Just a few updates.  Classes have been rolling along smoothly in our new space.  We all LOVE that we are in the same building as Fabric Corner.  How nice is it to just go out the door, around the corner and be able to pick up needed supplies.

3 Quilts are now hung on the walls.  1 of my giant pairs of scissors are hanging and I am figuring out where to put the other pair.  We have a bulletin board, newly painted by Sandy Brooks in the entryway.  I plan to post pictures of students and their projects there.  And any Breaking News, of course.

Over the holidays, more painting will be happening.  Those of you who have been taking classes know that the bathroom and back hallway are way below the standards I usually have for my space.  I love to decorate the bathroom.  It can be a place to inspire you for the possibilities in your own home.  Right now, there is a big hole in the wall between the toilet and sink.  There are places needing patching, and the whole room needs painting.  The back hallway walls are in need of attention and I don’t want it to become some junky catch all.  So, you can let me know what you think when you come see the place early next year.

I have been working on curtains for the front window.  They are almost done.  I used the fabric as inspiration for the paint colors I used around the sewing school.  I have some antique sewing machines on display in the front window.  Recently, someone gave me an old Singer, with Egyptian themed decals on it.  I have wanted one like that for years, so it is fun to put it out for everyone to see.

In January, I plan to have an Open House and will post that here and through a newsletter when I have determined the date.  I wish you all well in the mean time.  Happy Holidays! and thanks for your support.

As of Wednesday, December 7, 2011, we are resuming classes at Laura’s Sewing School & More.  The help I have received has been instrumental in making this opening happen so quickly.  We moved our stuff in on November 26th, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  1 1/2 weeks later, we are ready to start classes!  There was a LOT that needed to be done.  A huge amount of electrical work, all of the space needed to be painted, most walls required 3 coats of paint.  Baseboards needed to be installed and painted, cabinets hung and then all of the equipment and furniture put in place and stuff unpacked.

I am myself amazed that we are ready so soon.  I have felt overwhelmed at times, working 12+ hours a day, most of these past weeks and it’s all been possible with a lot of help from many of you, students, and friends.  Thank you.  I will see you soon in our new space.

Hi Everyone!

Our phone/internet service was installed on Weds. Nov 30th at our 785 Mass Ave location.  We can now receive messages, and as soon as we find the phone (it was packed) we will be able to answer the phone when it rings.  You can email us if you know my email address or use the contact/registration form.  I get email notices on my smartphone, so I am not out of the loop.

Right now, the electrical work is pretty much complete.  Inspection was passed and most of the ceiling tiles are back in place.  There are still some more things that need to be accomplished before we can resume classes.

• Most of the painting is complete, but one more wall needs to be finished
• The baseboards need to be installed (Barry is hired to do that on Dec 3) and painted (by us.)
• The HVAC needs to be checked, which we hope will be done on Monday
• Half of the space has new flooring, it needs to be cleaned and sealed.
• Finally, the furniture needs to be put in place, according to plan, and then unpacking and installation of the gravity feed irons and task lighting.

During the next month or so, the rest of the work can be done around scheduled class times.

Before you head to class the week of December 5th, please check the website or call the school phone to confirm that your class is meeting. We will have a better idea of a reopening date after this weekend, Dec 3-4.

We have been painting at the new place.  Most of it is complete.  You can see pictures in my most recent email newsletter (12-2-11.)  Norma Osborn has been a huge help with painting, at the old space as well as the new.  Sandy Brooks, my daughter, Amelia, and several others have lent a hand with the big job painting entails.  I thank all of you named, and un-named, who have contributed to this move.  It wouldn’t be possible without all of your support.  Thank you!

If you should have some time available this week, especially now that we have passed the electrical inspection, much help is needed to move furniture into place, as well as unpacking.  Anyone who contributes 3+ hours will received a discount on a future 6 week class.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

Laura

Current students have already heard the news, as well as others have heard the rumors, and what you heard is probably true.

