The Younger Set is Sewing!

We’ve been having fun and meeting some wonderful girls and parents in our after school classes in Chanhassen and at Treadle (we’d love to do it at Southtown Hancock too, just haven’t gotten much interest yet…)

There are a few more opportunities before the end of the year-
Chanhassen-Thursday, Dec. 4th, 4:30-6-we’ll be sewing holiday stockings
Southtown Hancock-Friday, Dec. 5th, 4:30-6:30, holiday stockings or bags
-Monday, Dec. 15, 4:30-6, learn to sew or holiday sewing

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Log Cabin Pillows
Log Cabin Pillows

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Holiday Sewing
Holiday Sewing

Serious Learners
Serious Learners

April Fashion Sewing Club and Classes

Opposites attract.

Debbie and I taught sewing to two groups of girls during their spring breaks these past two weeks. Wonderful girls, budding skills and lots of fun. At one point, Debbie looked over and noticed our personal collections of embroidery flosses that we had brought along for teaching hand sewing. She pointed out how much they reflected our personalities and I laughed till I had tears running down my face. Maybe it was the fact that it was also Debbie’s birthday or the last day of our classes, who knows-but it made us both laugh for a long time. Debbie and I truly enjoy each other’s company and we bring different strengths (and quirks) to the partnership. Is it obvious to you whose floss is whose?

Since we are getting so much rain, maybe it’s a good time to do some sewing before the good weather gets here. We have quite a few classes on the schedule for April. We are also teaching sewing and serger classes at Hancock in Southtown beginning this month. We will offer the classes through First Sewing which is the sewing machine store that took over the Bernina space but you will also be able to sign up on our website (give me a day or two to get the changes made). Since there are two of us to teach and we want to ensure enough students in each class, we are offering two classes in the same time slot. We also want to clarify that Sewing With a Pattern is a guided sewing time open to all levels so if you are an experienced sewist stuck on an certain technique or have never used a pattern, that would be your class to be repeated as often as necessary.

Hope you can join us for Fashion Sewing Club or a class!

April Fashion Sewing Club Dates:
Tuesday, April 9, 10:30 @Treadle Yard Goods
Thursday, April 11, 10:30 or 6:30 @ Make It Sew
Saturday, April 13, 10:30 @ Treadle Yard Goods

April Classes:
Streamlined Blouse, Tuesday, April 9 and 16, 2:00-4:00 @ TYG
Basic Serger, Tuesday, April 9, 6:00-8:00 @ MIS
Knit Skirts, Thursday, April 11, 2:00-4:00 @MIS
Beyond Basic Sergery, Saturday, April 13, 2:00-4:00 @TYG
*New at Hancock, Monday, April 15:
Learn To Sew 10:00-12:00
Basic Serger 10:00-12:00
Beyond Basic Serger, 2-4:30
Sewing With a Pattern 2-4:30
Learn to Sew 6-8
Basic Serger 6-8
Designer Tee, April 16, 10:00-1:00, @ TYG
Serger Club (napkins), Thursday, April 18, 10:30-12:00 and 6:00-8:00 @ MIS
Sew With A Pattern, Thursday, April 18, 2:00-4:30 @ MIS
Beyond Basic Serger, Wednesday, April 24, 10:30-1:00 @TYG
Eternal Sergery, (Knit Skirt) Wednesday, April 24, 2:00-4:30 @ TYG
Crash Course/Learn to Sew, Thursday, April 24, 10:30-1:00 and 6:00-8:30 @ MIS
Advanced Serger, Thursday, April 25, 2:00-4:30 @ MIS
Basic Serger, Saturday, April 27, 10:30-12:30 @ MIS
Project Runway Kids, Saturday, April 27,1:00-4:00, @ MIS
Duct Tape Double, Monday, April 29, 10:00-4:00 @ TYG

Spring Break Sewing Camp

Bits and Pieces

If you need something fun and inspiring to do this Sunday, the fashion show at Eagle Creek featuring Amy Ordahl and company is at 1 pm and there’s still room. Should be fun to see what she’s creating and the fabrics she uses. Call 952-233-3774 to reserve a spot.

It's a Girly Thing

We had 14 Girl Scouts at Hancock/Bernina on Tuesday. They each made an infinity scarf and a wrist pincushion. It’s always inspiring to see small hands working so hard at something new. Because there were so many, I was trying to think of things to entertain them if they finished early (one never knows) and I remembered a button toy from my childhood. Anybody remember a large button on a loop of string and then you spin it and once it gets twisted enough you can gently pull and release and the button spins and the string hums? I experimented with several different strings and yarns. A fun toy to keep in your sewing room for distraction ( who said anything about children-I need a diversion every once in a while! It gets the creative juices flowing 🙂 There are lots of you tube videos showing this toy so I guess I’m not alone. Google “spinning button toys”– evidently the erotic world has a corner on “button toys”. (Now you’re curious aren’t you!)

Happy Sewing, see you next week.

The Last of Christmas Sewing

I think this may be a banner year for me-no unmade Christmas gifts given! OK, so I still didn’t get last year’s pajamas made for my husband, but I did alter three pair of pants for him-in the middle of Christmas sewing. We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday.

I really did intend to make good on the post-Club Christmas sewing contest but then I realized that most people on Facebook are “friends” with their children and would most likely have done Christmas sewing for them and not want to reveal the gift before the opening! So any good ideas for giving away those Gingher scissors? And here’s Zach in his smoking jacket-

One of our most faithful beginning sewists at Hancock is really taking off. Here is her Christmas skirt. It was a challenge but the finished project looks great. She also made a Santa outfit for her dog. It’s fun to watch people branch out and try new skills.

Our Hancock kids’ class had several girls like that. They just wanted to sew the ideas in their heads and we were there to help make them happen. We did finish the fur vest projects, too. The girls were surprised at how quickly they went together and we were surprised at how little fur mess there was.

Beginning Sewing

The Material Girls have been busy the past two weeks teaching new sewists what we love to do. We had several girls who learned to sew or furthered their skills during their MEA break.


Our class of beginning adults consisted of a soon to be mother, a friend of mine from church working on her “bucket list” which included sewing and an 85 year old who had memory loss issues and wanted help remembering how to sew. Her 90 year old friend drove her to the class!

We love what we do!!