Learn to Sew

Our beginner sewing class yesterday was so much fun. We filled the class at eight students but squeezed a ninth one in at the last minute. Ages ranged from 16 all the way to early 70s, with one mom-and-daughter duo. Class began at 10 am. Everyone had finished a pillowcase by noon and a few students stayed after lunch to make a second one. I only wish I had remembered to get everyone together for a class photo at the end.

I try to make my classes enjoyable and stress-free. I told the students at the beginning that “No one is going to die if a seam is crooked.” Although I want them to develop good habits from the start, if I put too much emphasis on perfection, they aren’t going to learn anything.

Hopefully, some of them will come back for additional classes. At the very least, we want people to know that the quilt store isn’t just for quilting.

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I finished the Geranium Dress on Friday and took it with me to the store when I went to prep for class.

I am happy with it. I could use a bit more practice with small garments. My buttonholes are on point, though:

I am not a beginner when it comes to buttonholes, but I don’t do them often because I don’t wear many button-up shirts. My very first sewing machine was a White—a mechanical model—and I had to make buttonholes in four steps. My Janome 6600P had a buttonhole foot into which you set the button, and it would make the buttonhole to size automatically. The Bernina 880 has an on-screen calibration system. You hold the button up to the screen and adjust the knobs until the circle matches the size of the button. The machine adds 2mm to the size and stitches the buttonhole in one pass.

[Ashlee and I were in a class together at BU where we had to make buttonholes in our project, and she got such a kick out of watching me play with that buttonhole feature on the 790.]

As for this week’s sewing, the other Janet asked me about a good pullover dress pattern for a summer dress, which reminded me that I have been wanting to make the Amarena Dress from Liesl + Co.

I traced the pattern some time ago but haven’t looked at it since. Now that I have the woven top pattern that fits me so well, I got out the dress pattern to compare. I’m using the bodice of my woven top pattern almost as a sloper and it is saving me so much time. I would have to do a broad back adjustment on every pattern if I didn’t have it.

I can tell that the V-neck on this dress is too deep—I don’t want my bra to show—so I am going to use the V-neck from my woven top pattern. I’ll have to redraft the shawl collar piece, though, if I want to include that. (I’d like to, because it’s a nice detail.) I am ambivalent about the pockets. I like welt pockets, but I am not a huge fan of pockets in dresses.

Basically, I’m lengthening my woven top pattern into this dress. I want to run up a muslin out of an old sheet before I cut into the good fabric, however, just to double-check the fit. For the final version, I have some gorgeous red Brussels Washer Linen that I think would be perfect. I have to be careful about reds, because if they have even the tiniest bit of orange cast to them, I look like death warmed over. The BWL is a clear, true red.