Today was the last day of my sewing class at FIT. I didn't walk away with a complete pair of pajama pants (I have 4 separate "leg" pieces of fabric; 2 of them are semi-connected in a pant-like fashion). So, 5 weeks and $230 later, I don't have a completed garment. But I do have some basic sewing skills: I know the names of most parts of a sewing machine. I understand how the different parts work. I can sew a straight line. I understand what it means to sew "with the grain" of the fabric. And I can thread a sewing machine (my proudest accomplishment).
There are several other sewing classes at FIT (Learn to Sew Like a Pro II and III, to be exact). I do want to take these, but I want to finish my pajama pants first. The plan now is to invest in a good sewing instruction book and a decent machine. Once I get the basics down, I'll move on to the next class. Of course, my ultimate goal is the same: making myself a shift dress that I can wear this summer.
Sewing class went very well yesterday. This is due, in no small part, to the fact that we did absolutely no sewing in Sunday's class. Instead, we traced and cut the pattern for our pajama bottoms. Compared to my performance in the past two classes, I was an excellent student. In addition to tracing with the best of them, I even adjusted the pattern to accommodate my inseam (34") and to un-taper the legs.
I did it. I took the plunge and registered for "Learn to Sew Like a Pro I" at the Fashion Institute of Technology. The class meets on 4 consecutive Sundays beginning February 8. I'm stoked. My goal is to learn how to sew a shift dress by the summer -- a dress that I'd be comfortable wearing to work. That means that I really need to pay attention in class.
