My Grandma Gussie was really good at sewing. She used to hand knit sweaters, sweatshirts, dresses, purses, all sorts of things, for me and my dolls. She also used the machine. She was very crafty and patient in that way.
I am pretty impulsive. I used to have an incredibly long attention span. I could sit in my room, alone, for hours, building cities out of blocks. You couldn't get me to leave. When my mom and I went to the library, I would read the top book off the stack as we were leaving, in the car ride home (even though I would get incredibly car sick), while I was eating dinner, and then under the covers with a flashlight. I was the kid that got in trouble for READING...because it was passed my bed-time.
As I've gotten older, I've sadly seen my attention span decrease. I am constantly multi-tasking. When I do my homework, I am online, chatting to friends, with the television on. It's like I need constant noise, my mind needs to be satiated at all times, my senses constantly engorged. I don't like this about myself, but it's who I've become. The one plus side, is that I can be incredibly productive. I can get five things done in one hour, instead of just one. The downside is, I rarely feel calm.
When my friend posted SEW LA on the Culture Vulture Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/375936139131115/), I was immediately interested. When trying to do something new, I've realized that buying ahead of time is a good way to ensure that it's going to happen. It's easy to back out of something that hasn't been paid for already. I quickly purchased my ticket to the Intro class. It was pricey, but I figured it'd be worth it. Learning to sew is a good skill, especially since I've been doing production design lately, and in the intro class, you learn basics about the machine, about sewing, and you make your own little bag (you get some fabric, a bobbin, and thread). I thought this might be worth the money.
When I arrived in Atwater village (a bit of a drive from where I reside), I parked on the street (luckily there was ample parking). I rushed into the Sew LA shop (not wanting to be late!). It was a quaint shop. Neat, clean, simplistic. Fabrics were displayed along with a few items of clothing and accessories that had been made...possibly in store? In the back was a brick walled square space that had a few long tables. Two in the center and several surrounding those tables. A statuesque woman with pink sprinkled short hair, a nose ring, tattoo (of course), and summer dress casually greeted me. She was the teacher.
Along the outter tables were about ten Singer Stylist Sewing Machines. We got to pick from ten different fabrics for the bag that we could make. After carefully selecting my fabric (I think I might have OCD, because it always takes me way longer than everyone else to pick these sorts of things...and I was examining for imperfections...oy), I picked my color thread (black or white), and then sat down at a station. We were given practice fabric, a bobbin, and the machine for this intro class.
After everyone was in attendance (there were ten of us, mostly young girls ranging from about 18-28 and one grandmother), we went around the group and said our names and why we decided to take the class. One girl had inherited a machine from her sister and wanted to learn, the older woman used to sew and had forgotten how, and most were newcomers that had some sort of interest. Then, the teacher told us some basic information about the machines: how to work them, where the needle goes, and the thread, and the bobbin, and what all the buttons did. There was a hand out that she read off of, which was helpful, as well.
After that, we practiced two stitches, a straight stitch and a zigzag stitch, on our practice fabric. We also practiced a back stitch which is intended to knot the thread so it doesn't come undone. Once we started actually using the machines, I was having a lot of fun. I was a bit afraid of injuring my little fingers because the machine was moving very quickly. It operates a lot like a car. The harder you press down on the pedal, the faster the needle goes. And just as when you learn how to drive, you have to get used to the amount of pressure to apply on the pedal to get a good speed.
After practicing on our fabric, we started to make our little sewing bag. This involved measuring, cutting, pivoting on the sewing machine, and the stitches we had practiced. I messed up a few times, but the teacher was always there to help and she had a tool that took out improper stitches.
Overall, I was really happy with the class. I feel that if handed a sewing machine now, I could sew some basic things...though still not sure I could hand sew on a button (haha!). It was great to re-ingage with my attention span and only focus on one thing, though I found my self trying to speed through to move on to the next step. The beginning stages of the class where she explains things was a bit boring for me, but definitely necessary. I was just eager to get my hands on the machine, and once I did, it was simply...really fun! It's nice to feel a sense of mastery of something new, even though my stitches weren't completely straight.
Sew LA offers other classes. People can come and make dresses, pajamas, etc. I don't think I have the desire to learn how to make clothing, nor the cash flow. But I'm definitely glad I took the introduction class and can feel a little closer to my Grandma and her magical hands.
Learn more about Sew LA here: http://sew-la.com/
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