Skills: Hand sewing stitches and seam types, embroidery stitches, picking fabric types, cutting and assembling patterns

Project: Choose from 3 different bag patterns to create a bag, and create your own embroidery design to customize the bag. Bag types include a basic tote bag, an origami inspired tote bag, and a basic handbag Materials: This will be dependent on the project chosen by the student, but all students will need fabric, hand sewing and embroidery needles, sewing thread, embroidery floss, interfacing, and an iron. We will discuss all materials in the first class, so that students are comfortable and knowledgable when purchasing materials.

In this project-based introductory course, students will learn how to construct their very own, personalized bag. In the process, they will be introduced to basic hand sewing and embroidery stitches, seam types, how to choose fabrics for different projects, and how to cut and assemble patterns. The class will meet for 1.0 hours 3 times a week for a total of 9 classes over 3 weeks, and they will leave the course with a finished project created with their own hands. This is a course designed for beginner sewists, with no experience or sewing machine required! After the first class, students will have a grasp of how to choose the fabric for their project so that they are able to go out and purchase materials. They will begin the project during the third class, and the remainder of the course will be spent in personalized and guided instruction as students work on their projects.

Class 1: Introduction to fabrics and material types! What kinds of fabrics are used in what circumstances? How can you choose the fabric best suited to your project, or a project you might do in the future? During this class, students will also select their pattern, learn how to scale it to the desired size, and determine the yardage, tools, and materials necessary to complete the project. 

Class 2: Students will learn a variety of basic hand sewing stitches as well as embroidery stitches. We will examine our own clothes and bags to study their
construction, and learn how and when to use different stitch types. In this class, students will need to have purchased needles and thread, but we will be practicing our stitches on scrap fabrics, so the final fabrics will not need to be chosen yet. 

Class 3: Let the projects begin! By this point, students will have the knowledge, tools, and materials necessary to begin working. In this class, we will learn how to lay out pattern pieces, what the grain is and why it is important, and how to cut and assemble patterns. Students will be working with their final fabrics and begin creating!

Classes 4-9: These classes will be spent in personalized and guided instruction as students work on their projects. This will be a time for working, questions,
troubleshooting, and general instruction about the process of sewing and creating your own pieces. As the instructor, I will also choose and create my own bag alongside students, both as an example and guide as we work through our projects together!