More Miniature Bears and Bunnies

Today I have been mainly getting lessons ready.

I started with finishing my two miniature samples and getting them photographed.

Christmas Bear

Spring Bunny

Grandma's button box came in handy, as when I opened it I found a packet of small plastic white buttons, ideal for their joints.

Once I had finished making and photographing these two, I then wrote the instructions for the Hipster Brief.  This has gone really well and is looking good.  

I am going to relax tonight and get some knitting done!!!!

One Week On

It has now been over a week since my first session of teaching  "Beginners Dressmaking" and I think it went well.  

There were nine students in total, three more than I would have liked and also my timings for the lesson plan were for six. Despite this we got most of it completed as I had planned, they didn't seem to notice they hadn't done them all and really the things they didn't do, were on the more advanced side and can be done later in the course.

All of them are a great bunch of ladies and they have mixed skills.  One of them was a complete beginner and hadn't even got her own machine; three of them did mainly patchwork and quilting and were now ready to "cross over" to dressmaking; a young girl is doing her Duke of Edinburgh's Bronze Award and had chosen to do dressmaking as her skill; the others, were what I would call dabblers, had come to expand their knowledge.

I was listening to some of the remarks that they were making, (when they thought I wasn't listening) and they were all encouraging.  But, they are so loud, they also said how difficult it was, but surely if it was so difficult, why were they talking so much? 

I was so happy to see, that, when they arrived, they all had fear in their eyes, but on leaving, they looked tired, but happy and many left talking happily about their experience and their joy in coming.

Here are pictures of some of the class,  

Hard at work, but smiling

Some are laughing

Can't wait to see them all next week!

First Day

Today feels like a first day at work.  Tonight I will be teaching the first lesson in a course of lessons I have developed.  I have been working hard all summer to put it together.  The lesson is full, I would have preferred to teach to only 6, but there will be 9 in total.  Yikes!  Nothing to do now, but to take the plunge, how many can say they have a dream come true?

Miniature Teddy Bear

Delivered this chap to the sewing school the other day.  In October I will be teaching how to make him, and they needed a sample.  He is quick to make, takes about an hour to two hours.   I love to give him as presents to people (adults mainly, due to him having small buttons) and he's great for using up scraps.

I will have to redraft him as his nose is a bit too long and thin and not at all cuddly bear shaped.  Also I am going to have to make a brother of him that is a bit more photogenic. In real life he is great and has a very soft check, but under harsh light, he doesn't look so great.

I am also thinking about making him a little brother, but I have very little time and I'm not sure what making a smaller teddy would prove.

Knickers again

This morning I have drafted the hipster knickers again and made up another pair.  This is definitely the design I am going to go with, now I just need to write the instructions and the lesson.

I just hope my neighbours haven't been watching me whilst I've been laying knickers out in the garden.