We had the opportunity to move into the empty space in the Fabric Corner building and couldn’t pass it up.  We are working on finishing the space right now, so that we can resume classes as quickly as possible.  One of my students said that moving there  would be like a Drug Dealer setting up shop across from a Rehab Center.  How can we control our fabric addictions when my sewing school will be located above the Fabric Store? But, then, why would we want to?

But, imagine, you forget to buy something for your project?  You just go downstairs.  Need thread, a zipper, some interfacing?  Go Downstairs!  Want some inspiration? Go Downstairs!

I think you will love the new location.  Not only for being in the same building as the Fabric Corner, but it is next door to Bagels by US, 2 doors from Cakes Bakery, and next to that is Arlington House of Pizza.  If you feel like you have overindulged, you can go to Get in Shape for Women just past the pizza place.  If you forgot to pre-wash your fabric, there is a laundromat on the next corner and before or after class, you can get your groceries at Johnny’s Foodmaster across and down the street.

We are going to be only a couple blocks from the heart of Arlington Center, which boasts a great variety of restaurants and small businesses.  At least 3 bus lines (77, 79, 67) go right past the new shop, so those of you who do not drive, can easily reach us by mass transit.

At the new place, we had to remove a bunch of walls, put in a new floor, and are having some major electrical work done.  The electrical work is taking longer than expected, so that is delaying how soon we can resume classes.  Also, painting has to take place and then everything needs to be unpacked. Once the dust settles, I will post pictures and show you the ongoing process of fixing the new place, both in the email newsletter, as well as my Facebook page.  You can link to Laura’s Sewing School on FB by clicking here.

If any of you would like to help pack, or clean, or paint, I would welcome the assistance.  I am writing this late on Thanksgiving.  We still need packing assistance on Friday, Nov. 25, and then some painting and cleaning assistance after the move happens to make sure the Warren St place is ready for whoever moves into it.

The new space needs painting and UNpacking help, too.  I was stumped for colors for the new place.  Several friends/students & my daughter (thank you Norma, Sandy, Veronica, Amelia) have been painting the colored walls back to white in the old shop.  They said they were looking forward to painting colors in the new shop.  I said that I thought we should just paint everything white and then add colors later.  Norma made a good point, saying that I won’t be inclined to do any painting once everything is in place.  I was in the Fabric corner on Wednesday, waiting for a friend to meet me, and I found a fabric that inspired me for the colors we will be using.  I am very excited about it.  You’ll have to let me know what you think when you see it.  If you can volunteer 3+ hours of your time, you can receive a discount on a future 6 week class session.  Feel free to call or email, to let us know if you can donate your time to our transition.  We thank you  for your support, both in the past and the future.

Keep checking back for more information.  Within the next couple of weeks, I will be having a Fabric Stash Bash. I have way too much fabric and will not be able to use it all within this lifetime, so I thought I would pass the riches on to you.  Great fabric, great prices and I can put the receipts toward the cost of the move and renovation.  It is definitely a win/win situation.

Also, I have some older sewing machines that I can pass on to others.  I love older machines.  They are all metal, smooth and quiet and need little maintenance.  I usually sit at an older straight stitch machine to sew most of my clothing projects.  I still have the machine I was given in High School.  So, if you are looking for a machine that has been well used and loved, that will be a quiet workhorse in your sewing room, contact me.  I know I have at least 3 to 4 of them.  A couple of them are in cabinets and the others are portable.

Our new address, as of November 26, 2011 is 785 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA  02476.

So, Fall is really here, and we are barreling through the ups and downs of the temps, and darkening days.  It makes us think of hot chocolate, fireplace reads and crafts to keep us warm and out of the cold.

We are now taking enrollment for our Late Fall session of classes.  Each class meets for 3 hours, one time per week, for 6 weeks.  Our After School classes meet for 2 hours, one time a week for 6 weeks.  If you receive our email newsletter, we are offering an early registration discount through Sunday, October 9th, so check your In Box!

Something totally NEW, and totally AWESOME!!!!!!  Become a Sewing Club member today!

