Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Sewing Class Part Two & Three: Fun Projects!

As I wrote  in an earlier post, I am taking sewing classes on Mondays, and except for a tragic start (my sewing machine bit the dust..sniff, sniff), I'm LOVING it!!

Unlike what I'd imagined in my mind when I signed up for these classes, Mondays have not been all about sewing for me. There always seems to be some kind of drama before, during, and/or after my 2-hour class.  For instance, I blogged here about how one of those Mondays had been really exciting...and never mentioned anything about my sewing class and how it went. 

But now I will mention something about it. =)
 It was my second sewing class and it went rather smoothly, except for the fact that I pulled a muscle in my calf earlier that morning and could barely put any weight on my leg. I thought to myself, "Oh, no big deal. I can still sit and sew, right?"  Well, it was not going to be a sit-and-sew day for me...but a cut-and-iron-and-cut-and-iron-and-sew-and-iron-and-sew-and-iron kind of session. Without exaggerating,  I probably hopped around the classroom for the equivalent of a walk around the block. I was exhausted after that...but ever so happy to have made this pillow case for Miss Sunshine:

She picked out these fabrics, after changing her mind 3-4 times.

She can't wait to put things in it for our next car trip.

I thought it was cool that they showed us how to sew clean seams.
Feeling great about how the pillow case turned out, I was looking forward to the next class when we'd tackle the next project: a zippered bag! But in usual fashion, this last Monday turned out to be less about sewing then expected. My kids' principal called me Sunday night to see if I could sub in for one of the teachers and I agreed to take on three of her classes (7-9th graders). It was soooo much fun to get back in the classroom! It gave me a little taste of how it'll be for me to teach Spanish next year and gave me great motivation to get ready for that. So, with that all that excitement... and the fact that I'd have to pick up Jason and rush to Isaiah's fake birthday celebration with his classmates right after sewing class, I felt a bit rushed angst throughout the duration of the class. Thankfully, I was able to focus...and well, I'm happy with how my bag turned out!
While sewing this, I decided it would become my pencil case/carry bag for Spanish supplies.

I love bags with a different fabric on the inside..so was so glad to learn how to do this!

It was fun to learn how and when to add a tab like this one.

After all is said and done, I'm actually grateful that this learning of a new skill is not overtaking my  Mondays...or my life, for that matter... and that it's not leaving me out of balance. Yes, I'm blogging about it...and yes, I'm definitely enjoying it....but there's so much more going on besides learning how to sew these days that it's not become the highlight...just a bonus!  I love how God helps me out by giving me the right perspective through the things He allows in my life. He's sooo good!

Anyway...stay tuned for the last sewing post where I hope to write a little about my sewing teachers and my fellow learners. =)

6 comments:

  1. Oh I'm so excited you're doing this! I love the bag!! You're going to have to show me sometime :) Great work :) Did you buy a new machine?

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  2. Love the bag that you made...how fun! Thanks so much for helping Laura with her project today...I could tell it made her feel really special! :)

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  3. I love your finished projects! Too bad I didn't sign up for the class sooner so we could have taken it together.

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  4. I know!!! I'm considering taking the next class after this one...but maybe I'll wait until you're done taking the June session..so we can perhaps take the next class together..if it's offered later.

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  5. I like that idea! Let's definitely do that. Too bad it took us this long to get excited about sewing....and to think Grandma's sewing machine was wasting away in my dusty attic for the last 5 years. :(

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  6. I know. I kept thinking about that...could it be that the cam gear got damaged by flexing and contracting with the heat? Oh well...what's done is done. And don't beat yourself over it. I would have probably done the same had I ended up with the sewing machine 5 years ago. Live and learn, right?
    On that note, I'm thinking of taking Kara's machine in FIRST to get serviced before even attempting to use it, just in case. She's been storing hers in the garage....
    AM

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