Classes started Saturday, January 6th. It reached 72 degrees that day! It was a lot of fun teaching in the new space. The sun was shining and we had the door open. People stop by to check us out. Fresh flowers, homebaked banana bread, and some sewing, (oops), made it a great day!

It has been a little while since I have posted. We worked very hard in the last 2 weeks and Christmas was in the middle of it.

My sister, the talented web designer who built my 2 sites, and I took a day trip to IKEA last week. It was the perfect time to go. Hardly anyone was there and I had all the help I needed from the kitchen and office designers. We ended up with 3 carts and they all fit in my sister’s Honda Element. They man who packed it did an amazing job fitting it all in.

The traffic back to Arlington was a breeze. When we got to the shop, we started unpacking the vehicle and it seemed a daunting task. I spied 2 strapping young men walking buy and offered to pay them to help us. They unloaded everything in a matter of 15 minutes and offered their services in the future. It was a great topper to a busy day.

Just this week, Donna found a fellow who assembles “anything in a box.” His name is Paul Dennehy. He and his son showed up Wednesday morning and by 6 pm, everything was built and installed. They were pleasant and hardworking. Since the doors and drawer fronts are being shipped, Paul will be returning to install those for me, too. I will post his phone number for anyone who is interested in using his services. His price was reasonable and relieved me of a large chunk of work.

That same day, I had 2 electricians by, and 4 old friends of mine showed up to do whatever needed to be done. I likened it to a Marx Brothers movie. Have you ever seen “Night at the Opera?” There is a scene where Groucho Marx’s character is shown to his stateroom, which is barely bigger than his bed. While he is there, every service imaginable comes into his room, from the maids to room service to a manicurist to the engineering crew. It felt that busy for me that day. But, it also felt like everything is working well and that I have a huge amount of support for all these changes going on in my life right now.

Yesterday, Tricia O’Neill, came to do the window lettering on the shop. It looks wonderful. The 2 large panes of glass say, “Laura’s Sewing School & More + website address.” The doors has a list of areas of interest taught. Let me know what you think. I do have some pictures. I will be learning later this week how to load them onto this site. It will make it all more interesting to look at.

I am pleased to announce that we will be offering a class on pattern fitting starting in January.  It will be meeting Tuesday mornings from 9:30am-12:30pm.  The teacher is Vicki Massaro.  She has a certificate from the School of Fashion Design in Boston, MA.  Vicki has done many bridal gowns and bridesmaids dresses.  She always has a solution to fitting and construction problems.

Vicki has worked on contract for Wirkkala Designs for many years.  She has been a great sounding board for me.  She embodies the teaching philosophy I have.  She is flexible and encouraging and positive.  Don’t miss this chance to get some great insight on how to make your patterns fit you beautifully!

Begins January 9, 2007.  Cost is $210 for 6 weekly, 3 hour classes.  You must be an experienced seamstress to take this class.  Working with a commercial pattern, of your choice, you will be making a “muslin” of it to learn how to adjust to your body and transfer those markings and knowledge to your pattern.  Feel free to contact us for more details.

Today has been a big day for the website.  It is now posted!  It includes a list of new classes starting in January.  These are for all ages.  Two classes a week will be dedicated to kid’s sewing.  If they cannot make it during the posted after-school times, they are welcome to sign up for any of the other class sessions listed.

There is a map link to our new location.  Click on the address lines in the left column or the “view map” line.  It will take you to Google maps.  I think this is a very clear map and google maps has great features.

Soon, you will be able to register and pay for classes online.  I can accept registrations through my Wirkkala Designs web site.  The link is near the bottom of the links in the right column of this page.  And, you are still welcome to pay by check or call and register over the phone.  We accept MC, Visa, AMEX and Discover.

I have started writing a book, mainly on home dec projects. I will be posting information on that on the site. I will also be asking a group of students to be my test group for the projects to give me feedback.

My web designer is just about done making my new Sewing Web Site. I will also be revamping and expanding my Accessories Site. I am hoping that the new sewing site, www.laurassewingschool.com or www.laurassewing.com, will be up this first week of December.

It will include a gallery of my sewing and other projects. Plus, a gallery of my students’ projects from the last 4 years. There will not only be class information, but lists for tools, stores, resources and links to other helpful sites. I will be bringing in other teachers to expand on class offerings and skills. Especially in the realm of fashion and fitting.

The items are an office chair slipcover, a shirt that I copied from another purchased shirt that I love, a decoupaged dresser, a beanbag ottoman, a dog bed I covered and a lampshade. Also, I hung a quilt top that my grandmother made on her treadle sewing machine.
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I have set up a living room area at the front of the shop. I found a loveseat on the curb in my neighborhood, a couple of weeks ago. It was in great condition, the fabric was faded and could use a new slipcover or reupholstering. I just got some fabric samples from Fabric Place. They are having a 25% off Everything Sale, now through December 6th. I plan to make 2 slipcovers. One to match the chairs as they are. And, one to match the slipcovers I plan to make for the chairs. I have placed items near the window and have posted information sheets on the windows about each item that I made.

The bathroom was filthy, but after 2 heavy scrubbing sessions on the sink, the goop and paint splatters are finally off. I do plan to put in a new vanity, sink and faucet before classes begin in January. The floors are newly waxed and I have put up a balloon sheer in the bathroom window. I was able to use one that I had made for my old dining room. Since it was on a tension rod, I was able to shorten the rod and gather the curtain more. I shortened the support dowel at the bottom to fit inside the window frame. I had to adjust the length of the cords to make them even and pull up the bottom to fit the shorter length of window. But, it looks quite nice and gives needed privacy for the room.