The Classroom Reveal

This idea came from my friend, Steve Savage, who visited me for lunch one day. I would like to share it with you.

My studio classroom is a huge square room. No closets, no storage of any kind exists. As soon as I began bringing machines from my home studio to my work studio, I realized I needed a place to store them when not in use. Below the staircase is the perfect place, and after all, I have seven machines so there's no way I can be using all of them at the same time.

I love my sewing machines, but the room was beginning to look like a Sew 'N Vac dealership with all the stuff hanging around. (My apologies to all you Sew 'N Vac people). The original idea was to make a drape beneath the staircase attached with magnets to the steel beams. I thought it was a wonderful idea and I immediately began collecting fabrics and trims for the project.

I chose a beautiful floral print to use as a lining and a wide awning striped cotton for the outer fabric. To accent the ginormous header, I decided to make a scalloped valence. The minute I began working, I realized this would be a mathematical nightmare, keeping the angle of the staircase even with the angle of the stripes. So, I got out my trusty contractor's ruler and began measuring. I measured the highest point and the lowest point of the staircase. I measured the width of the fabric and began cutting strips. First strip, longest length was first. I remembered the cardinal rule of sewing: Always cut the largest piece first. So far, so good.

The next length was cut and joined to the first, and following the same guidelines, joined the final length the same way. All the straight edges were aligned on the hemline of the drape. Working on the diagonal, I began cutting the upper edges evenly. When I was done, it was time to check my angle. Of course, it was inaccurate. I never was very good at math, which is a serious understatement. But, I forgave myself and kept going. After a rather lengthy hunt for magnet clips, I managed to find them at Lowes in the hardware department. I envisioned sewing curtain rings to the header and hanging them onto hooks, but the only magnets I could find had binder clips instead of cup hooks. Those would work. Well, not really. Once I got the fabric cut to size, the magnet clips weren't strong enough to hold it, and I still needed to line the curtain and attach the header. So then arose yet another dilemma. My mechanic husband, Billy suggested I use the clips and just clip the header to the rail, which I suppose is a "guy thing" to just get the job done. That worked, but looked unfinished. I'm still trying to figure out a solution, so if any of you clever gals (or guys) can solve my problem, feel free to chime in.

Moving on, I began concentrating on the header. Common knowledge told me the fabric would be prone to stretching because after all, it was cut on the diagonal. To avoid this problem, I cut 4" width strips from the fabric to act as a stabilizer the upper edge. Then, I attached the scalloped valence onto the edge and flipped it over the band so it wasn't noticeable. I chose a lively print for my lining fabric instead of plain white fabric, so when the drape is pulled back, it would still look pretty. I hemmed the bottom and attached the lining and viola! my curtain was completed. Check out the photos below.

Yikes Stripes!

A few weeks ago, I decided I wanted to finish decorating my classroom and declutter for the last time. It just so happened that a high school friend of mine visited us at the studio around the same time, and I had the opportunity to pick his brain about ideas for finishing off the rough spots. He suggested I make a drape to hide the miscellaneous stash of machines and file cabinets below the staircase going up to my retail space. I thought it was an excellent idea, and since the staircase is made of steel, it would be perfect for magnetic attachment.

I decided to carry through the "pink" theme a bit more since almost everything I own is hot pink. In order to keep it from becoming a pink palace, I decided to use pink with black and white, a winning combination no matter who you are. I also decided to add a skirt on the unused cubbies stacked against the wall, and went a step further and added decorative storage inside the cubbies and utilize that for a hidden storage area.

I purchased several yards of black and white stripe fabric with stripes measuring about 2" in width. I already had pink pompom trim, so that went into the equation working as an accent to the single monogram I thought would be a great addition to the overall plan. Here's how I did the monogram.

Choose a monogram font on your computer that you like. I chose a curvy design, as I though it would be easier to cut out and applique than a straight font. Print out your monogram in REVERSE (flip horizontally). To do this, I saved the monogram as a jpeg and opened it in my photo program. At that point, I was able to enlarge it and flip it as a piece of artwork.

 


For this task, you will need paper back double-fusible web product (I used Steam-a-Seam Lite), paper scissors, and tape (if the monogram is larger than the web).

