Sewing Lessons Learned and Taught

I may have mentioned that I've been sewing since childhood. One of the first projects I can remember making was something I was certain would make me rich. I would cut off the bottom half of old pyjama pants, and using the removed leg, would sew up the cut hole, flip the whole thing upside down, make a little pocket and handle, and put it on a door knob. So it was basically a fabric tube. I'm not sure I ever found a really great use for it- maybe storing plastic shopping bags or, more likely, hiding candy from my older brother. I would do all the sewing by hand, and I'm can't really remember what my mom's reaction was to my cutting up most of my pyjama pants.

I've come a long way since then, and though I am still not an expert by any means, I would consider myself an "adventurous intermediate". I've made kids clothes, clothes for myself, altered a lot of clothes, either for fit or for personality; I've made bags, quilts, curtains, toys. One thing I have made A LOT of: mistakes. Mistakes abound in my sewing area. Mistakes that have destroyed projects, destroyed my confidence, destroyed my sleep cycle as I unpick stitches until 3am.

Fortunately, I was raised to see mistakes as learning opportunities. Yes, I have taken chunks of time away from sewing- like after the jacket disaster of 2005, I didn't sew for nearly a year. But I have mostly persevered and learned my lessons.

Now it's time for me to share some of those lessons. I was teaching a couple of friends and acquaintances how to sew, and I really loved seeing them go from unconfident, never having touched a machine, to a finished project they can proudly carry around. I somewhat spontaneously decided to extend these lessons to strangers and the general public, and can happily report a positive response. I've gotten a few students already, and am developing a program for each of them based on interests and needs. One student would like to quilt, one wants general proficiency, another to make clothes.

It's so exciting to be able to help people gain some confidence so that they can explore sewing on their own terms. I don't expect to help someone tailor a hand-stitched suit, and am still learning a lot about general construction of clothes, but I can at least give someone a foothold over a few months, until they are ready to push themselves further.