Starting Out

I'm not sure if I've been inspired by seasons of Project Runway, or the fact that it's Halloween season and I'm trying to figure out Q's costume, but I decided that I needed to learn to sew. I never took HomeEc in school - we had the choice of HomeEc or Shop - and being the tomboy I was I chose Shop. So, I decided to sign up for a Beginning Sewing Class from G Street Fabric. If you live in the DC area and are thinking of learning to sew, or wishing to try a new sewing project - G Street seems to be the place. Their fall class offering list is 15 pages long. The class I'm taking is 6 weeks long - we'll be making 2 projects - a bag and a blouse.

We didn't actually create anything in our first class. Our instructor, Jane, showed us some basic supplies that we'd need for the class:

• Fabric Shears
• Straight edge (although yard sticks are provided at the classes)
• Marking Tool (pen, quilter's pencil, tailor's chalk)
• 6 inch sewing gauge
• Dressmaker pins (at least 1 1/8" long
• Pincushion
• Seam Ripper
• Hand Sewing Needles
• Iron & Ironing Board (provided at class)

She recommended a few books as well, although I haven't picked any of them up. With a toddler at home I don't have much (ok, any) spare time for reading.

• Singer Sewing Reference Library - Sewing Essentials
• Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing
• Sewing 101

In addition to supplies, we took a look at several pattern packages to learn how to choose the correct pattern size, as well as determine what type of fabrics are suitable for the pattern and how much fabric we'd need. We also took a look at the 'notions' list - which is basically the extras you need to create the item - buttons, snaps, elastics, etc.

Jane took everyone's bust measurements (in private) so we'd know what size pattern we'd need to buy for our second project. It was quite an eye opener what size pattern I was going to need. Dressmaker patterns have stayed consistent since the 1940s whereas clothing sizes in stores have expanded - sometimes those sizes are called 'vanity sizes'. According to Wikipedia, today's vanity sizes are on average 6 times larger than dressmaker sizes. Ouch. Way to make a girl feel fat. Here are the real dress sizes:


After that we went through the store to get the lay of the land and learn a smidge about different types of fabrics (I wish I'd taken notes), then we were given time to do a bit of shopping. I picked out a patterned green and yellow fabric from the sale rack. It reminded me of a tablecloth my Mom had on our kitchen table when I was growing up. I chose a yellow thread (hoping to get a nice contrast) on the white cotton webbing material. I ran out of time after choosing my fabric and didn't get all my supplies so I'm planning on going back a bit early before the next class.