Class: Sewing I - Part One

I decided to register for this class after making sure the schedule (two classes) was good with Ape. The class project is a pair of basic pajama bottoms, and Trisha offered McCalls pattern M4675 as a good template.  Because I'm me, I'm calling this item "Blessed Pajama Bottoms", the sleepwear version of Blessed Trousers.

Shopping was a bit simpler as I only needed two material choices, a drawstring and an optional drawstring threader.  I thought to ask, nearly too late, if there would be patterns available in-class for us to use and Trisha said we had to bring our own (!).  Thus, I made a last-minute run to Hobby Lobby for one.

On Thursday, I arrived at 6 (after dinner at the nearby Krystal's - meh) and learned I was the only registrant.  So Trisha and I went through stuff in extraordinary detail.  I got experience with pattern-reading and sizing, and then after settling on a size, we got to work.

First up was finding the needed pattern pieces (just two of 15 or so in the envelope) and cutting them out. Since I was the only student, she was kind enough to let me use her rotary cutter and mat. Once we had good templates, she helped me with laying out the primary fabric, a white knit, and pinning the pattern.

After more careful rotary work, I had the four pieces cut fairly well.  We then spent time talking about my overly-ambitious plans for my second fabric, a blue brocade woven with an oriental-looking pattern.  I wanted to use it for the waistband and cuffs.  We spent quite a bit of time talking about how we might lay that out and what it would mean.

This is about the time I learned that maybe I don't yet know enough about fabric compatibility.  Trisha patiently explained how different material types feed at different rates or are prone to shifting around despite being pinned.  But she agreed to let me give it a go.

So, we mapped out how to cut out the brocade and worked out the strategy for attaching it.  Once its parts were cut out, I got another surprise - she set up a serger and showed me how to serge the edges to keep the brocade from unwinding itself.  Aside from taking the thread colors already wound in, the serger was a great success!  I learned how feeding in the pieces in continuously makes life easier.

By now, it was close to the end of class and so I left with homework - lay out the pieces and pin-baste them in to see if everything fits more-or-less.  The only night I had to do this was Sunday, during AR, DH and B&S.  And it took nearly that long.

I learned yet another lesson - patterns are sometimes vague about how to pair up pieces and the steps for joining them.  I pinned and repinned several times until I *finally* had something wearable.  I even put them on, being mindful of all the pointy.  By now, I was too tired to mess with the brocade parts so I had to hope it wouldn't interfere too much with tomorrow's class.