A few weeks ago Husband signed me up for a Sewing 101 class at JoAnn’s. This was incredibly sweet because he knew that I desperately wanted to learn to sew but I’d probably need a kick in the pants to do so. Rather than actually kicking me in the pants which would seem rude as I recover from surgery, he signed me up for the class. Bonus; it was on sale!

Yesterday, I showed up for Sewing 101. A kind woman named Helena was waiting to help.

We spent a little over an hour discussing the tools we need, types of fabric, how to read a pattern, types of needles… all the basics we need to know to begin. Then we started sewing. We practiced first on paper which I thought was a great idea. Without using thread I was able to practice sewing in a straight line and making 90 degree turns. Except for overestimating the end of the lines, I did great on that. Learning where to place fabric in relation to the needle is something I know I need to practice now.

Next we threaded our machine and practiced the same stitches on fabric.

Now it was time for the big reveal… we were going to make something. I honestly had no idea. I thought there would be a lot of talking and practicing, not making things. And this project was great. We had to iron batting on to our fabric, sew two rectangles together, sew a loop on with ribbon, do a top stitch and a final center stitch. The entire time we were wondering what the heck we were making. Finally, Helena showed us the goal: a cute sewing kit that you could throw in your purse or luggage.

We ran out of time to finish the piece so I had to add my button on at home. As parting gifts we received the materials to make another sewing kit, a pincushion, pins and a pair of scissors.

Here is my version:

I can see the flaws but I can also see the potential. I can’t wait to sew something else!