{Sassy Southern Sewing 2015}

Another day of Trisha Smith class at Sassy Southern Sewing School.  It was a day of learning new skills, sewing a dress in yummy fabric, enjoying delicious lunch and dinner, meeting more sewing ladies, filling my bag with swag, and shopping the vendors.  For its first year, this sewing conference has not disappointed.  While I am tired from concentrating on sewing all day, I am feeling good about my time here.

In class today, we worked on the Peg Pocket Dress by Trisha Smith.  The dress has a buttoned double-breasted bodice, a buttoned back, gathered skirts, and the best pockets in the front for my girlie to fill with goodies.  The pockets are made by cutting open a half circle and then adding pleats to the sides to make the pockets puff out the front – just darling!  The fabric Trisha selected for the project is a bright and cheery print coordinated with a coral solid and the hot yellow gingham.  The dress offers so many new techniques for me including a back skirt placket, matching fabric prints, covered buttons, and corded piping.  Even though I didn’t complete sewing the dress today, I learned and practiced many skills.

Same as Day 1, Trisha shared her wisdom with us.  Today I counted 8 new lessons from her – I am just saying that if you want to improve your sewing technique, take a class from a proven expert like Trisha.  There is so many tips and tricks that I have picked up in only 2 days that will advance my sewing overall.  Whether my project is a quick skirt or T-shirt that takes little expertise or a couture garment that requires hours of commitment, what I have learned here at Sassy Southern Sewing will improve my project.  But I digress….. I don’t want to share all of her ‘wizardry’ here (like her Perfectly-Puckerless-Placket) , but today’s best lessons from Trisha are:

1 – Use glue stick to adhere fabric to button cap before shoving in the rubber button maker… it holds the fabric in place to make smoother gather for sealing the button bottom on (my explanation is tough to follow – see the picture)

2 – Check the fold of the fabric from being on the bolt to know the front verses the back of the fabric… this is useful for solids that look the same on the front and back

3 – Hold up tissue paper patterns with removable tape, available in office supplies… the tape will not tear the tissue paper, will not damage window or walls, but will hold up those patterns for tracing and drawing – pure awesomeness!

Examples of clothes from Trisha’s Treasures patterns:

Tomorrow we will be working on an heirloom dress.  This will be a first for me… can’t wait!

{Sassy Southern Sewing 2015}

Today I attended my first day of classes at Sassy Southern Sewing School.  This is their inaugural year, and it’s off to a fabulous start.  The team of ladies responsible for creating this week of sewing have invested their hearts into this event – and it shows.  They have worked out every detail to ensure that we make precious handmades and memories.  I am talking about every detail… the location and classrooms, the expert instructors, the luncheon and afternoon snacks, the first night reception with hors d’oeuvres & drinks, and the Sassy Southern Sewing ladies that have such charm.  Mrs. B expressed the passion that these ladies feel for what they are ‘building’ here in her heart-warming welcome to us all at lunch today.

I am sewing 3 heirloom dresses for my daughter this week with Trisha Smith – the Lilacs in Spring Dress, Peg Pocket Dress, and the Perfectly Puffed Heirloom Dress.

The sewing school day started early this morning, and lasted all day.  My class spent the morning tracing the pattern, cutting the pieces, and making baby piping.  After a lovely lunch hosted by the Sassy Southern Sewing ladies, we worked on stitching the bodice pieces together.  The class day ended with a rush of Trisha showing us how to complete the pleated and gathered skirt.  Wow, what a whirlwind of a day.  I was the first in the classroom this morning, and was the last to leave the room this afternoon.  I want to soak up every moment with Trisha and our sewing helper Lisa.  I can’t get enough of this opportunity this week.

(this is my classroom seat – prime location!)

If you have the chance to take a Trisha Smith class, take it!  Besides ‘building’ one of her dresses, we practiced sewing baby piping, straightening fabric to the grain line, constructing a round collar, assembling the “Cut, Fold, & Sew” skirt placket (invented by Trisha!), pleating a skirt, and ruching a sash.  Best of all, Trisha shared invaluable tips with us today.  In the 8-or-so hours spent with her today, I have these 6 sewing tips to take home with me.

1 – Press trim and piping with an iron in a curved shape before adding to a round edge… it sets the shape into the embellishment for easier placement… no more fighting on a curved collar

2 – Use the Groovin’ Piping Trim Tool to cut piping made from bias strips into the perfect trim… DANG! if you make your own piping trim, you need this!!!

3 – Use Roxanne Water Soluable Glue for perfect placement of trims and embellishment – I love my Wonder Tape (see HERE) but this glue stuff works even better in hard to place areas like the round collar we made today.

4 – Snip the corners of fabric before pre-washing to prevent most of the fraying… WHAT??? I don’t have to serger every cut edge first… ah, freedom 🙂

5 – Pull bias fabric strip gently to find the front from the back… I know, sounds odd, but the side that curls when pulled is the wrong side… this is perfect for those twills and ginghams that look the same on the front and back.

6 – Tip your sewing machine slightly forward with 1/2″ to 1″ with chair floor guards placed under the back to help see what you are sewing… this could solve my shoulder pains?

(this is how my baby piping got made)

It was just a great day today.  I met Trisha Smith, Mrs. B and the team of Sassy-Superstars.  I sewed on a fresh out of the box Janome (sewing school sponsor!).  I stitched up a dress for my girlie.  I learned many new tricks and skills.  AND I get to do it again tomorrow.