Sewing and Craft Instruction

Last week I met with the Supervisor of Cultural Programs for the city where I live. We met to discuss the possibility of me becoming an instructor of sewing and other crafts to be held at various Parks and Recreation Centers locations within the city. She was very enthused when she saw some of my "samples" - various items that I have sewn and and some that I have knit. I was very proud of the garments I took to the meeting. She recognized my good craftsmanship in the items I displayed as she was familiar with sewn garments because her mother used to make most of the clothes that she and her sister wore while growing up.

We also discussed conducting one-day classes, and classes where there would be a series of sessions. I like both ideas very much because I have a lot of different subject matter that I could teach students who enroll in the classes. It seems that they have been looking for someone to teaching for a long time, and have no instructors willing or available, but citizens of the community have shown interest in wanting to learn to sew.

To start - I'd like to hold a Basic Introductory Sewing Class - where students would learn about fabrics, patterns, including how to determine the correct size pattern to purchase according to their body type and measurement. They would also learn the proper use of a few of the sewing supplies and notions available on the market.

The next idea would be a Basic Quilting Class - making a very basic quilt out of 9 or 12 squares (or rectangles) of 2 coordinating (or not coordinating) fabrics and a solid coordinating color for the backing. (My grand daughter doesn't know it yet, but I have 2 fabrics that we can use to teach her how to sew and she would have a nice quilt in her favorite colors.

Another class would be "Sewing with a Purpose" (SWAP) for a Spring and Summer wardrobe. The SWAP consists of usually at least 8 - 12 or more different garments that are interchangeable and coordinated. With that in mind one could have a wardrobe that would consist of 40 or more outfits. The garments to be made would at least be:

2 Jackets
3 pair of slacks pants (yes, there is a difference)
and possibly a pair or two of shorts
3 skirts
3 tops

With the fabric that is not used for the above garments you could probably get 2 or4 nice tote bags or purses, and a scarf or 2 - just to add to a little something to the wardrobe. Timmel Fabrics: www.timmelfabrics.com (NAYY)hosts SWAPs every year and the garments that participants create are quite extraordinary.

I will definitely keep you posted, so check back often to see the progress. I will also definitely take pictures of the students progress with their project(s) and post the pictures here.

While all this planning is going on and syllabus after syllabus is being prepared I am still waiting to get my hands on my birth certificate so that I can get going with teaching at Michaels Craft Store.

Note for the grammar police: Michaels Craft Store does not have an apostrophe, I checked, checked again, and even a 3rd time to be sure. The url for their website is www.michaelscraftstore.com. URLs do not allow apostrophes in the syntax.