as “gently used” for discount prices. It’s a great way to get a really nice machine for less than full retail. That’s how I bought my Janome 6600P. It had been used for one day at a quilt show. The problem is that students are sewing on machines that are entirely unfamiliar to them. The stores providing the machines do assign an employee to each classroom to help with troubleshooting issues, but that’s not always enough.

The thread class was in the Brother classroom and we were on the Innovis machines. These are nice, mid-level machines that did basic stitches and a variety of decorative stitches. For that class, I give students the Wonderfil thread kits, eight 5" squares of Kona cotton backed with a lightweight interfacing, and two appliqué shapes to iron onto the squares for practicing machine appliqué.

I’m about to say something potentially sexist, but this has been my observation and I stand by it. Had that been a class full of men, we would have had no machine issues. They would have had those machines threaded and sewing within 30 seconds. Women want to walk in, sit down, and have the machine do everything for them without needing to understand the mechanics.

I get it. I am the same way with my vehicle. The husband was always very patient about explaining to me what was going on with The Diva—and I know more about cars than most women because I am married to him—but at the end of the day, I just want to get in my car, start the engine, and drive. Still, a basic understanding of what is going on with any kind of machine is helpful for troubleshooting, and most sewing machines operate the same way.

I also took a class while I was at Sew Expo. I had a few hours on Saturday morning with nothing to do, so I signed up for the Nadia No-Show Undies class taught by Amanda of Amanda’s bundles. The kit came with a yard of their Peached Performance fabric and the Nadia pattern from Made for Mermaids. We had enough fabric—and class time—to make two undies on the Bernina sergers. I probably could have made half a dozen in the time allotted; the pattern is not difficult. Before I make more for myself, though, I want to refine the pattern and fit. And before I make any for myself, I want to try making a pair of Comox Trunks for the husband using the Peached Performance fabric.

[Everyone I’ve talked to who makes their own underwear says that once you start, you never go back to store-bought. I totally get it.]

While I was in Seattle, I hit up all three of the Half-Price Books locations and found this treasure of a book:

I am sure this is a textbook from someone’s pattern drafting class in fashion school. It is full of all sorts of fantastic information. I am not much for tissue fitting. I would rather draft my patterns using paper and a calculator.

*******

I’ve been playing catch-up all week but also working on the Tamarack Jacket. I’ll have some things to say about the pattern when I’m done with it. That’s going to be a class at the quilt store in Missoula in the fall and the store would like a display sample.

We’re having false spring here in Montana—as soon as the weather hits the high 40s, people get antsy about planting. It’s too early. I won’t start seeds for another couple of weeks yet. And it looks like I may have to break out the incubator because 2025 looks like a repeat of 2020. It may be impossible to get chicks from the farm store. The husband wants Brown Leghorns but I think we’ll be lucky to get whatever we can.