It was shockingly quiet during class today. To begin with we had a quiet morning with Liz, Candy and I sewing along to movies. Then after lunch we failed to get the usual influx of sewing enthusiasts. I guess the Holidays have people pretty tied up with other commitments. So you know ladies you were missed. Lisa join us around 3pm to cut some bias for the 30 yards of cording she needs to slipcover her sister's giant chair.
She has a lot of bias to cut and then a lot of cording to sew. She had to leave early though to look at a used Bernina machine that her local shop had just gotten in. So maybe the next time we see her she will be using a "new" machine. Always exciting!
Our first movie of the day was Young Victoria a beautiful costume extravaganza and while gazing longingly at jewel toned silk taffeta's Liz worked diligently on some warm winter gifts for her family.
Liz made these from old wool sweaters, which she felted and then cut apart. The red mittens have needle felted polka dots applied prior to sewing them into mittens.
Fantastic Right? If those aren't warm and toasty enough check out the cap. Just love the pom pom on the top which is also made from a recycled wool sweater.
Our next film of the day was a Roy Rogers film from 1951 "Down Dakota Way". I wonder if young boys would still enjoy these films? we certainly did. Light hearted fun indeed.
Candy made wonderful progress on her coat. She is using McCall's 5717, now out of print. The pattern she had purchased was one size to small for her so pattern adjustments were expected. She began by making a muslin using craft felt to mimic the drape and weight of a coat. This is a trick I learned while working as a pattern maker for a furrier. We tried her muslin on over a heavy sweater and determined that the fit through the neck and shoulder were ideal, but she needed a little more room through the body and sleeve to be comfortable over the bulky layers. Adding 1" to the side seams and sleeve was the determined alteration. By the end of Friday having previously cut the wool pieces out, she had completed two lovely pockets with flaps on her coat fronts.
Nice yes? Well done Candy. I think you are going to get a lot of use out of this coat, and no fear of the weather warming up before you get a chance to finish it.
I had 1 student on the last day of classes last Saturday. Saturdays usually bring in 25-30. Do you find you have a big spike in numbers right after the new year?
ReplyDeleteI bet your 1 student enjoyed all the attention. I will let you know about Jan. We have a lot of people leave the area during the winter months to avoid the cold here. But I have been getting more beginners who are young adults, so hopefully I will see a spike, it would be welcome.
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