Heya, thinking of running a sewing machine basics workshop in june.
First off, i don’t know how many machines in the space are in good operating condition or which need to be serviced so I need to know that before I can determine how many people can participate in a workshop.
People can also bring their own sewing machines if they wish.
Second: Do I charge people for supplies and patterns? Some supplies can be shared but then some supplies would be needed for each person. Also keep in mind usually good fabric scissors cost around roughly $30 each. Then there is cost of fabric, patterns, pins, thread, needles, notions, etc.
Patterns I was thinking of a workshop where people would learn how to make something basic. A few examples here:
I’d be interested, but June will be a tough month for me time-wise.
On charging for class, certainly charge for consumables. Are patterns consumable or are they a resource that can be shared? If they are to be shared, consider dividing the cost of that portion by the number of seats in your class and indicate that the pattern will be provided to the space at the end of the class. If the space doesn’t have a set of appropriate scissors per-machine, we should ask the EPC to acquire what is necessary if the costs aren’t too high.
You should also round up a bit to cover your own prep time and teaching time.
As far as gauging interest, a few things that come to mind that need to be answered:
How long is this? Is it a single sesson, multi-session, 1 hr, 5hr, etc?
What are the cost of supplies for that bag? I personally think that would be the best of those projects (not that they aren’t all good).
What should we expect to be able to do at the end of the class?
Lastly; I’ve actually found these Interest Check forum posts to be less useful than just committing to a date far enough out. Since there are real consumable costs, make sure you use something to collect funds ahead of time to protect you against no-shows. My own personal schedule is likely to not work with this purely based on June, but if it were to fit into a slot that works I might be willing to do it.
Those interested should still comment, but my suggestion to you would be to find out how many concurrent people you can handle, how long the class will likely take, the full cost, and a description of the skills that will be taught and what this will unlock for us (will we be able to hem pants after this? follow other patterns? etc).
This sounds awesome, feel free to contact me directly if you need some help with any of this prep. Also, I might have some fabric to provide for the class so you can reduce your risk on the first class. I’ll check my storage unit soon to find out how much I have and of what kind.
I’m also interested, but it’s highly dependent on when and for how long. I’m available most Saturdays.
A project I want to do is to customize a blanket to fit over my truck’s rear seats with some velcro straps to secure it. So the blanket would need to be cut/sown so that it has a similar shape to the seats (like a fitted sheet) and velcro strips sown to it to hold it in place.
I don’t know how to do quilting but I can teach basic sewing. I was thinking of doing a 3 hour workshop on making something simple. I’m pretty open to a day/time in june that works best. I know the space is pretty occupied tuesday-thursday so would have to do a workshop on a friday, saturday, sunday or monday.
For sewing, 6 people should be fine. It might be tricky figuring out foot pedal placement with the high tables, but I think it’s manageable.
For cutting out, there is the craft table, but I would certainly recommend putting paper on top of the surface before putting patterns on it! You might be able to flip the plastic over, but I haven’t checked recently to see if one side is better for fabric or not.
The workshop sounds like a great idea. Thanks for doing it! I’d offer to help you, but I’m going to be away in June.
Hi all, i’m glad for all the interest! I would like to know what day of week is best in early June to set this up.
Also I posted about supplies and equipment needed at the hackspace to do sewing projects. If you can go to this thread and have things to donate or acquire for the space let me know Sewing supplies
Looking at June 8, 9, 10, or 11 as possible dates. 3 hour workshop, how to make a drawstring bag to teach on how to use a pattern and sewing machine basics.
These may not be projects that interest everyone, but I’m interesting in learning to use my sewing machine so I can make tool rolls, chisel rolls and dust covers for some of the machines in my workshop.
@imsofluffy My tongue in cheek view of quilt making after watching my wife make a few…
You buy a bunch of fabric (called fat-quarters) of different colours
Then you cut this fabric into small pieces
Next you mix it all up
Then you sew it all back together to make a large piece of fabric.
You make a fabric sandwich with the sewn piece on top, batting in the middle and backing on the bottom.
Then you sew patterns into the sandwich and sew up the edges.
Finally when it’s finished you give it away
If I do a sewing part 2 that would be a good project. Things to hold tools require heavier fabrics so it’s a tough go to make those things in a beginner class
That’s exactly how it works according to YouTube. I gave some clothing items that I want to make into a quilt. They belonged to a family member and I’ve been procrastinating on this project for fear of messing it up. So if anyone knows of some reputable quilting companies let me know.
