If you’re a millennial or younger, you’ll know the common refrain: “They never taught us anything useful in school.” For those of us who missed out on the era of “home ec” (or just need a refresher), Bellingham Makerspace is a fantastic place to brush up on your crafting skills. They’re a non-profit community of creatives and crafters whose goal is to provide “access to tools, tool education, classroom space, and community resources in Whatcom County.”
Personally, I’d love to be able to tailor or make my own clothes. Fast fashion is overpriced and poorly made, and the clothes I thrift often don’t fit me quite right. So when I saw the beginner’s sewing class at Makerspace, I couldn’t wait to start learning. Jeannette Clark, who volunteers as a sewing tools and area helper and social media marketer for Makerspace, says that’s often a reason that people sign up.
“Most of my students want to learn how to use the machine [and] most of them want to learn how to do hemming,” she says. “It’s pricey, you know, to go out and hire somebody to hem… so a lot of them, that’s the reason why they get into class.”
Clark herself has around 30 years of sewing and other crafting experience. Her father was a furniture-maker and upholsterer, and she really got into sewing by making clothes and costumes for her kids. On top of sewing, she enjoys crochet, quilting, jewelry and furniture making, and loves functional crafts.
“I just like to learn new things,” says Clark, who first became involved at Makerspace thanks to their woodworking resources. “My brain [always] just wanted to try out different things.”
The “Intro to Sewing: Tote Bag” class at Makerspace is designed to get beginners comfortable with basic sewing principles and sewing machines. The ticket for the one-day class, which is currently $50 for Makerspace members and $55 for non-members, covers all materials. Small class sizes allow for hands-on, individual instruction, which I definitely recommend for beginners—there’s a lot of step-heavy processes and fiddly little machine parts that are easy to forget. With Clark’s help and a printout we got to take home, we went over all the basic parts that show up on all sewing machines, how to thread the machine, make bobbins, and do a basic stitch. We pinned and sewed fabric together to create reversible tote bags, learning tricks and tips like how to turn the fabric while sewing and how to reinforce our stitches. We even broke out the ironing board and crisped the top edges of our bags before placing the straps in.
We went from total novices to walking out with our handmade creations, which is an awesome start for any aspiring tailor. If you don’t have a sewing machine at home, consider becoming a member at Makerspace! In addition to other resources, you’ll have access to the sewing machines, the quilting machine, the Cricut and laser cutter (which can be used to cut out fabric), and periodic “Sewing Office Hours” hosted by Heidi O’Ferrall, area lead of textile and fiber arts at Makerspace. Watch out—once you become a member, you’re liable to get curious, attend other free-to-members classes and events, and start learning new stuff all over the place. 1 Bellis Fair Pkwy., Ste. 618, Bellingham, 360.812.7287, bellinghammakerspace.org
