Recently my sewing sisters visited me at the boutique. We attended a Sewing course run by RMIT last year where we learnt to make skirts and pants. You can see a picture of my very first skirt here. A bunch of us bonded over the sewing machines as we learnt how to thread them and how to read patterns. Most of us haven’t stitched a thing since the course but nevertheless we are a tightly knit group. My beautiful friends and I are modelling some colourful Alldressedup bags for your enjoyment.
I’ve been recently introduced to the sewing machine for the very first time. It’s a fascinating piece of technology. It was developed in the first Industrial Revolution to reduce manual sewing. The first machine was produced in 1790 by an Englishman. Fabrics enter from the left hand side of the ‘foot’ and when the right stitches are placed, unbelievably beautiful garments are produced. It’s the ultimate clothes machine. I grew quite fond of the industrial sewing machine I use at the RMIT night classes, until I discovered cuter version of my own.
I couldn’t stop counting my blessings when I found a brand new wooden sewing machine in a vintage shop. It looks like a sewing machine- it has the right proportions of one, it has the right ornamentation of any ‘Singer’, but no matter how hard I try, it does not sew.
Can you guess what it really is? Here is the other side.
Here it is again- a side-on-view. How beautiful is it?
Have you guessed it yet?
Yes! It’s a sewing kit box-the machine slides off and there’s a removable compartment for all of my sewing essentials- bobbins, pins, scissors, threads, buttons, tape measurer, chalk, needles and zips. It was such a gorgeous find. It sits on my desk, ready to serve my sewing needs.
Despite my daily suturing experiences, I’ve always wanted to learn how to sew. So when I spotted a sewing short course run by RMIT, I jumped at the opportunity and I am currently spending 3 hours per week attending lessons. I’ve never used a sewing machine in my life, so the first lesson was rather daunting.
During our first lesson, we learnt how to take our body measurements, use the sewing machines and sew straight lines. The university industrial sewing machines are awesome- they are robust and they self-cut stitches!
The teacher instructed us to buy quilting fabric to make our very first skirt. So off I went to Spotlight and bought something on sale. I chose the ‘vintage’ pattern with ladies and gentlemen dancing, chuckling to myself because the skirt would be too hilarious to wear. To my surprise, every one of my sewing buddies admired the fabric and sought to find out where it came from.
Even though the making time on the pattern we used to make our skirts all said ’2 hours’, we spent at least 3 lessons ( equivalent to almost 9 hours) learning to make it from scratch. I guess that’s the difference between a novice and a seamstress.
In the end, all my hard work paid off and my pencil skirt was not as much of a disaster as I had imagined. It fits perfectly around my derriere and everyone on it seems to be having fun.
Coming soon… skirt number 2!
