alright so I had my first class at sew green tonight! I got there at 6 and right away we began. There are 6 of us including me in the class. It's a very nice size and there are two teachers, who are ready to help!
We all went around and shared what brought us to the class.. most women said they had never sewed before, or had minimal experience and really just wanted to be able to know the basics. I then shared about my project and how I really didn't know anything at all about sewing or a sewing machine. (oh also... I'm by far the youngest in the class)
The teachers then explained briefly what all the sewing machine parts did and which way to crank certain parts, and how the pressor foot must always be down when we sew... etc etc. (next time I think I'm going to bring a notepad and take some notes on specific functions)
We then were given a piece of muslin fabric.. and began making stitches along the side. We use a foot peddle to control how fast the needle moves... and well it took me forever!!! to perfect the speed. It was either waayyy to fast, or hardly moving at all... but as the time went on it got better. After we felt more comfortable with the machine we learned to back stitch... which is VERY important in making sure your stitches are strong, and will hold. The back stitch does just what it sounds like.. It goes backwards over a previous stitch and stitches more.
We then got to pick fabric and straps that would soon become a bag. sewing the bag closed was easy and pretty enjoyable. We used the typical 5/8 of an inch width, which is a good distance from the outside. (I preferred this, because it was easier to keep the fabric in a straight line)
Next we sewed our straps on all 4 sides... now these straps are pretty big.. like the length of my arm. and we also were supposed to sew as close to the edge as possible. You should see my lines... they are more like circles. I was theee last person done with the straps. I just kept having to straighten out my fabric again and again... I definitely got a little frustrated, and I can see how its easy to get discouraged... and also how its easy to make mistakes... and not be able to fix them. I've always felt like sewing was a permanent thing.. once its stitched there just is no un stitching... maybe my take on that will change though?
all in all the bag came together quite well! and I feel very accomplished for never having used a sewing machine before! I can see where I have a lot to learn.. and also how a lot of discipline is involved by training yourself to check and make sure the machine is doing what you want it to be doing.. before you do it!
I really felt comfortable in this class... it was a nice atmosphere and all the beginners were friendly. I'm excited for next week!
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