christophernejman: June 2011

What happens when you fill a room with

people who are serious about learning advanced sewing skills?

I had the pleasure of returning to

Ellicott City Sew Vac for the third time and my first Celebrity Bags Workshop there. The results of the students creating a Celebrity Bag were outstanding!

As I have been traveling across the country these past few years teaching from my books, I encounter more and more people who tell me they have been waiting to come to my events to learn advanced sewing skills and my projects from my books. Many travel so far to attend my workshops

because their local dealers do not host diversified celebrity artist events.

I truly have been blessed to get the message of empowerment out to people and helping people to know there is nothing you cannot create with your sewing machine as long as you first learn how to operate your sewing machine while also understanding the proper ergonomics of sewing..

It is important as many out there are finding out, that in order to expand your creativity in sewing, one needs to learn from all genres of sewing.

When students come to my workshops, I can see those who are diversified in their sewing skills

Many students know every function of their machines because they went back for lessons after the purchase. However, many do not understand the proper setups of their machine nor do they know proper ergonomics, all of which I teach.

So many students who are great experienced sewers have told me they learned at a young age from their grandmother's who taught them how to sew garments and alter patterns.

For a couple of decades, garment sewing was lost in the closet and quilting had over taken the home sewing world.

Today, garment sewing, fitting, and fashion accessory sewing along with home dec have made a huge comeback. People used to say it is cheaper to buy a garment than to make one. This is also true with quilting. It is cheaper to buy a quilt than to make one.

One student had told me when people get older their bodies change. And if they were never educated in pattern alteration and fitting, they shy away from garment sewing and quilt instead.

Today, in many sewing dealerships, they have been adding a diverse schedule of classes in all the genres of sewing. Sewing is "cool" again with the new generations and the seasoned generations are finding that going back to "school", one is never too old to learn or look good.

Sewing is a self gratification and a very high end trade and art form.

Fashion accessory sewing is a big topic today as well.

Many who come to my classes have told me they are tired of the granny tote bags and find what I teach of the higher end value. Especially for those who want to learn high end construction so they can sew for a living, the end results are professional quality and construction.

I am teaching them how to make bags with fabrics they never knew how to sew with before.

I thank many of the progressive sewing machine dealers across the country who have diversified their stores, employees, class rooms and bringing in artists / authors like myself to come into their stores to teach the "other side" of sewing.

I want to send my love, gratitude and congratulations to the students in my recent Celebrity Bags workshop in Ellicott City, Maryland and across the country where I have been. They all did an outstanding job!

I also want to give many thanks to Janice and her staff at Ellicott City Sew Vac for diversifying her class rooms for all the "other sewers" so they now have a place to go and choose like a menu at a restaurant, all the different genres of classes to learn more about the fine art of sewing.

Do check with your local sewing machine retailer for their list of classes and special celebrity events they have scheduled.

America has the skills and the power. People are empowering themselves and taking back America. Knowledge is power, and with education comes independence.

And if they cannot find the education locally, they are traveling great distances to attend celebrity sewing events and in house classes that offer quality education in the many different genres of sewing.

I am always amazed at how far my students travel to attend my workshops. Thank you to all of them for allowing me to continue to write books and teach what they want to learn.

Hugs and stitches everyone!

See the latest video from Ellicott City part 1 below. Part 2 coming soon (as soon as I get it edited).