If there was one skill I learned back in high school that I totally took for granted, it is sewing.
Over the last few years, there have been countless times when either a clothing item has broken, or I’ve thought to myself, Wow, I really wish I could alter this myself.
While I have slowly re-learned how to hand sew—small holes in tops and pants—the fact of the matter is, there is only so much one can hand stitch.
This brings me to my latest discovery. A sewing club at the Create Makerspace.
As some of you may know, I have a van that we often travel with, and occasionally live out of. With summer around the corner, my partner and I decided we wanted to do some modifications to make vanlife a little easier.
Those include; reducing the size of our mattress to make pulling out our bed a one-person job instead of two, and some curtains to block out the light and keep the warmth in (or out depending on the season).
Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to make a mattress cover before, but one thing is for certain, hand-sewing thick fabric together just does not bode well.
So, with a lot of nervousness, masked with a hint of courage, I took myself to a drop-in sewing club at the Makerspace on March 18.
And, in a room of about six people, some familiar, others not, I learned how to use a sewing machine again.
The club isn’t a class. There is no teacher who instructs you on how to sew; instead, it is a group of people who come together to work on their individual projects in a social setting.
This gives beginners like myself the chance to learn different tips and tricks from those who are far more advanced in the world of sewing.
Plus, who doesn’t love making new friends while picking up a new skill?
After a lot of planning, and with some much-needed advice and endless amounts of patience from a friend (I’m looking at you, Cassie Power), sure enough, I was sitting at a sewing machine that I had just threaded all on my own.
So here’s some things I learned along the way:
1.Going to a club and trying something new isn’t that scary—people are actually very nice and willing to share advice.
2.While the aim is to sew in a straight line, that might not happen on your first (or 20th) attempt, and it’s OK. Chances are it’s not that noticeable anyway.
3.Always sew with the presser foot down—trust me on this one.
4.If the machine starts making funny noises, stop and assess. You could be making thread spaghetti in the machine. Those who know, get it.
But the burning question I know you all must be thinking—did the mattress cover and curtains work out?
Somehow, the answer to this is yes.
For those interested, the next drop-in sewing club is on April 15 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Create Makerspace textiles studio.
