Debby Spence commandeers the iron while students look on

I generally create with fabric by remaking something that was already made, tearing fabric instead of cutting it, making skirts that tie on, sewing blouses and skirts to each other to make dresses, and other carefree methods of construction.  I actually invented the WrapADoodle Swaddle Blanket without any measuring tools.

So, I’m not so sure how I wound up in Millersville PA taking an all day workshop with Ace Dressmaker Debby Spence called Clothing Designer Techniques for Zipper Applications and Seam Finishes, offered by The Pa Guild  of  Craftsman. I’ve never taken any kind of sewing class, so figured it was about time. It was an adventure from the get go.

Before leaving the house this morning to go to the workshop, I washed my hair in the bathtub and planned to comb it in the car, where the hairbrush is kept, and where all my grooming takes place on the way to wherever.

It was raining so hard! I dashed from the house to the car, wrestled the towel covered sewing machine and all the gear into the passenger seat,  shoved my cup of coffee into the little round holder between the seats, then ran to the other side, yanked the door open and  dove over a puddle into the driver’s side. This entire operation took about two minutes yet I looked like somebody threw me into a swimming pool on the way, by the time I hit the seat.

I took off my sopping sweater, hung it on the GPS and over the air vents to dry. After searching for the hairbrush that apparently went into the Bermuda Triangle, I settled for a (broken) 3 pronged plastic fork to comb my hair, then backed down the driveway and headed down Route 30. Sew on and Sew Forth!

What a beautiful drive through miles and miles of Amish farmland, carefully steering around the early morning horses and buggies of Lancaster County. It took over an hour to get there. Five smiling faces (four other students and one instructor) welcomed me into the workshop. And then it was all business from beginning to end.

Debby had samples of her beautifully constructed clothes, fantastic handouts in folders, and we each had our own little kit of fabrics, zippers and interfacing to use throughout the day.

It was interesting to learn new sewing language, such as “stitch in the ditch, pinking, waxing thread, princess seam, hong kong finish, seam roll, clapper, pressing ham and more. I particularly liked “seam roll” and “pressing ham” because they conjured the image of a sandwich and I had skipped breakfast. Thank goodness, Debby had snacks and drinks for us and we all went to a local cafe together for a lunch break.

We learned how to make three kinds of seams, and how to put in three kinds of zippers……There is nothing better than direct instruction and that was what was so great about this workshop. We left with our own samples, plus Debby’s detailed written instructions for the ones we learned and others too.

I’m really looking forward to the next time I make a dress. It’s a whole new world now, and it will actually look nice when you turn it inside out, and may even have a zipper that goes up and down.

Check out upcoming  workshops at Pa Guild of Craftsmen.