There are quite a few of you who are getting spoiled by my large cutting tables, gravity-fed professional irons and the sewing school space overall.  Plus, it’s a lot of fun to sew with your friends.  You may want to be able to use the space, but not feel you need instruction.  So, we are now offering a monthly sewing membership.  Pay $99 for the option of coming and using our space during non-class times.  You can come up to 8 times per month for as much as 3 hours a time.   We will have weekday, evening and weekend times available for you to come and use the space with no instruction included.  If you come 4 times, the cost is 1/2 what an instructed class costs.  Come 8 times and you are paying 1/4 the price of a instruction lead period.  There is no carry over from month to month.  So, if you only come 5 times one month, you cannot carry 3 over to the next month, you start fresh with 8 session times.  A Second option is to pay $59 for up to 4 times per month.  Your month starts when you sign up for the monthly sewing club.  So, if you sign up on the 15th, you pay again on the 15th the next month.  You can cancel your membership with one week’s notice.  We will send you an email invoice each month, a few days prior to your due date.  If you should have any other questions, please contact us.

LATE FALL CLASSES, OCTOBER 2011

ADULT DAYTIME CLASSES:
All classes meet for 3 hours each week for 6 weeks.
Cost: $270 per student
Class limited to 5-6 students, depending on the level of experience of students
Beginners welcome in all classes, unless otherwise noted.

Monday Morning Sewing/Serging with Jan
10am-1pm

Monday Evening Sewing with Laura
7-10pm

Tuesday Morning Sewing with Laura
9:30am-12:30pm

Wednesday Morning Sewing with Laura
9:30am-12:30pm

Thursday Midday Sewing with Laura
11am-2pm

Friday Morning Sewing with Laura
9:30am-12:30pm

AFTER SCHOOL KIDS/TEENS:
All classes meet for 2 hours each week for 6 weeks.
Cost: $195 per student
Class limited to 5-6 students, depending on the level of experience of students
Beginners welcome in all classes, unless otherwise noted.

Tuesday After School Sewing with Laura
3:30-5:30pm

Wednesday After School Sewing with Laura
3:30-5:30pm

Thursday After School Sewing with Laura
3:30-5:30pm

Friday After School Sewing with Laura
3:30-5:30pm

SATURDAY SEWING CLASSES for ALL AGES:
All classes meet for 3 hours each week for 6 weeks.
Cost: $270 per student
Class limited to 5-6 students, depending on the level of experience of students
Beginners welcome in all classes, unless otherwise noted.

Saturday Morning Sewing with Laura
9:30am-12:30pm

Saturday Afternoon Sewing with Laura
1:30-4:30pm

We often have special sewing workshops on Sundays.  Check back as we will be scheduling them soon.  For example: a Custom Dress form made of Duct Tape; Baskets made with fabric wrapped clothesline; the ever popular Weekender Tote; How to “Knock Off” (copy) an existing garment you love, without taking it apart!; and much more…….

Here are times that are available to our Sewing Club Members (experienced only, no beginners, sorry! and you must be over 18 years of age.)

Mondays 1-5pm     Tuesdays 12:30-3:30, and 6-10pm     Wednesdays 12:30-3:30pm  Thursdays 8-11am and 6-10pm  Fridays 12:30-3:30pm  and 6-10pm     Sundays 9am-1pm and possibly later if there is no ASG meeting or sewing workshop scheduled.

For right now, we would like you to contact us to let us know that you will be coming to one of these Sewing Club times.  That way, we will have someone here, in the shop.  And, we won’t have any of the times overbooked.  You don’t even need to come to sew!  You can use the Living Room space to do your knitting and hang with your knitting/crocheting/embroidering/cross-stitching friends!  We can take up to 10 sewing people and 6+ in the Living Room.  So, the more the merrier!

Please note, if you have never sewn here before, but would like to become a Sewing Club member, we ask 2 things.  First, you must know how to sew, no beginners.  Secondly, if you haven’t been in the space, you need to come for an orientation, so that you know how to use the gravity feed irons, where things are stored, what is available for you to use and what is off limits, or could be rented or bought.  We hope to give you a new home for expressing your passion for sewing.

The following pics are from 2009.  These are just a portion of what students have accomplished here in their classes.

