Remember how I told you I booked in for a sewing class? Well, Thursday night was my first one! After work I walked over to the Sewing Room in Surry Hills to learn how to make a sling bag. The room was cheerfully crammed full of interesting things like mannequins and overlockers and boxes of trims. When I got there, a student was working on her HSC project: a chocolate brown ball gown that she’s embroidering on the theme of Aboriginal history. (Needless to say, it was gorgeous. Why don’t American high school kids get to do amazing things like that?!) Anyway, there were three other young women in the class, all of whom were total beginners. I know how to use a sewing machine for the most part, but I’ve never really sewn a garment from a pattern all on my own. (So yeah, I was the Hermione of the group a little bit.) The pattern was really basic and easy to follow, and the Bernina machine wasn’t too different from my Janome at home. I snapped a photo during mid-construction. Our teacher Penny was fantastic, answering all our questions and giving everybody hands-on help. (She taught me a new way to turn narrow tubes inside out that will save loads of time on my next sock monkey.) The three hours flew by, and in fact, I didn’t finish my bag til closer to 10pm. Isn’t it cute? The fabric is just some cheap cotton I picked up at Lincraft. All I need to do now is sew on a button for the closure. Before I left, I took Penny’s advice and used some scrap paper to trace around the pattern pieces so I can reproduce it at home. It’d be great for gifts, huh?

Next Thursday I’m booked in for Zippers, Casings, and Buttonholes. This is venturing into uncharted territory for me, which will be fun. After that, it’s on to making an actual skirt! If you’re interested in sewing in Sydney, I suggest you bookmark the Sewing Room blog. They have loads of classes to attend, and they also have nights where you can come and get help with whatever pattern you want to make.