 

 

Trace the outline of the monogram onto the paper that has the glue adheared.


 

Remove the protective paper backing and position the glued side of the monogram onto the WRONG side of the applique fabric.

 

 

With a warm iron, fuse the applique to the fabric. It would be best to use a pressing cloth to protect your iron from the glue. Note: I joined fusible web to the edges of the monogram that extended beyond the page size with scotch tape. Place the tape pieces outside the monogram areas.

 



Carefully cut out the monogram along the edges. Note: the paper backing is still fused to the glue side of the applique.



 

Peel away the paper backing from the applique.



 

Position the applique onto the curtain and fuse in place.



 

Sew up your sewing machine with the clear applique foot, #80 needle, and matching color thread. I used cotton 40 wt. thread for this task. Set the machine on the desired stitch such as zigzag, blanket, or satin stitch.


 

I decided to satin stitch around the edges of the monogram, but first, I stitched an open zigzag stitch around the edges.

 

The trim was placed along the stitching line of the hem, about 2" from the edge. I used foot #13, a straight stitch with a narrow edge so I could maneuver around the pompoms. Straight stitch the edge.
 

Use a skewer or stiletto or something to hold the pompoms out of the way while stitching. Both edges of the trim are straight stitched.

 

My completed curtain. Kinda wobbly, but still fabulous!!!

 

I'll reveal the staircase curtain and the completed room in the next blog. Happy stitching!

Hurrication

I just wanted to let everyone know that we are safe as we ride out the worst of Hurricane Isaac.  We have no power but managed to supply a bit of juice for a small window unit, the fridge, and a couple of lights via a generator. I have caught up on my reading and day dreaming and napping, so now I'm bored and want this all to be over. I think electricity will be restored by Thursday. I'll be thinking of new projects in the meantime.

Sew-Special Birthday Party!

Yesterday, I was pleased to host my first ever sewing birthday party at Wendy's Sewing Studio. I wish I could take credit for this idea, but it was the mom who approached me with the idea for her 9-year-old daughter. She explained she had purchased a truckload (that's right) of 60 kiddie sewing machines a few years ago and had either sold or given away all but 12. Her idea was to give each child the sewing machine as a party favor and have a sewing theme. I was approached to teach the girls to sew just before the cake and refreshments. After giving this serious thought for several weeks, I decided I just had to do it. After all, I had the facility, ample parking, lots of chairs and tables, and the mom was so sweet and persuasive, I couldn't miss this opportunity. I wouldn't get rich doing birthday parties, but at least I might pick up sewing students for my Summer Camp or after school activities. I also decided to make a little purse pincushion for each girl as a door prise.

The week before the party, all the little machines arrived and we all began unpacking them. I personally set each machine up and loaded the bobbins and threads. Luckily, they all received a mini sewing kit with each machine so nothing had to be purchased. I was relieved to discover all machines working.

The mom, Angela, purchased cute printed fabrics for the kits and we decided it would be age-appropriate for them to make a small square purse. I requested that each girl have at least one adult assistant attend the party. Angela decided she would serve pizza and box juice in addition to the cake. The cake she supplied was adorable and in keeping with the purse theme. Purple and pink were the desired colors of the day.

The day before the party, I set up the tables, plugged in the machines and cut all the fabric squares for the girls. I also gave them a small scrap of fabric to practice with. I arrived a few hours early the day of the event in order to set up my video equipment and lay out all the little goodies they would receive. When 1 o'clock arrived, the moms and attendees began to arrive. Even though 12 girls rsvp-ed, only 10 arrived and after waiting about 45 minutes, I decided to begin the lesson.

I explained via Powerpoint, how the purse would go together, demonstrating mostly to the moms what was to be expected. I laid out the ground rules such as only adults could use the irons and no food or drink around electrical equipment. I had the girls repeat what I was saying in unison for assurance they had been listening, and I instructed them of the operational basics of the machines. Working on practice pieces, we began sewing. Ka-chunk, ka-chunk, ka-chunk, to the 10th power. Picture ten assistants giving direction at the same time while girls happily pushed the tiny food pedals to make the machines work. I said a quick prayer that none of the machines would break and practiced breathing techniques to keep myself calm. Then I signalled them to stop.