All the rage here at Laura’s Sewing School, we are having such fun and interest in making Amy Butler’s gumdrop pillows that I have scheduled a one day workshop for us to go wild and make them together.  I will order the stuffing and patterns and you will purchase the fabric of your choice.  You can see the details (dimensions, materials list) about the pattern on Amy Butler’s website.
These cushions are made of drapery weight fabric.  You can find that weight of fabric here in Arlington, at Fabric Corner, at Freddy Farkel’s in Watertown (also known as Fabric Showplace) and online.  Fabric Corner just ordered a large selection of Amy Butler home dec fabrics and they have received 12 of them! They will go fast, especially because they will be posting them for online sale, too. So, you may want to get there as soon as you can to pick up the fabric.  If the weight is fine, it can be any brand of fabric.  You just don’t want a fabric which is too loosely woven, or unravels easily.  Fabric.com has a nice selection of Amy Butler printed twills if you want to use her fabric designs.  There are 8 panels, all the same, which are sewn together like sections of an orange.  They are packed with a LOT of stuffing.  I found hand sewing the first one, Amy Lou actually did that work since it was her project, rather tedious.  So, when I made MY first one, I used an invisible zipper to close the pillow once it was stuff.  Much easier and quicker.

Kids absolutely love this pillow. They have found it as a great place to sit and bounce and roll on or off.  Adults do find it useful as a footrest.   You can make them with one fabric or two.  If you cut it from one fabric, you fussy cut it, making sure that it is cut in the very same place on the fabric, for all the pieces.  This makes interesting, kaleidoscopic patterns, especially if the fabric has symmetry.  You can see this on both of Amy’s pillows.  Even though I used 2 fabrics in the pillows for my nieces, I did cut all of the large-scale, patterned fabric in the same place.  There is an octagonal patch on the top of the cushion.  I fussy cut that, centering it on a flower or pattern.

I propose that the workshop be on Sunday, March 15th.  From 10am-4pm.  That should give us plenty of time to work and eat and stuff and finish one gumdrop cushion.  The next one, you will be able to do on your own and much faster.  I will provide the stuffing and the pattern. You provide the fabric, thread (good quality polyester like Gutermann or Mettler) and an invisible zipper in a matching color.  The only part of the zipper to show will be the tab.  Buy a 12-14″ zipper or longer.  It will work for either size pillow.  And, if you have to buy a longer zipper to get a color match, it is very easy to shorten.  Better too long than too short!  The Fabric Corner sells invisible zippers and the presser foot to apply it to your project.  I just talked to them about ordering enough for all of you.  The presser foot is adaptable to most sewing machines and can be used over and over again.  It is reasonably priced and worth buying.

I will have to price out the patterns and stuffing.  So, I will have to get back to you on the price for the class.  I think that we can have 5, possibly 6 students for the day.  Let me know if you want to take the class and I will let you know the price.  If the 22nd of March is better than the 15th, let me know.  I am flexible about the date.  If you are available during the day, M-F, I could possibly meet with you for a workshop on a Thursday.  I am excited about this project.

We are in a time when people are concerned about their jobs and income.  Many of us are looking for ways to save money by doing things ourselves we may have paid to have done it the past.  Sewing can be a great skill to have with this in mind.  Hiring a decorator costs money.  And, having any curtains or pillows or bed clothes made for you, is unbelievably expensive. (I promise that I will post pictures ASAP)  This is too boring to read without illustrations….well maybe not boring, but far easier to understand if you have photos to look at.)
You can save a lot by making your own roman shades or other items.  I made 9 roman shades for a sunroom I had.  I designed them to pull up from the bottom or drop down from the top.  That way, I could still have light and an open feel, but gain privacy on the street side of the house.  There are some custom mail order services which will make your curtains and shades to order.  One very good one is Smith & Noble.  They do quality work with a quick turn around.  They have very nice fabric options, etc.  I looked up the price of one roman shade.  At the time, they offered top down OR bottom up options separately, not together.  One shade with similar measurements to mine would cost $250 at that time (7 yrs ago?)

