I have been sewing since middle school. I could not even begin to estimate how many items I have sewn. Not only for myself, but gifts for friends and family, plus as part of the many sewing jobs I have done in my life.

Here are some examples of my work. I will post pictures as I find them. Click on image to enlarge it. Then use the back button of your browser to return to this page.

This picture is of several projects. I painted and decoupaged the dresser on the left of the photo. The little dress above it, I made for my daughter when she was a baby. I came up with a way to cover gripper snaps with fabric for the back, so they would be less bulky than buttons. The quilt above the ironing board was a project my daughter chose to do. She picked the pattern, the fabrics and then helped with the construction. She loves ironing, so she pressed the folded centers of the flowers. She was worried about not being able to sew straight, so she press the clutch of the sewing machine while I guided the fabric for some of it. It’s like driving a car while someone else has control of the accelerator. Luckily, we all arrived safely. At the time, I was a member of the Quilter’s Connection. I was entering my Elephant walk quilt in the show. My daughter wanted to enter a quilt but didn’t really get serious about it until the Saturday before the Thursday morning deadline. You can guess what I worked on almost exclusively those 4 1/2 days. It was fun to work together with her. She was 5 years old at the time. She has been using a sewing machine since she was 4. Now, she is 8.

Before and after pictures of a chair I slipcovered for my sister. I did it in one day, while I was visiting her in Maryland. I brought along my Bernina Activa.

I made these blue sheers for my sister, Peggy, too. They had some navy valances in place already, along with some cellular shades behind them.

I had window lettering done by Tricia O’Neill in December 2006. Just a short time before opening my new space for classes. I felt for awhile that a sign above the shop was needed. The framework for the old metal sign was still attached to the front of the building. I measured it and decided to make my own sign. I used outdoor friendly fabric. First I traced the letters on my window and enlarged them 150% with a pantograph. Then I fused the cut letters to the background fabric. I had drawn chalk lines on the red fabric to help me space the letters. Then, I stitched them around the edges with UV protected thread. One I was done, I sewed heavy duty velcro to the edges. With help from my friend, Cynthia Murray, and her husband, we mounted the fabric sign to the framework on the building. Luckily, it fit. Now, I just have to get some lighting on it.

I think it is important to share what students have completed during classes here at Laura’s Sewing School. The pictures are just a small fraction of the work completed by students over the years I have taught in both of my studios. I have also taught workshops for outside groups for which I do not have any photographs. If by some chance you were a part of one of those sessions and would like to post your work here, please contact me. And, if you were one of my regular studio attendees and would like to send me a picture to post, I would love to share it with others.

Click on image to enlarge it. Then use the back button of your browser to return to this page.

Finding Laura’s sewing school was a great opportunity for me, someone
who always wanted to sew but didn’t have the confidence to attempt it
on my own. I learn the basics of sewing in an extremely friendly, hands
on environment where no question was too stupid and mistakes were a
vital, accepted part of the learning process. In addition, I gained the
knowledge and understanding of the logic and background behind sewing
that makes me able to attempt projects on my own that I would never
have dreamed of trying before, with professional looking quality and a
sense of pride that you could never get from buying something in a
store. I would highly recommend that anyone interested in sewing,
whether their interest is in clothing, furniture upholstery, home
goods, accessories or any other category, sign up for a class with
Laura, where you can go at your own pace and chose projects that
interest you, because you won’t be sorry!

These pictures are of a bag designed by Lizzy. She has attended classes since January 2007. She made the pattern, quilted the fabric, inserted a welted zippered pocket on the outside and a double compartment pocket on the inside. The closure is made with a fabric covered button and a black elastic loop. Lizzy made this during a week-long, summer teens class.

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 stopped by to check us out. Fresh flowers, home-baked 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. Here is his phone number for anyone who is interested in using his services. 1-866-KEY-PAUL 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.