Next, a lesson in how to pin the fabric together. I announced the most important thing to remember is, YOU NEVER SEW OVER A PIN, and had them repeat it out load. Okay, so that wasn't very difficult. Again, they began to sew. Ka-chunk, ka-chunk, ka-chunk they went, diligently stopping just before each pin to remove it, and then stitching resumed. They made it through both edges of their purse outers. Sweew! No blood, no tears...a very good sign. Then, I had them repeat the procedure on the lining fabric. I demonstrated how to turn the upper edges under and the assistants pressed them in place. I explained how to position the lining inside the purse outer and they pinned the layers in place. Straps were inserted between the two layers and pinned in place. I decided that the little machines wouldn't be strong enough to sew through 4 layers of fabric and the straps, so I asked the assistants to sew them together using my machines while the girls had refreshments.

The girls hungrily devoured their pizza and then they sang Happy Birthday to the birthday girl both in English and French, since the girls all attend The French School at Audubon Elementary. Each girl left with their little machines, which were quite a surprise to them, their little purses, a goodie bag, and a well-deserved dose of self accomplishment for having participated in such a wonderful day.

End of Summer Crunch

I received a phone call from a mom who was in town for ten days visiting relatives. She was interested in booking a workshop for her 9-year-old daughter and 10-year-old niece the last week before they returned to school. Having had such a positive experience from teaching my group of 11-year-olds, I agreed. They booked two days of sewing lessons.

The girls arrived bright and early on the first day prepared to work and have fun. I thought it would be a great idea to have them make a pillowcase dress just like the older girls except without the contrasting band on the hemline. I started them off making a simple purse-size tissue paper cover letting them choose the fabric they wanted. They did a pretty good job, but it didn't take long to realize how different their motor skills were compared to the 11-year-olds. They had a bit of difficulty keeping the fabric straight. I found myself using a video game analogy in order to train them to keep the foot even with the fabric's edge. It worked and they completed their projects just before lunch.

As soon as they finished eating, we returned to work. I cut out the fabric blocks to size and had them mark and cut out the armhole openings. They sewed up the side seams and I had them zigzag stitch over both seams to finish them off. So far, so good. Off they went to the ironing boards to press the seams. Yikes! They didn't grasp the idea of standing the iron upward after use and soon, I was literally putting out smoke bombs. I was kicking myself for not supplying iron rests. Lesson learned. They really enjoyed ironing and even managed to scorch a few spots. Oh well. I should have turned the temperature down a bit. Another lesson learned.

We cut out the string ties and they stitched them up. We ended the day on a positive note by using the tube turner on the ties. That was a lot of fun for them and I felt really good about what they had accomplished. The moms were so excited when they saw the completed tissue paper cases.

I spent a good portion of the next day overcast stitching their edges and inserting bias binding in the armhole openings for them. I didn't think stitching-in-the-ditch was something they would be able to do and my goal was to have them wear the dresses home on Day-2. I also turned under all the edges of their pockets and pressed them in place.

The next day, they arrived bouncing off the walls and ready to sew. I had them turn under the neck edges to form the casing and sew them down. Having edge-stitching feet on their machines was a godsend and they performed this task to perfection. They turned under the hemline for a simple hem and stitched them in place. For the pockets, I decided since they were having trouble handling seams with pins, I would glue the pockets in place so they wouldn't slip and the girls could just zip around the edges. That decision was pure genius.

When the dresses were completed, I glanced at the clock in shock to discover we had 2 hours of class time left, so I decided we would make matching purses for their dresses. I had the girls fuse the largest flower with Wet N Gone then had them cut them out. We then applied them to their purse fronts. I decided to zigzag stitch around the flowers for them, as the design was way too tedious for them to handle. I made a long strap from bias binding and they completed their purses in the afternoon.

