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If you don’t know that something is hard….

then it is easier to do it.

 

My student came for her second lesson today. She had decided to make a circle or infinity scarf for her mother out of some beige crinkle  silk chiffon she had seen in my sash.

 

The color was not my color.  It had arrived in a Fabric Mart mystery bundle.  I would assume that most sewing teachers would not give their students silk chiffon to play with on their second lesson. My investment in the fabric was  $1.5o per yard. I was happy for my student to make he mother the scarf out of it.

 

First I taught her the how to pull a thread so she could cut a straight line in the fabric. Yes, it’s pesky and boring, but it’s the easiest method to cut a straight line.

 

 

Then I had my student sew a French seam on the join of the circle scarf.  It sounds fancy, it looks fancy but it isn’t all that hard to do.  Here is her French seam.

chloe lesson2

 

Next, we discussed how to edge the scarf.  I had thought that a rolled edge would be a bit of a stretch but doable for my student. I have copper metallic thread that I thought would look beautiful wit the beige silk.  I did not tell my student that working with metallic thread can be persnickety.

chloe lesson2 (2)

You can see the pretty edge as it is coming off the back of the machine.

 

The thread did get a bit cranky at times, but my student persevered.

chloe lesson2 (1)

 

Here is the scarf, complete. The copper is subtle, but adds to the look.

chloe lesson2 (5)

 

I don’t think any sane teacher would insist that a student do a rolled edge or a French seam during their second sewing lesson, but if the student wants to learn those skills, then it isn’t hard for them to learn. 

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Comments

  1. Summer FliesMay 7, 2012 at 9:06 AM

    I think that is right. If you don't know it's hard, you won't get put off or overwhelmed. You just give it a go - as we say here - you'll never know if you don't have a go!

    ReplyDelete
  2. GabrielleMay 7, 2012 at 9:29 AM

    Definitely - I completely agree! I look back now at the patterns I was sewing when I first started really sewing for myself (as a uni student) and it's really obvious I was just focussing on what I wanted to make and ignoring how difficult the patterns were supposed to be. Nowadays of course I tend to hesitate :-)

    ReplyDelete

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