"The day arrived for the first sewing class and it was a sparkling bright fall day. It was the first sun we'd seen in awhile and also warmer than in recent days. The last thing I wanted to do was spend the afternoon in the basement of the library sitting in front of a sewing machine. My friend Nick said, "Four hours is too long for that class. I'm going to come and pull you out of there. Grudginly, I went. Surpringly, the class flew by!
Tina is, I believe, the most patient, good-humored person in all of Emmet County. It was also a bonus meeting and spending time with the other students. The class taught us the technical areas of sewing which we practised and also made two projects. My expectations were far exceeded.Needless to say, Nick never showed up but if he had I'd have shooed him away. I plan to sign up for her next class in the spring."
Upcoming Classes/Workshops
***CANCELLED***
Friday, May 15, 2020
9am – 5pm at the Michigan Folk School in Ann Arbor
Garment Making – Sewing with Knits – T-shirt
You can register for one, two or all three! (see below for next two)
Do you have a sewing machine gathering dust in the corner? The machine that you sometimes look at think, “I’d really like to learn how to sew clothes”? Or, perhaps you’re tired of trying to fit your body into clothes that were made for someone else. We’ll make the shirt from a multi-sized sewing pattern – learning to adjust the pattern, the fit and the style to your body and preferences. Great fit starts with adjusting the pattern to your body before you ever cut a thing!
Beginner friendly, I ask only that you know how to use a sewing machine and can sew an effective seam. We’ll work on adjusting a sewing pattern and sewing knits with a basic sewing machine. All garments will be made with easy to fit and comfortable, knit fabric.
Course Fee: $110 – Supply Fee:$10 Location: Folk School.
***CANCELLED***
Have you been dreaming of a wardrobe that you build by hand? A skirt and leggings that fit your unique body perfectly. Honestly, there’s nothing quite like it…dressing your body in clothes made especially for you, in your style and for your shape and made by your own two hands. It’s heady stuff. Course Fee: $220 – Supply Fee: $20 Location: Folk School
Register for the workshop at the Michigan Folk School.
(734) 985-0198
registrar@MiFolkSchool.com
***CANCELLED***
Friday, June 5th, 2020
at the Petoskey Tip of the Mitt Fiber Fair
Let’s slow the whole process down and stitch a skirt by hand. We’ll begin by learning how to fit the skirt pattern to our unique bodies and the styles we like to wear. Then we’ll learn about hand stitches suited to constructing jersey fabrics. While we’re connecting and stitching, we’ll get a natural dye pot or two cooking and finish by giving our skirts new color using natural dyes.
Registration and pricing – on the Tip of the Mitt Fiber Fair website will be open soon. www.tipofthemittfiberfair.com
** CANCELLED **Fri, June 12th – Sun, June 14th…10 am – 4 pm
at the Duluth Folk School in Duluth, MN
Have you been dreaming of a wardrobe that you build by hand? Imagine: dresses and leggings that fit your unique body perfectly. Honestly, there’s nothing quite like it! Dressing your body in clothes made especially for you, in your style and for your shape, and made by your own two hands – it’s heady stuff!
You’ll also learn the magic of pattern drafting, even if you’re new to sewing garments!
We’ll begin by fitting a pattern to your body, and then sewing a knit dress using your measurements and your sense of style. Then, building on the skills you learned to fit the pattern, we’ll take that pattern and alter it into a different dress. And what’s a dress without leggings?? That’s right – before you’re done, we’ll draft a pattern for fitted leggings that you’ll love…no more tugging!
This class is beginner friendly – you should know how to use a sewing machine and how to sew an effective seam. We’ll work on adjusting a sewing pattern, and sewing knits with a basic sewing machine. All garments will be made with easy-to-fit and comfortable knit fabric.
Registration Includes
Instruction and all required materials. By the end of class, you will have completed – sized EXACTLY to you:
- TWO dresses
- ONE pair of leggings
- and you will leave with sewing patterns so you can make more dresses and leggings!
You should bring…
Bring your own sewing machine if you have one, along with the instruction manual. Bring notions (needles, pins, thread, seam rippers, etc). You will be bringing your own fabric – once you register, we’ll send along information about what sort of fabric you should bring.
Skill Level
You should have some machine sewing experience.
Early Bird Registration (register early and save!)$250.00
Early bird registration ends: May 24, 2020.
After, May 24th…Registration$300.00
Register with the Duluth Folk School.
** CANCELLED **
This week long workshop is for teens only and is being held at the Petoskey Library (for free!)
Mon, June 22nd – Friday, June 26th…1:30pm – 4pm
We’ll learn how to use a sewing machine, how to thread it and how to sew with knit fabrics.
By the end of the week, each student will have a well-fitting t-shirt that they sewed themselves!
Register for the workshop at Petoskey Public Library.
231-758-3100
Past Classes
Looking for a class to add to your event?
Want to gather some friends and book a class in your home?
Here are some of the classes I teach...
Part 1
Is your sewing machine sitting in the back of a closet gathering dust?
Do you wish you remembered how to thread it?
Do you want to learn to sew?
Bring your sewing machine and all of its accessories (power cord, manual, bobbins, presser feet, needles, etc.) to this 4-hour workshop. Instructor Tina Bury will show you how to wind the bobbin and thread the machine, talk about the most common issues when using your machine and how to avoid them, and familiarize you with the most useful stitches.
A quick project will be sewn together to get you started. You’ll leave feeling confident that you can sew on your own!
(4 hour class)
Part 2
Have you been dreaming of a wardrobe that you build by hand? A dress that fits your unique body perfectly. Honestly, there’s nothing quite like it…dressing your body in clothes made specially for you, in your style and for your shape and made by your own two hands.
It’s heady stuff and it’s not as hard as you think.
Perfect Fit T-shirt – Learn to use a sewing pattern and alter it to fit your unique body. (6 hour class)
Self-drafted Skirt – Draft and sew a skirt using your measurements and your sense of style. (5 hour class)
Sew a Fit & Flare Knit Dress – Learn to take a sewing pattern for a simple knit dress (with a fitted bodice, sleeves and an a-line skirt) and adjust it to fit your unique body and style. Then we’ll cut it out and sew it up…all in time for dinner! (6 hour class)
Self-drafted Leggings – Building on the skills you learned while drafting your skirt, we’ll develop a pattern for fitted leggings that you’ll love…no more tugging! (5 hour class)
Requirements: Basic sewing skills helpful, if you can confidently thread your sewing machine, we’ll learn the rest. All garments will be made with easy to fit and comfortable, jersey fabric.
Do you wish you could sew your own clothes, perfectly fitted to your body and style, but it seems too daunting?
Let’s slow the process down, learn the construction, work on fit and sew by hand…no machines required.
In this class we’ll sew a perfectly fitted Tee Shirt, altering the pattern with your unique measurements and style. Then we’ll learn and practice the hand stitches needed for construction.
(3 hour class)
Visible mending is a nod to the traditions of prolonging the life of our clothes and our fabrics through the art of caring for them. We’ll learn techniques borrowed from the Japanese – Sashiko stitches and Boro cloth – and our own quilting roots. Students will begin the class by creating and practice stitching small pouches before beautifying their own garments. Suitable for all skill levels.
(Full: 6 hour class, Partial: 3 hour class)