Sewing Journey: February 2012

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Registration Process for Sew Simple/Fashion Design/Textile Arts Workshops/Business Brandings

Dear Leader/Adult,

I would love to have your girls at Sew Simple, Fashion Design, or Textile Arts. These are very popular programs, and they fill up very fast. The registration process is designed to be fair to all girls and troops.

To save your spot at a workshop, it is best to check this blog for available space, or, and call, or email, me first.

To register, please send me your troop information and

the full fee ($35 per girl) for the workshop. These workshops are very popular, so, to be fair to all troops, and girls, it is first come, first serve. When the check arrives to me, I am happy to reserve your space. You can mail it, or, bring it to me in Orange. (call first!)

Please send one check made out to Business Brandings.

Send to:

Carla Buchanan

Business Brandings

8502 E. Chapman Ave. #639

Orange, CA 92869

phone: 714-914-0381

NOTE: To be fair to all girls and troops, there are no refunds, no make ups, and no date changes, no exceptions.

Please arrive at the workshop ontime, as we begin ontime. When you arrive at the workshop, please have the leader have a signed permission slip and a health history form for each girl that attends. Please be on time to pick up girls after the workshop is over.

Also, please have the girls bring a light snack (granola bars work very well) and a drink (bottled water is preferred) We are very busy sewing, so the snack break is short.

Also, for troops, I ask that one female adult volunteer, that has been cleared with a GS background check (such as a leader) through GS, as a leader, stay with the girls and help during the workshop, but no sewing skills are necessary. For individual girls, it is not necessary to bring an adult leader.

No tag-a-longs.

These are great workshops, providing the girls a chance to demonstrate leadership and learn to sew and to learn about textiles. I am delighted that you are bringing your girls. Please fell free to call with questions. (714) 914-0381.

Here is a link to the Girl Scout of Orange County dates for spring, 2012.
http://sewbusinessbrandings.blogspot.com/2012/02/sewing-workshops-datesspring-2012.html

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

SEWING Workshops dates_Spring 2012, Orange County CA

Here are the dates and times for the Girl Scout of Orange County sewing workshops, Spring, 2012. To register for the classes, just email me at sewing@businessbrandings.com to insure that there are spaces left in the class and to learn about the registration process. The registration process is detailed in this blog as well. Here is the link that helps explain the registration process.
http://sewbusinessbrandings.blogspot.com/2012/02/registration-process-for-girl-scouts-of.html

April 28 Fashion Design (space available, for troops and individual girls, as of April 5, 5 pm)
1:30pm-5:30pm
Westminster
$35 per girl
Grades: 6-12

Have you ever dreamed of being a Fashion Designer? This workshop is designed to give girls the opportunity to learn directly from a working designer about making patterns, selecting fabrics, manufacturing, and more. Each girl will make a skirt for herself during the program.

Sewing machines, to share, will be provided.

Please bring your own snack and a drink.

This is a VERY popular program with limited space so register early!

To register: Call or email Carla

sewing@businessbrandings.com
Phone: (714) 914-0381

Workshop Location:

First Baptist Church Westminster

14200 Goldenwest St,

Westminster, CA 92683

Please have these forms, along with payment upon arrival:

Permission Slip & Health History Form

No refunds

Check out the sewing blog!

http://sewbusinessbrandings.blogspot.com/

April 28 Textile Arts(space available, for troops and individual girls, as of April 5, 5 pm)
9:00am-1:00pm
Westminster
$35 per girl
Grades: 6-12

Ever wonder what your clothes are made from? At this workshop, girls will mix science with fashion while learning what makes up different kinds of fabrics and how to use a sewing machine. Girls will learn from a working fashion designer how to test and dye fabrics and find out the process that goes into manufacturing a garment. Get crafty as you use stamps to personalize fabric and create your own wrap around garment to take home that day!

Please bring your own snack and a drink.

To register: Call or email Carla

Email: sewing@businessbrandings.com

Phone: (714) 914-0381

Workshop Location:

First Baptist Church Westminster

14200 Goldenwest St,

Westminster, CA 92683

Please have these forms, along with payment upon arrival:

Permission Slip & Health History Form

No refunds

Check out the sewing blog!

http://sewbusinessbrandings.blogspot.com/

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Sew Simple and Fashion Design Class by Carla Buchanan/Business Brandings

Sewing Classes in Orange County, CA

These classes are truly amazing (everyone says so!) The participants make a skirt, start to finish, in 4 hours.

Participants select their own fabric, from a large selection of designer fabric, learn about pattern fitting and are fitted for a pattern, cut the fabric out, and sew the cutest skirt ever!

Classes are added often, email me, Carla Buchanan, for more information: carla@sewing.com.

