The sunny Make Workshop. (Image courtesy of Make Workshop)

Two Christmases ago, Santa (aka Mamadukes) brought me a sewing machine.  So excited to get it (I had asked for one), I carried all the way back to New York from Florida…then I  moved, then I moved again. And then before I knew it, two years had come by and the poor thing hadn’t yet made it out of the box.

Until this weekend!  I never learned to sew at my grandmother’s knee or anything like that, and my mom always patched our clothes by hand – so I had never actually used a sewing machine before even though I wanted one.  I was terrified of breaking the machine because I didn’t know how to operate it so I signed up for the Intro to Sewing Machine Class at New York’s Make Workshop. There, it was promised I’d learn how to thread the machine and make a  basic fabric wallet.  I’m happy to report – that is exactly what happened!  We learned all that and then some with Make’s co-founder, president (and author) Diana Rupp as our guide!

First, Diana gave a great lecture on all the parts of the machine (you can bring your own or use Make’s in-house ones), including how to make sure you purchase the right tools to go with your own.  Then – she put us to work!  By the end of the two-hour class, me and my three classmates had each sewn a wallet – and learned some great tricks for sewing on a button, getting perfect thread knots and working with velcro.  Diana was right there to answer all our questions and work us through problems.

I would highly recommend this class for anyone who, like me, wants to learn to sew but needs someone to show them the right way first.  Best of all, once you take this class you’re clear to take any of the other workshops, which range from pillow making to fashion sewing to kids clothes.  If you take a class – tell Diana we sent you!