Thursday, December 1, 2011

Welcome girls!

My new and youngest student, Kyndall, had some mad skill behind the sewing machine despite never using one!  Her very first lesson she made a headband with flowers on it!  Isn’t that amazing!?  At school in art class this six weeks, she is crocheting!  Kyndall definitely is a talented girl and quite funny too!  So enjoyed teaching her a few sewing skills.

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Below are Sarah and Heather and they were so much fun!  Really cracked me up and they made pillows for their first lesson.  An interesting fact about Sarah is she doesn’t own a cell phone and I feel old saying that’s interesting since they were just starting to become popular in my early teens.  I thought this was pretty cool actually.  Heather and I know each other from high school and have ran into each other a few times since then.  I am so glad they took a lesson together!  Lessons are so fun in pairs!  

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Stacy is back!! Stacy is actually referred to as Ms. Bryan by a bunch of kindergarteners! She has been so busy teaching, but luckily we are making up ground quickly and we took on a very challenging lesson! The adorable Black Apple Doll!

Stacy worked hard and it paid off! This is maybe her third lesson ever…

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I’ve made two myself and will make a few more for Christmas presents! They are so fun and addicting… Lola’s doll will have to have a face because no facial features on a doll will concern her endlessly.

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Maggie and Mollie are always entertaining and we made headbands at their last sewing lesson.  They will actually be back tomorrow and we are making dresdens! Check out their cute headbands:

Mollie’s-

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Maggie’s-

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Excited to see them tomorrow as well as Kylee!  My sister will be joining in with Kylee tomorrow and look forward to paired lessons back to back.  Luckily these girls are so charming and don’t seem to mind preggers (me!) dressed in a comfy, baggy clothes while we sew!  Love you all!

Dresden Below:

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Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Bump, Bump, Sew, Sew

Sew Creative had a few small speed bumps like a sick pregnant teacher and school starting back up for most of my students! But creativity doesn’t have time for a break!

Look at what we have been up to!

Emma has been busy learning all kinds of new skills!  A few skills she quickly mastered is piping in a pillow, ruffles, and appliques!  She made her own piping and ruffles and was able to sew it all in her pillows beautifully!  She also learned how to do an applique and added the cross on her pillow as well.  I would say she can make her very own custom pillows now!  She has a birthday coming up so a big happy birthday to her and I wouldn’t be surprised if she asked for a few sewing supplies because she is good and seems to really enjoy creating and making fun things! Happy Birthday girl!

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Doesn’t that piping look professional!?

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Molly and Maggie are back! They have been having a blast at school and we finally got on the same schedule again! Woohoo- I missed those girls.

They made cute totes this past week and we had lots of fun making ruffles and flowers!  We did a great job balancing catching up and sewing!  I told the girls that part of learning to sew is learning to sew and stitch a straight line at the same time! :)  Sewing is always more fun when doing it with a friend (or sister!).

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Kylee, who is Kebby’s age, is taking lessons now and her and Kebby sew a lot alike!  I am going to give them a class together.  They have a lot of talent stored up in them and I hope they get the sewing bug.  They will love it.  Kylee has made a pillow (really cute fabric may I add), and a chevron coaster as well as a headband!

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(In case you are wondering- nobody likes their picture taken while they are sewing especially since they are learning- so I always try to sneak one quick one- but they know it’s coming…. but don’t they all look so cute sewing!?)

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Happy Sewing!  More new students to come this month and I am super excited!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Trim Anyone?

010Emma is one of my newest girls and I have really enjoyed getting to know her and watching her learn so quickly!  She made her pillow so quickly that we were able to have fun and play around with making key chains!  She so graciously picked out cute ribbon and ruffles to make one for her older sister!  What a great sister and a great sewer!  We are making coasters this week to practice that straight stitch and turning corners!  Look forward to having her!

