Getting Organized for 2023
I met with the class coordinator at the quilt store south of town yesterday. Her name is Janet, too, and it gets a bit confusing sometimes—we were working in the office and the store owner called “Janet?” up the stairs and both of us answered without thinking. She also makes a lot of her own clothes. We got a bit distracted discussing different kinds of ponte for the Renee pants. She’s on her third pair and I’ve made four.
I’m glad we got together because I was missing a class date on my schedule. I have a Serger 101 class slated for December 14. No biggie—I could teach that class in my sleep and it doesn’t require any extra prep.
We scheduled the following classes for January, February, March, and April.
January 7: Explore Your Serger Feet (Gathering, Cording, and Elasticator)
January 11: Bernina Serger Mastery
February 24: Renee Pants
March 8: Coverstitch Basics
April 8: New Look 6555 Keyhole Top (that was the dolman in rayon batik that the store owner bought from me when she saw it.)
We may add one or two more, but those are the ones that will go up on the website soon. I really wanted to add that coverstitch class, both because we have people who are interested in knowing more and because that will give me a reason to dig deep into learning all the coverstitch techniques. The owner asked me if I would teach some classes on making buttonholes and inserting zippers. I can teach just about anything that I have mastered myself, first, but I suggested that she ask one of her customers who used to make wedding dresses if she would be interested in teaching those skills. If she does, I’ll be signing up for those classes. The irony is not lost on me that I came to all of this with zero seamstress skills and yet I am teaching garment-making classes. Imposter syndrome, anyone?
I’ve got classes on the schedule for the other Kalispell store, too. And I really want to stop in and visit with the owner of the little quilt store in Spokane next week. I taught there in August and she said she would love to have me back, but it sounds like she’s also planning to move the shop. (I know where she wants to move it and I am just tickled about the possibility.) I’m taking my calendar with me and I’ll see what we can make happen after the move.
Getting the big items on the schedule four months in advance should help me avoid having another November. Theoretically. That does make it easier to say no to other requests, though.
The front that came through Wednesday evening scoured out the inversion and left us with brilliant sunny skies yesterday. The temps were not balmy by any stretch of the imagination, but it was a good day to put up what the husband refers to as “Janet’s Happy Lights.”
I got strings of these lights at Home Depot a few years ago. I take down the wind chimes and put these up after the time change, then reverse the process in the spring. I like that they provide a little extra light during the winter months when it’s as dark as the inside of a cow out there.
I also gave in and deconstructed that Liz Claiborne top. I decided it was too worn for me to keep wearing, so I took the seam ripper to it. I’ll trace the pieces for a formal pattern. The versions I made from the pattern I rubbed off of it are wearable, but they still need some tweaking. This is the best way to get an accurate copy for a top whose style and silhouette I really love.
Speaking of Liz Claiborne, I popped into our JC Penney store yesterday just to see what they had in the Liz section. I was pleasantly surprised to find quite a few tops in bright colors—purple and red is a lovely retina-burning combination—but when I tried some of them on, I was disappointed to see that they were too short. Some Liz styles come in Tall versions, but not all of them, and not the tops I would have bought. I am pretty sure the Liz designers are drafting for an average height of 5’5” and I desperately need two extra inches.
[I have to manufacture sympathy for people who complain that they have to hem everything. At least they can find things to wear. Too long is easier to fix than too short.]
I did however, find a cropped sweater to wear with my Liz wide-leg jeans. I tried it on and liked how it looked, so I bought it.