My Tuesday morning class is one of the highlights of my week. It's nice to get out of the house to spend a few hours with some girl friends talking and joking. I've become friends with a few the ladies in my class, and I genuinely look forward to seeing them all. Plus, it's nice to have some social time out of the house since I'm alone so much.
I first started taking sewing classes back in the fall of 2017 after my Nana suggested that I find one at a local adult education center or sewing shop. Nana's always sewn and made me many skirts, doll dresses, and other things over the years. Most memorable was when she made me my dress for my high school prom. She also made my Mom's wedding gown and all of her bridesmaids' gowns too! This is one of the reasons why I call her my Fairy Godmother. Before she had to stop sewing because of arthritis in her fingers, she was always making something!
A few years before I started class, my parents had bought me an inexpensive Singer Simple sewing machine for my birthday after years of me begging them too. (Nana wants me to have her machine someday, but I was finally successful in convincing everyone that I needed a simple one to learn on.) I started class with no knowledge of sewing machines or how to even begin using one.
Over the past five sessions worth of classes, I've picked up a lot of things and made a lot of different projects. My instructor Lori has taught us to make pot holders, wine bottle gift bags, bookmarks, placemats, microwave bowl holders, pillow cases, mason jar bags and more. This session, we're working on an origami candle mat.
Of course, I've always added a bit of Disney magic when I can. Most of the projects have required simple colors or patterns, but I've bought Disney fabrics for a few special ones. At the end of my first session, we made pillowcases and I bought Beauty and the Beast stained glass fabric and I fell in love with how it turned out. I was so proud!
My favorite of all the projects we've done so far was the tote bag. I showed you my completed Beauty and the Beast tote bag that I finished last spring. As you can see, I was so happy with the pillowcase (pictured above) that I used the same fabrics to make myself a tote bag (pictured below). It didn't come out perfect but I was so proud of myself for finishing it! Every time I look at it, I feel such a sense of pride!
Last fall, the class decided to do the tote bags again. Since I'd completed the Beauty and the Beast bag, and absolutely loved how it came out, I wanted to make a few more. I started working on three new designs- Steamboat Willie, Disney Princess Sketch and Disney Halloween. I also picked up working on my Ariel Sketch bag that I never finished from a previous class. I made a ton of progress on them last fall but I didn't finish any; I'm still working on finishing all four of those bags.
This session, I've actually signed up for both the morning and afternoon class. That means, I'll have class 10-12 as well as 1-3 on Tuesdays. I'll be at the school for five hours with an hour built in to have lunch and talk with Lori! I'm hoping that I'll be able to finish my tote bags during the afternoon session. I'm going to treat it like a self-study. Even if the rest of the class is working on the beginner stuff, I can sit quietly in the back of the room working on my four Disney tote bags. I really want to get them completed, especially since I've already cut pieces for a few more tote bags. I've also got a list of more design ideas and I have my eyes on some fabrics at the local store!
If I've got time, I'd also like to make some valences for our living room, dining room and kitchen windows. Eliot and I have had a fabric picked out for a while now. I just have to buy it and make them! I've also been thinking about making decorative Steamboat Willie pillow cases for our master bedroom! Hopefully I'll have time to make these too!
I'm looking forward to sewing class and all of the things I can create during it! I'll make sure to pop in again in a few weeks to share my progress on everything! °o°
No comments:
Post a Comment