Over the last year I have had the pleasure of taking several sewing classes over at Modern Domestic. Those gals are a fabulous and knowledgeable group! I encourage any of you out there who want to take up sewing to head on over and take any one of their beginner classes. You will surely leave with and ego boost and a finished object to boot!
My most memorable class to date is the Jeans class taught by Erica Horton. I haven’t liked jeans since puberty and I went from a twig to a curvy gal. No manufacturer makes a jean that fits an hourglass figure. Don’t believe ‘em! Every brand I have ever tried fits through the legs and hips but is gaping at the waist. In this class we used Swedish tracing paper to make a mock up of our jeans and tried them on before we cut our fabric and began sewing. This step has revolutionized my relationship with clothing in general and with pants specifically. Erica helped fit the yoke of the pant and waist band for each of us in the class. It was so enlightening to watch her modify the pattern for each of our specific body types. We ended up tossing the standard waist band all together for me and made a curved one. It ended up looking like a giant smile when I held it up in the air. Tangible evidence of my life long pant troubles!
Walking away from the class I not only have the first pair of jeans I have ever wanted to wear, I also have an idea of the modifications I will need to execute in order to get most pants to fit me in a flattering and comfortable manner. It’s exciting to think that my long term hate toward pants is morphing into a love affair with hand made garments. I will never have to step foot in a store again and try on a dozen pants, only to find they are all inadequate. Hunting for fabric and being in control of my options is so much more appealing.
Classes I have taken at Modern Domestic and cannot say enough good things about:
- Peony dress – this one really took my rusty and dormant sewing skills and shook the dust off!
- Knit Skirt – learn how to use a serger
- Minoru Jacket
- Baby Quilt
- Jeans
- T-shirt
Classes on my wish list for this fall:
- Pattern Drafting 101
- Delicate Fabric Techniques: Taffy Blouse
- Gathered Scarf – where I get to play with elastic thread!