Sewing School Drop Out!

So. In light of what has transpired over the last week, I have decided to drop my sewing class. I am so sad! Just to fill you in:

1. Last Tuesday, the first day of my sewing class, my instructor did not show up for class
2. She called me and left me a message with her email address so I could send her an email and so that she could respond with the syllabus
3. I emailed her that same day (Wednesday) and did not get a response
4. I found out my friend, Beth had already received the email so I decided to call her on Thursday
5. She told me that she would email me that information right away and not to call her again - to email her instead (oh yeah, she also told me her husband had had a heart attack)
6. I waited around for her email (that never came)
7. I emailed her again
8. Still waiting for a response

Since I am starting my MBA program this week and we are moving, I have decided to not continue with this class. I figure that I will have my hands full with everything that I will not be able to tackle an absentee instructor. If she had her stuff together it would make it easier for me to juggle everything else, but since she does NOT, I have decided to wait until next semester. I feel really bad that she is having to go through this, but maybe she should consider taking some time off and let someone else take over.

I will wait until next semester to take this class :(

Sewing Class

So, today was my first day of sewing class. Actually it is my Pattern Making class. Unfortunately or fortunately (whoever you want look at it), my instructor did not show up. We were supposed to start class at 5:00 pm and end at 10:00 pm but at around 6 the teachers had not shown up so we all decided to leave. I hope the instructor is ok.

I did get a chance to meet some of my new classmates. Beth, who is a friend of mine, is in the class (and I am so glad she is). Blair, a girl who lives in my neighborhood, who is trying to quit smoking, and seems pretty cool. This older lady who is from Australia but has a British accent, and totally talks way too much. Joe-se, no, not Jose but Joe-se (nuf said). And some other people I did not get a chance to meet. I hope the instructor shows up next week. Oh well. Later

Garment Bag

After I finished my jacket I tackled on a small project. I made a garment bag. I love it! It was simple, it was a quick project, and best of all, I can actually use it! I got the material at High Fashion Home which is across the street from High Fashion Fabric close to downtown. The zipper is a little short but I was not able to find the right zipper for this project. Either way I am already using it. It now houses my skirt and jacket. I hope that next year I will have enough time to start the rest of the sewing projects I have in mind.

Jacket

The jacket is done! I have finally finished the jacket I have been working on for a long time. I am so happy it's over, LOL. My instructor really liked it and praised the construction but if I had to do it all over again I would choose a different material. My instructor chose the pattern and I was not able to alter the pattern in anyway, therefore it is not a perfect fit. No worries, though, next time I work on a garment I will make sure that it fits me just right.

Sewing Machine

I know I was raving about my new sewing machine, but while I was sewing my husband grim reaper cape something happened and now it's not working! The thread keeps getting tangled and it's not sewing at all. I hope I can get the problem fixed by Sat. Wish me luck. FYI if you know how to repair sewing machines or know someone who is good at it let me know.

Amy Butler

I am so excited!!! I got 2 Amy Butler patters over the weekend. One is for a travel bag, seen on the bottom let hand corner, and the other is for a shoulder bag, seen on the top left. I hope I can get one sewn soon.

Jacket

Jacket update:

Here is what the jacket looks like so far. I still have to hem the bottom, insert shoulder pads (yes shoulder pads, not the 80's kind, but the 2000's kind), add buttons, and iron it. Believe it or not, well made jackets all have shoulder pads, although very thin, to keep the shape of the shoulder. I just learned that...LOL.

Here is one of the button holes:

All three button holes.

I should be done with it by next week, and I will make sure to post the finished product.

Jacket Update

I have worked really hard over the past few days on my jacket and I am very close to finishing it! So far I have my sleeves, which I still have to sew close:


I also have my collar sewed on and working on my lapel:

Finished lapel (it does not look it's best because I have not pressed it)

I hope to have the jacket done by next week. Stay tuned...

Jacket

Now that I have finished my skirt I have decided to take on the challenge of making a jacket. One major change that I have noticed is in my ability to sew just a simple straight line. Keep in mind that the skirt was the first piece I have ever produced.

For the Jacket I started out with a pattern:

I then cut out my material according to my pattern:

Before doing any sewing, I had to iron on my interfacing:

After that, I serged on the appropriate sides of my cut out pieces. Serging is so scary for a novice like myself because it cuts the material as it serges the edges of your material shut. One bad move and you have to start all over:

Here is the finished collar...and now I am ready to start sewing all the pieces together. I will make sure to keep you guys updated as I complete more pieces of my jacket.

Skirt

Ok. So I have been dabbling in sewing for the past couple of months. I took on the task of sewing a skirt and now that it's complete I can share it with the world (or really just with the people that read my blog). I know it is not perfect, so there is no need to point out the imperfections. But, I thought it was not that bad considering it was my first time.