I made 9 shades from some sale fabric I liked, and spent approximately $100 for all 9, including the hardware, wood (for mounting boards and slats at the top and bottom of the shades) and cording.  I even made shade pulls for the ends of the cords out of Fimo clay.  I was able to use a color which went well with the fabric.  Make them the size I wanted and then set the clay by baking it in the oven.  Didn’t smell the best, but the weather was warm so I opened the windows.

I reupholstered a wing chair I have.  It is a quality piece originally from Ethan Allen.  The fabric on it was a large bargello weave.  There was a tack line along the wings, arms and base of the chair.  It took me forever to get the tacks out.  They were only decorative.  I think there were over 300 of them.  I never liked the tacks because they would rub along the bone between my elbow and wrist.  I saw some fabric I liked at Fabric Place and bought enough for the chair.  I thought I would do it myself.  Then I changed my mind and decided to have it done for me.  I was going to cost me $585 without the cost of the fabric.  I waited until I could put aside that kind of money for it.  I forgot about it for awhile.  That was until almost 3 years ago.  I had a student who came to me, who was taking an upholstery class at the Fabric Place in Framingham at the same time as mine.  It was 10 weeks long.  Toward the end of the FP class, she told me that I needed to help her finish her wing chair.  I told her that I wasn’t sure if I was the best person to help her.  She insisted that I could.  And, that I should do my own chair for practice.  I had worked a short time for an upholsterer in Northern Wisconsin in 1988.  I had done cushions and foot stools and many other projects.  But, I was a little shy about a wing chair.  They are a more advance item to work on.  I have a lot of books on upholstery.  I find it very interesting and I have done a few slipcovers.

So, she convinced me to do it.  I focused all my spare sewing time on it for 10 days.  I took very good notes as I removed each part of the original cover, so that I could remember how things went together.  I saved all the fabric panels to use as patterns.  What surprised me, is that once the agony of extracting so many tacks and staples was over, that upholstering the piece was far easier than slipcovering it would have been.  You cut panels of fabric larger than you need in a shape similar to the original.  Staple it to the frame in a certain order and then cut away the excess fabric.  It requires very little actual sewing!  The only things I needed to sew were piping/welting and the cushion cover and arm covers.  It came out very well.  And, even though I spent time on the project, I enjoyed it and continue to enjoy the chair in my Living Room.  One funny thing was that I thought I had bought the fabric 2 years before.  Fabric Place would always place a sales slip on the fabric when you bought it.  I hadn’t removed the slip and when I looked at it, I realized that I had bought the fabric 4 years earlier!  You must use no fabric before its time..it must age appropriately…..(that’s a take-off from an old wine commercial with Orson Welles saying, “We sell no wine before its time.”)

Simpler projects can be fast and easy.  I made my dog 2 different beds from fabric left over from other projects.  I’ve made pillows, valances, bookcase curtains on swing rods.  Placemats, table runners, tablecloths, napkins, sewing machine covers, book covers, (I don’t want people knowing what I really read, “fluff,” or as one of my HS students calls it “Chiclet reading.”)  It’s hard to even think or list all the home items I have made.  Oh, another is a bean bag ottoman cube.  I have one in my school’s living room area.  It is very comfortable to rest your feet on and is simply a cube.

Bedroom items: shams, quilts, duvet covers, dust ruffles, curtains, throw pillows, hanger covers for those clothes which are not worn often, so you want to cover the shoulders to keep off the dust.

Bathroom: Shower curtains (to be used with a waterproof liner), window curtains or roman shades or valances, sink skirts, cosmetic bags or a hanging storage bag with pockets for all of the separate items.

I could go on, and I probably will.  But, it is getting late and I do want to post some pictures for you.  So, I will sign off for now.

When I was setting up my shop, I talked about what it was like and what I wanted to do to it.  I haven’t updated any of that for a long time, nearly 2 years.  I have the before pictures on my shop computer and will make sure I load them on the original post about the bathroom.  Right now, I am writing from home.  But, I wanted to post current (Jan 2009) pictures of the bathroom.  So, here are some shots.

Since this bathroom doesn’t get wet from a bath or shower, it has allowed me to really go wild decorating it with items that wouldn’t stand up to the humidity of a full bath.  And, I hope it can inspire you with decorating ideas.

