Monday, May 09, 2005

Bring it on...

I don't know whether to be happy or sad. I'm happy that my voice is back. I still have a little residual coughing here and there, but on the whole, I'm back to my loud self. Unfortunately, being healthy again meant that I couldn't ignore that annoying alarm at 6:30a like I did last week. That's the sad part.

One thing I am looking forward to today is my very first sewing class. I'm one who wants to try everything, but have a hard time getting out of the starting gate. For Christmas, my hubby gave me a gift certificate for a beginner's sewing class at the The Sewing Workshop, . Since we're moving fairly soon, and the class is only a few blocks from where our apartment is now, I knew I had procrastinated long enough and finally signed up for the May class.

The weekend before I became sick, I had received my materials list from the sewing school and we went to JoAnn Fabrics to get my supplies. I felt like a kid again - except instead of buying new crayons and notebooks, I had to chose from an overwhelming rainbow selection of materials. I was supposed to select a simple cotton material. No flannel, not too silky, and nothing you wouldn't mind making mistakes with. The one I liked the best was an off white cotton with beautiful beige flowers that looked almost painted on to the fabric. In the center of each flower was the most delicate brush of pale orange. It was a stunning fabric. Stunning until I saw that it was $6.99 a yard.

$6.99 doesn't sound like a lot, but I had no idea how much I would need. As a complete beginner, it was just too much $$ to start with. My beautiful flower material was going to have to wait until I knew how to turn on a sewing machine. I found another cotton with the word "Meow" in several fonts and colors printed between tiny little paw prints. At $2.99 a yard (the cheapest I could find), this would be my premier project. Plus it reminds me of my little kitty, Monte, so it's a good find. With a lot of help from a sales associate there, we figured out that I would need 4 yards of fabric.

Last night, I spent almost an hour cutting out the pattern that I received with my materials list. We're going to make a robe, and we are supposed to have our pattern cut and ready for class tonight. Upon opening the pattern, I was lost. I had no idea what I was looking at. What do all those lines mean? Why are there arrows here and there? Why is there a line within an inch of the other line? Why are some lines solid and others in dashes? What if I cut it out wrong? I don't have time to go buy a replacement pattern!

In a panic, I pulled out my Welcome letter/materials list again. "Cut on the dark black line." Ah! There is a dark black line! And as I surveyed the large brown paper on my living room carpet, I realized that each section of the paper was a different part of the robe. HA! No longer in a cold sweat, I finally had my pattern pieces cut, carefully folded, and put into a plastic ziplock baggie. I had washed, dried, and ironed my material as instructed earlier in the day.

I am ready to sew.

No comments: