Perspective - A Look Back
I was looking through photos yesterday and these photos popped up. They are from the first bag making class I took at my local quilt shop. That was almost 2 1/2 years ago! And while it seems like a long time, it’s really just a blip. And in that time I’ve learned so many different techniques and really improved my skills. A few years ago all I knew how to do was to sew in a straight line, making sachets and neck pillows because they are squares and rectangles. Now I can sew in a welt pocket, zipper, mesh pocket, work with vinyl, cork, and mesh, install piping and binding. And I just leveled up to a rivet press so I’ll be installing rivets and snaps in things.
I’ve been keeping a list of all the skills that I wanted to learn throughout this process - usually something that was in a pattern that I wanted to do. Other than a few overly ambicious moments at the beginning, I’ve been trying to do patterns in an order that will build on my skills and not overwhelm me with something way beyond the level I’m at.
That’s what I really liked about that first class I took. Don’t get me wrong - I love learning things on YouTube - but sometimes it’s nice to take a class in person. Especially something like this that is tactile. I was able to meet other sewists, get great tips from a teacher who has been making bags for years, learn how to read a pattern, and get help picking out the right types of fabrics and interfacing for the projects I wanted to make from the staff at the fabric shop. I learned how to iron things properly, how to use a pressing cloth, and how to sew a nice, clean line of topstitching. I also learned that part of my problem was that I was sewing on a really cheap machine. Using the machines in the classroom really helped me with my confidence and made me realize that I needed a better quality machine. Luckily I had a friend who was selling her old Bernina! It was very similar to the model I had been using in the class so I was already familiar with it.
So below are some photos from the first bag I made. My teacher was great because she picked a really easy pattern and I was amazed that everything turned out nice. It was so nice that I thought, “Gee, I could actually sell this!” And that’s why we’re where we’re at now folks!
Looking back to the very beginning now, I can see how much work I’ve put into learning this craft. And I’m very proud of myself! I tend to start things and then move on when they get frustrating or I lose interest. I have yet to lose interest in this. There is always a new technique, material, or pattern to try and that’s what keeps me coming back. I am starting to go out in the world again thanks to being fully vaccinated, and my favorite part of that is when someone comes up to me and says how cute my purse is and I get to say, “I made it!”