I did get a new vanity, faucet and mirror installed, not too far into 2007.  The vanity is very nice.  It is shallow, has a porcelain sink, and the style of it and the mirror go really well with the bead board walls and pressed tin ceiling.  The 3 came as a set from Lowe’s.  I found the faucet after much searching.  It is the only water source in my shop, so I needed it to be flexible.  High enough to fill pitchers with water.  And, be a good quality.  I finally went to Brickman’s in Waltham.  Unfortunately, they are now gone.  They were a “fixture” on Moody street for many years.  The faucet cost more than the vanity package.  Then, when the plumbers came, I found out that the installation was going to be more than the cost of the vanity and faucet combined.  This was because it was a commercial installation.  These are the hidden costs of running a business.  I have never regretted getting this improvement.

Two of the first things I installed in the bathroom were a toilet paper holder and a towel ring.  When I moved in, the painters had painted with the TP holder in place with TP on it.  There was tissue stuck to the wall! Uck!  And, the towel bar was just above it.  Standard-issue hardware store, bent square shaped rod, with screw plates at each end, chrome, of course.  I took a trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond and got the holder and towel ring.  They are very sturdy, well-priced and look nice.
I hung a paper towel holder on the wall which use to be in my grandmother’s kitchen in Northern Minnesota.

Above that is a counted cross stitch of a bundle of pansies.  That was made by my Mom.  She is a dedicated cross stitcher.  I have another piece she did for my last birthday.  It is a Welcome sign.  It has sewing implements on it, which make up the letters.  It is hanging about the coat rack at the front of the shop.
The ceilings are tin and really high, so I had space above the pansies and the sink mirror.  I was at TJ Maxx and found a framed print.  I thought I would use it at home, but the colors and style made me think of the fabric and colors in the bathroom at the shop.  So, I brought it there and it fit the space sideways really well.  Plus, it covered a small (1.5″ dia.) hole in the beadboard.

The light fixture on the wall was ugly and operated by a twist switch.  I installed a wireless switch on the outside of the bathroom door frame.  Then I screwed the other end into the fixtures socket, then the bulb into that.  I removed the frosted glass shade and attached a beaded/sequined silk shade which has crystals hanging from the bottom.  I had those on some sconces in my old house which were above the fireplace.  I bought them from a wall lamp vendor at the Minnesota State Fair.  I cannot remember who he was.  But, he made lamps with would hang on the wall, and the cord was hidden in a pipe which curved and resembled a vine with leaves.  They were nice.
I bought swag finials and screwed those into the upper corners of the window.  I draped a black embroidered shawl over them and that covered a telephone junction box on the window frame.

I found a small, striped, wool rug at TJ Maxx & More in Woburn that goes well on the floor.

There is a painted wooden vessel at the base of the vanity.  I bought it from Target.  It looks nice, just a little decorative addition to the small space.
On the wall behind the door, I made a long curtain that fits on a continental tension rod.  It is a semi-sheer fabric with shiny holographic dots on it.  It picks up the light from the star lights hanging in front of it really well.  The lights were a gift from a friend who bought them from IKEA. The only problem I had making the curtain was that the dots would stick to the soleplate of my iron and somewhat to the ironing table.  I had someone give me some fabric and included was a multi-colored printed sheer.  I split it in half lengthwise, sewed both halves together at the middle so it would be long enough to drape along the top of the wall curtain.

I attached a dragonfly hook on the back of the door.  I purchased it from Restoration Hardware some years ago to put in the half bath of my old house.  It has a verdigris finish.  I thought it would come in handy when students use the bathroom as a changing room.
The plant on top of the toilet tank has survive my neglect for nearly 2 years.  I am terrible with house plants.  I do well with the window boxes because I have to water them everyday.  It is part of my opening routine.  But, give me a house plant and you are sentencing it to a long and slow death.  I should not have admitted this.  The plant was given to me by some very good friends as a “shop” warming gift.  I moved it to the bathroom so I might remember to water it more often.  Maybe that is why it is still hanging in there.