Textile Art Class, by Carla Buchanan, Business Brandings

Business Brandings-Textile Art Class

by Carla Buchanan, carla@sewing.com

These are images from our Textile Arts class. The girls sewed a wrap around on the sewing machine. They then stamped it and tie dyed it. Then each give was assigned a "job" in an apparel manufacturing company. The day ended with a textile lab where the girls made fabric selection sheets, burned fabric to test for fabric content, and preformed a bleach test.
There are more sewing classes for the Girl Scout Council of Orange County coming up.
http://www.gscoc.org/calendar, keep checking back for more classes, as they are added often. Or, you can email me, Carla Buchanan, Business Brandings, carla@sewing.com.
The fee for the class is only $35, and it includes all materials.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Learn to Use a Sewing Machine/Step 1

Step 1: Turn on the machine
This sounds funny, but you wouldn't believe the number of times I sat down at my machine and wondered, "why isn't the machine working?" The other issue is if you get into the habit of turning off your machine every time you leave it, you will always keep the small light, attached to the machine, off when you are not using it. Therefore, when you sit down to sew, you need to remember to turn the machine on. The on and off switch is different with every machine.

learn to Use a Sewing Machine/Step 2

Learn to Use a Sewing Machine/Step 2
Make sure the tails are long, and in back of the presser foot. The two thread tales should be at least 6 inches long. If they are shorter the tails will be absorbed back into the machine, or through the needle and you will need to rethread the needle and adjust the bobbin thread. If the tails are shorter than 8 inches, simply gently pull the tails to release more thread. Pull both tails to the back of the presser foot.

Learn to Use a Sewing Machine/Step 3

Place fabric on machine in line with tape. Your fabric should already have several pins in place to secure tthe fabric as you sew. Place the edge of the fabric on the inside of the tape. The tape will serve as a guide to where to sew and will help keep your seam straight. You will use this tape, as a guide, the entire time you are sewing your seam.

Learn to Use a Sewing Machine/Step 4

The presser foot (not the foot pedal) is what holds the fabric in place in order for the machine to sew your seam. If you forget to put the presser foot down, the threads will get tangled and you will have made a little mini mess. Before you begin sewing, you need to put the presser foot down to secure the fabric.
Using the lever in the back of the machine, put down the presser foot. There is a lever behind the needle. Usually people use their left hand to control the lever. The trick here is to gently lower the presser foot bby keeping your hand on it until it is all the way down. If you just flick the lever, and don't lower it gently, the presser foot will make a loud noise as it slams down on the fabric. This really won't hurt anything, but it will startle you and cannot be good for the machine.

Learn to Use a Sewing Machine/Step 5

Learn to Use a Sewing Machine/Step 5
Take out the first pin. You need to know that your sewing machine is designed to sew over pins. But don't sew over pins. Here is the thing, your machine will probably sew over 9 or 10 pins successfully, but will hit the 11th pin or so. If the machine hits a pin, it is usually no big deal. Either nothing will happen, your pin will bend, or your needle will break. But sometimes, something really serious could happen. Once I was sewing over a pin and the needle hit the pin just right. The pin broke and one end came flying out of the machine and hit me just outside my eye. So, why take a chance? Also, sewing over the pins may make little ridges in your fabric and your seams will not be a smooth. That is the whole idea, right?

Before you actually start sewing, take out the first pin. As you sew, take your foot off the foot pedal and take each pin out.

Learn to Use a Sewing Machine/Step 6

Learn to Use a Sewing Machine/Step 6
Using your foot, gently press down the foot pedal on the floor
Make sure your hands are clear of the needle. You don't need to push the fabric, just gently guide it. To operate the foot pedal, put your foot on the pedal.

It is almost like driving a car. If you have never driven a car, don't worry. You will get the hang of it. Remember, if the harder you press the pedal, the faster the machine will go. Start slowly. If you start to fast, most people do, just back off. You are now sewing your first seam!

Learn to Use a Sewing Machine/Step 7

When finished with your seam, use the presser foot lever and lift presser foot. For this seam, just stop sewing when you come to the end of your fabric. Later, as you sew, depending on the situation, you may need to complete the seam in a little different way. For this seam, stop sewing, put down the presser foot using the lever in the back of the machine.

Learn to Use a Sewing Machine/Step 8

Gently pull fabric away from the machine. You can wiggle manual knob if needed. The fabric is still attached by the thread tails. First, simply try to slide the fabric out. If that doesn't work, use the manual knob that makes the machine sew. Don't turn it all the way, just wiggle it back and forth, at the same time, gently pull the fabric. It goes like this, wiggle wiggle, pull pull, wiggle wiggle, pull pull. The fabric should release. Pull the fabric away from the machine. It will still be attached by the thread tails.

Learn to Use a Sewing Machine/Step 9

Cut thread near fabric, leaving thread tales long. Pull thread tales to the back of needle. You need to remove the fabric entirely and prepare the machine for the next time you sew. Before you cut your threads, pull the fabric out, away from the machine, about 8 inches. This will leave the tails long for the next time you sew. Now it is time to cut the threads. It is an efficient use of your time to cut the threads, near the fabric, as close as you can to the fabric. That way, you do not need to go back and do the same chore twice. You will get a nice look to your garment if the threads are trimmed. Cut the top thread and the bobbin thread one at a time. That way you will get close to the fabric with your cuts. You should have two long tails left on the machine. Move them to the back of the machine. You will be ready to sew the next time you sit down at your machine.

Learn to Use a Sewing Machine/Step 10

Turn off machine. If you remember to turn off your machine, each time you use it, you will save energy. And, you will save the use of the machine light. I can't tell you how many times I have started to sew and realized that the machine light had been on all night! I am not sure how long the light bulbs last, but leaving it on all night certainly does not help it last longer!