THE SEWING CLUB

Another item from my wish list: learn to sew. I've "sewn" before - if you count making pillow coverings. There's not much to that, stitch 4 fairly straight lines and you're done. I want to learn to REALLY sew: sleeves, pleats, ruffles, zippers. Well, maybe not zippers. Those look hard. But definitely sleeves.

Fortunately, I have really good friends who are REALLY good seamstresses! Like, award-winning good! And they are teachers by trade. How cool is that?! So on Friday, we put everything else aside and began The Sewing Club! Membership is open and free, and we take all skill levels - I'm proof of that! Come join us!

Jeanette (left) and Wendy (right) are the experts in our group. Can't you just tell by looking at them that they KNOW sewing? The expertise almost oozes from them!

I'm the novice. Here, I am VERY CAREFULLY cutting a straight line - which I had to have help pin down. Doesn't the ineptitude just ooze from me? And what's with that hair, woman? Don't you own a brush???

It was a really long piece of fabric. Concentrate, concentrate.

After much pleading and coaxing, Jeanette obliged me by pulling out some of the items she'd made as a little girl. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE stories from my friends' pasts, so I was fascinated by the history of  these pieces. This dress has sleeves, a lining AND a hidden zipper! Wow!

And this is the outfit she took to the State Fair! It's a beautiful wool dress (side zipper AND back zipper, both hidden!) with matching belt and jacket. She even made the buttons - MADE the buttons. I didn't know you could make buttons. I thought they only came from fabric stores! Who knew?

Now while I was eating up this show-and-tell, Wendy was busily working away on her own project.

She's piecing together some gorgeous fabrics - patchwork style.

All I could hear from Wendy's side of the table was the rapid whirring of her machine. She's amazing! I'm not sure what this will be, in the end, but I know it will be so pretty!

At the end of the morning, Wendy had a couple of rows pieced together, I had an apron cut out and the armholes stitched, and Jeanette had been persuaded to bring out some treasures. We enjoyed Jeanette's beautiful home and homemade sweet roll. But mostly we had 3 wonderful hours of fellowship and fun. And I can't wait until our next club meeting!

I'm starting my homework right away!