 

 

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Emma is my newest student, but Maggie and Molly were my first and still going strong!  Last week we had a fun project: Aprons! They already had the perfect size fabric in perfect patterns, so all they needed to do was pick out trim!  Check out these well-made aprons!  They did a wonderful job using trim and we all loved the effect it made on the aprons!

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Lauren’s lesson was picture-less because we weren’t up too much fun besides our conversations!  Her past lessons have been making cushions and pillows for her mom’s house and this week’s lesson was about hand sewing the back of the cushions.  Neither one of us was extremely looking forward to it, but it wasn’t too bad and she has the fun task of finishing it up at home.  I told her to put on a good movie!  Sometimes to make a great product you gotta’ do a little hand sewing.  Smile It’s a lot more fun to hand sew when you get to end up with something more like this though:

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At least it is when you have a cute two year old who loves playing with them! :)

Happy Sewing!

Sunday, August 7, 2011

So many fun projects!

Sew Creative is one of my biggest highlights of the week!  This past week from 9 to 4:30 the only thing going on in my house was girls measuring twice, cutting once, and sewing away!

Julia got caught up and made her very cute polka-dotted pillow.  A perfect fit! 

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Sawyer, my youngest student, slept through her lesson… okay, maybe her momma’s lesson! Winking smile She is a really good baby which in return makes her momma, Lauren, a really good sewer. 

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Lauren is busy making A LOT of pillows for her mom, but she and I a couple weeks back went to the fabric store to learn about the different fabrics/sections and she picked out fabric for her room so she could make curtains for her bedroom! She texted me this picture later when she got home after she hung them herself!  She told me she thought she didn’t have a hammer since her husband had taken it on a mission trip and I told her just to use a high heel shoe! Smile I often do that and it’s the only use my pretty heels have to me now! Don’t her curtains look great!?

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One of my new students, Emma (no photo yet), came this past week and is really good as well.  It’s funny how you can have a natural ability to sew.  She brought a machine she had for a few years that had some “hiccups” in it, so we worked on the machine and then was able to sew!  She made a bow and went home to make more! Woohoo Emma!  Side note: For those who don’t have a machine that have a possible interest in sewing, I have an extra so you can take a lesson too!

My most beloved student would have to be my sister.  (Awe.)  I am just so giddy she is learning to sew!  And she is even using her own money to pay for lessons.  I treat her like all my others and she has accomplished a lot! Hopefully she will go back to college with her sewing machine in hand and make some fun things for her apartment!

She has made a pillow!

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Had to crop this picture so you couldn’t see the entire sewing studio reveal! That’s the next post! :)

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And a bunting banner! I am in love with these!  Anyone else??

Really loved Kebby’s pick on fabrics and it will look great in her college apartment.  She is planning on mixing hers in with her curtains or over her bed. 

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My my missed girls, Maggie and Molly made the same cute flags!  Next week we are making cute aprons and they already  have great fabric picked out!

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Here is Maggie showing off her cute flag… but I think Mollie wandered off… Ohhhh Mollie! :) I’ll get her this next week, but her bunting banner looked great!  She used a funky mushroom fabric that I actually have as well! :) Nice taste ladies and job well done!

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Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Passion is Contagious

So Miss. Bryan, my good friend who has landed herself a third grade teaching position has slowly entered the crafting world through the last few years and now decided to tackle sewing, and to her surprise she caught on fast and was quite the joker.

We learned to make no sew tassels (her request) and the picture turned out to be very funny.  

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So we took a more professional picture… the tassels a really cute and she will make several in 3 different colors and strand them all together to decorate her classroom with.  Too cute Stacy!

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The other project we were able to accomplish in 90 minutes was her flag banner.  Her third grade room has a “camping” theme so the 6 yards of flannel she scored for a couple of bucks at a garage sale did the trick!  Two banners made and she is well equipped to make a third on her own now!