When the moms arrived, I thought they would start crying at the sight of their daughters. And the girls were so excited they were already making plans to come back during the Christmas holidays when they would be together again. Looks like I'll be busy this December. In November, I'm doing the 11-year-olds during the Thanksgiving break too. These just happen to be my lean months and I can't think of a better way to spend the holidays. I asked the girls what else they had done this summer and among other things, they had participated in a cooking class, which they didn't enjoy because the teacher treated them like little kids, they said. And they had to use plastic knives to cut up veggies, which was a complete drag for them. I was happy I had decided to allow them to iron for themselves and challenged them to work on big kid garments. It made them feel special and made me feel as though I had accomplished my goals this summer. It was a win-win situation all around.

Fun at Martha's

I must say, the past School of Art Fashion (SOAF) was quite unusual. You might remember that I was scheduled to teach at the SOAF this past July, and because of low enrollment my school was cancelled. Well, it seems as though my school wasn't the only cancellation. That doesn't really make me feel better, because what that tells me is attendence is down all around. But, my pre-day classes had respectable numbers and those classes went off as scheduled.

I wish I had the pleasure of telling you I was able to take a ton of photos, but that is not the case. I was busy teaching and didn't have a co-teacher this time so photos did not get taken. But, I did manage to snap a few pictures of some of the artwork from my crayon tinting class. Here are some of the lovely creations. (Remember, these do not contain embroidery stitches or embellishments yet).

One of the highlights of the SOAF is shopping. Martha makes sure there are lots of bargains to be had and these photos highlight some of the events of Teacher's Selling Night.

Students lined up to attend Martha's fabric sale.



All you can stuff into a ziplock bag for $25 sale.

 

Rows of kits from the Wendy Schoen booth.



Loads of Floche for sale.

Pink polkadots are my trademark. Beautiful Embroidery Club lessons for individual sale.

Kari Mecca's dress kits for sale.

Debbie Glenn's Teacher Demo Night booth.

Kari Mecca presents her Whimsy Sticks.

Gail Doan and her pretty kits.

 





Getting Ready for Martha's

In a few weeks, I will be heading north to Huntsville, Alabama to work my very favorite venue, the Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion. This school is something I have been doing twice a year for the past 20 years, and I don't know what I would do if I couldn't do it any longer. It's not that they don't want me to teach, because they most certainly do, but if no one signs up for my classes, they are forced to cancel. Well, unfortunately my school was cancelled due to low enrollment. This is only the second time my school has been cancelled and it feels terrible.

I have decided that next February, my school will have a completely different theme. Instead of the Wendy Schoen Baby School, my school will focus on finishing details and construction. I'm calling it "FUNdamentals with Wendy Schoen." I have been racking my brain for new ideas and I think I may have stumbled on the perfect solution. The dilema is people just really want to be able to sew for their children (grandchildren). Period. No earth shattering techniques, no over-the-moon embroidery stitches that take years to perfect, just plain old good sewing. Before you met me, I sewed for myself. I loved it. I perfected it. I want to do it again.

Many of you have been wondering, I'm sure, why I have been teaching children to sew. My motivation is to get people sewing, not only kids, but adults too. I was curious about what would happen if I tried my hand with virtural beginners and it made sense to begin with kids. I discovered it was something I really, really enjoy, in fact I believe I got more out of it than the kids. It's been so long since I have felt giddy with excitement over sewing and the feeling was intoxicating. I'm moving on to adults in the fall. We have young people, men and women, almost on a daily basis who walk in to my teaching studio to inquire about sewing lessons. This is something I want to do, and will definitely do.

At Martha's, we have had an influx of people wanting to learn to sew. Many have steered clear of my school because they felt the curriculum was beyond their capabilities. I truly want to entice a few of those ladies into my classroom. My intermediate sewists have signed up for my pre-day classes, which is great. I have respectable numbers enrolled for those classes, and now that they have opened up the enrollment for outsiders (non-school attendees), I know my numbers will increase. In fact, a few ladies from La Broderie Bayou have signed up for my pre-day class.

I have decided which classes I would like to teach for the 2013 school and I think they are great choices. I have included images below, but remember, they have not been approved yet so they might change slightly. I truly hope you are able to join me in February for at least one class. In a few days, you may read the descriptions on my site which will help in your decision making process. Enrollment isn't open yet, but it's never too early to start planning.

Have a terrific 4th of July weekend, and take a few moments to do a little sewing, won't you?