Tonight I started teaching my first in a series of four sewing lessons. I donated the lessons to a volunteer group back in September and they were auctioned off for a decent price. There were a couple of bidders which tells me there is definitely a market for sewing classes. The woman I’m teaching told me she just wanted to learn how to sew on buttons, hem her pants and sew a straight line on a machine. She’s not the first person who has asked me how to sew on buttons. So I thought it was a good place to start. Easy peasy, right?

There is actually A LOT to show when someone has literally never picked up a needle and thread. Don’t take for granted what we do all the time! I taught her the right length for hand sewing, showed her types of thread (heavy duty vs double strand), bees wax (how to use, why to use, where to get), types of needles (self threading, sharps, etc.), types of buttons (shank, no shank, shirt, coat, backing buttons), how to thread a needle, tying a knot at the end of the thread, how to sew it on, how to make a shank, how to finish it off. Seriously, it was a FULL two hour lesson.

She was so proud of herself, she asked if she could take her samples to show her co-workers. I also learned you have greater patience teaching when the person is not related to you.

During the lesson, I washed my Christmas tree. Yes. Washed. I’ve had this pretty white tree for the last six years. I got it for $20 from Rite Aid the day after Christmas! Over time, it’s gotten a little dingy. I tried to wash it in a bucket, then in the washroom sink. It was too awkward and labor intensive. I finally gave up and put them in the dishwasher. Sparkling when it came out!

If you really want to recycle, check out this Mountain Dew tree from Thrifty Decor chick. Mmmm. Dew.

Dimi’s next lesson (next Monday) will be on hemming her pants. Lots of hand stitching. Funny that I’m teaching about hand sewing, huh?