Me and Myrna Hitting the Town

So I have been taking Myrna on some dates.  We’ve been spotted hob-knobbing at JoAnns.

From previous posts, you know that my sewing machine is named Myrna.  We have had a hate/love relationship but I think I can safely say that the hate half of that is definitely in the past. 

A little trivia for you, September is National Sewing Month. So Lizzy and I signed up for two sewing classes at Joann’s at half price. We signed up for a Basics Class and a Lazy Pants class.

The Basics class was full, and I quickly realized that Myrna and I had made it a lot further than some of the other people in the class.   But still I learned quite a bit that day.  All about pattern envelopes, how to correctly set my machine, different stitches, etc.  I felt like Myrna and I bonded a little that day.

The Lazy Pants class was this past Saturday.  To say I was nervous was a bit of an understatement.  I had tried to work on a pattern before, and I ended up confused. Very confused.  After the money I had spent on the class, fabric, and pattern, I really needed a wearable finished product.  I needed something to show for my efforts.

Our teacher was Ms. Julia, and I think I love her.  She was the perfect combination of scary and helpful.  Lizzy and I were the only ones in the Lazy pants class, and we were glad because it became very clear that we needed some one-on-one attention. 

My biggest mistake of the class was the fabric buying part.  After my Basics class, I was cocky about reading a pattern envelope.  The pattern envelope said 1 5/8ths yard of fabric, I bought 2 and gloated that I had plenty of fabric, may even make a pillow with the leftovers.   So I show up to class and begin to lay my pattern out, and there is a problem.  I have nowhere near enough fabric.  In fact, Lazy Pants quickly became Lazy Capris since I was so short of fabric.   Do you know what I did?  I bought fabric for the child’s pattern.  The child’s!

Second biggest mistake was the sizing. Check the picture below for confirmation.  You should see me run in these, I look ridiculous.  I am not as thin as I once was, but I am not nearly as big as the pants I made. 

If you are reading this and saying to yourself, It doesn’t sound like that class went very well at all.

You would be wrong.

These are the things that Ms. Julia taught me.

1.      It won’t be perfect, but it will be unique piece that can never be recreated.

2.      Not to be afraid of Myrna.  I did feel as if I developed a comfort level with her, and I think that will lead to only good things.

3.      How to break down a pattern into manageable tasks.

4.      All about grain of fabric and how to ensure my pattern is straight. 

5.      What the hell fold into the fold means. 

6.      How to get the crotch of pants to not look bunchy

So you see, I did actually learn a lot.  And I know that my second pair of lazy pants will actually be pants and maybe even not look so much like parachutes.

I am trying again!  Myrna and I have another date set for Sunday! It is a double date with Lizzy and her machine.

P.S. Find out what Lizzy named her machine...