Sew Interesting

For the past 10 days I have been on a glorious hiatus from work (aka vacation).  I spent my time in San Francisco for a wedding and then the rest was a "stay-cation".  One of the things I have always wanted to do was learn how to sew.   I don't have any pipe dreams of going on Project Runway or making my own clothes but I do like the idea of making stuff.  

So with my allotted free time, I signed up for a couple of sewing classes at the local G Street Fabrics store.  It was an intensive two 6-hour days where I had a tote bag and a pair of pajama pants to show for all my hard work.  I never really thought about what went into sewing but it is a very involved process.  I learned things from fabric selection, sewing seams, pressing, tracing and cutting patterns, how to read patterns, to new terminology.  Did you know that "nap" and "baste" have totally different meanings in the sewing world?

The teacher was quite comical, an appropriately saucy African American woman who asked us all at the beginning of class what are expectations were because (and I quote) "these expectations probably won't be met" and "you won't be ready for Project Runway after one class".  She went on to limit our fabric selections for our projects since we probably would have been overloaded with choices.

All in all, I really enjoyed the experience even though the pajama pants I made ended up being capris (read the wrong pattern!).  I think the most stressful part was learning the thread the sewing machine and then reading a pants pattern.  I have a whole new appreciation for pajama pants -- cheap pajama pants.  I originally picked a nice print to make the pants but realizing that I needed 2+ yards and it was $19.98 per yard that I would be making $40 pajama pants!  So I settled for a scrub-like green broadcloth that are way to thin :-(  Oh well, it's my first time so I shouldn't be so hard on myself.  The teacher at one point said "you seem like a person that is used to getting things fast" and implying I should apply more patience...where would she get such an idea??!?

In the end I was more proud of the tote bag.  I think I am going to be just a tote bag maker for now.  Gil was impressed and had much lower expectations for me.  I think the key is to pick the right fabric, it makes a world of difference.  Here's a snapshot of the tote bag, I don't care to show you the pajama pants...