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Julia, a student who started in the beginning is back after vacation and got caught up last week!  Despite her having no access to a sewing machine the past two weeks, her first lesson stuck and she is a natural.  Her coaster had great even lines and we had enough time to make a key chain too! Way to go Julia!  Happy Birthday Julia and I am so excited in just two lessons you a new spark to sew!  (Julia actually got her own sewing machine this weekend for her birthday and we get to use it this week!)  Woo-hoo!

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Looking forward to a great week sewing!  Now only if I can finish my sewing room and give you guys a great reveal! :)

Friday, July 8, 2011

Pillow Please!

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Sew Creative was a blast this week!  I had two new students closer to my age and of course Maggie and Mollie.  A few others weren’t able to do their lessons this week- so we can play catch up next week… here’s a glimpse at this week!

Lauren and Kristen took their first lesson this week and had never sewn before (Kristen didn’t really count the time she did in junior high…hehehe…) and they both walked away with a beautiful pillow they did on their own!  It’s fun to see your students proud and I was quite proud of them too.  I have such a good time teaching something that I’m passionate about and in return seeing others become passionate about it as well!  It was nice that Lauren and Kristen were able to successfully make something on their first lesson to show off to their husbands and friends.  I know for me personally, I would get discouraged pretty fast if I felt like I had worked with my sewing machine for an hour or two and had nothing to show for it.  And a bonus, Lauren brought her cutie pie baby girl, Sawyer along.  She was perfect while her momma learned to sew!

As a teacher, you hope to have cool students- and I am blessed to have such sweet, good students. 

Speaking of… here’s Maggie and Mollie! They also made a pillow this week! I seriously think they are too cute and compliment each other so well.  Nothing like a sister, right girls?  They did such a good job that we even had time to mess with ruffles a little! ;)  Didn’t they pick out great material for their pillows or what!! Way to go M&M!

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Monday, July 4, 2011

A good week ahead…

Last week the girls made key chains and did a wonderful job!  Making key chains are fun plus they make for good practice sewing a stitch in a nice, even straight line.  Here is Mollie sewing her straight line!

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This week should be fantastic because A)We are making envelope pillow covers and B) New Sew Creative Girls have signed up!  Welcome Lauren, Kristen, Tyler, and Stacy!

Friday, June 24, 2011

New classes for ages 20+

Great news! I have started lessons for older girls wanting to get their crafting skills on! Most girls are taking one on one classes with me so they will be sewing in no time on their own! I'll be posting soon and am looking forward to classes next week with my Sew Creative gals! Please e-mail or call if you want more information or to sign up! Sewcreativegirl@gmail.com
214.773.5488
Natalie

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

First Class!

We had so much fun today learning our machines!  Maggie, Molly and Julia are naturals.  They caught on so fast!  They all learned how to wind their bobbins, load their bobbins, and thread their machines! Then we practiced the straight stitch which meant they were ready to tackle their first sewing project- bows!

  My sweet friend Ginni showed up to pick up two of the girls (sisters) and saw my camera sitting out so took some photos.  I meant to do that but we were too busy sewing!  We missed Julia in action so we will have to make up for that next week. :) Be prepared for photos girls (or remind me!)!  Julia used my machine that I learned on and was quite good!   

All 3 girls really impressed me!  I felt like such a proud little sewing teacher!

Maggie’s machine didn’t want to cooperate so she ended up using mine so they stayed a few extra minutes so they could finish their bows. 

Pictured below: Maggie and Molly

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Maggie did a great job going with the flow and the fact that she can jump on to another machine and operate it so well only means one thing: She was born to sew! She wanted her bow smaller than mine, which I love a girl that knows what she wants, and it turned out so cute! See her picture above! 065

Molly was my precision girl.  She had lots of questions which I loved because I am such a questioner myself.  When you learn how to sew the right way, you can take on bigger projects sooner- so Molly will probably be better than me before long! You go girl! 

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Julia, Maggie, and Molly each made a bow similar to these!  We are looking forward to next week!

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If you want more information, please contact Natalie at sewcreativegirl@gmail.com