A Visitor from Africa
I had a visitor all the way from Africa. He sews, by hand, and creates the most beautiful leather shoes, bags and belts.
This is an example of one of his beautiful hand sewn leather bags.
These boots last a lifetime
You c an see more of his work here.
There is one thing that I do better than he does. Sew on a machine.
I decided that it was time that he learnt to sew on an electric powered sewing machine as well, by creating a magic square.
The first thing he had to do was sew a maze to become acquainted with the sewing machine. It was a great way to practice and get comfy with the sewing machine.
Sewing a simple maze as a first attempt on a sewing machine helps to practice sewing in straight lines and its a fun project that boosts ones confidence.
He learnt the basic functioning and sewing of a machine and also crafted a cool piece that could be a decorative item as well.
His fabric maze - look how straight he sews.
He took his time wandering around the studio, soaking in the vibe. The walls were covered with quilts waiting for binding and the shelves were packed with fabric boxes sorted by color families.
I knew that he would choose fabrics from the box with the browns., reminding him of nature and the organic world. He imagined these shades bringing to life images of forests and earth. Feeling inspired, he picked out a range of brown fabrics from light to dark for some contrast.
I choose to teach the magic square as it is an abstract design which does not have to be sewn straight to achieve an aesthetic result. One can gain confidence and skill without the constraints of having to sew straight lines.
The purpose of the magic square is to introduce a new sewist to the machine and the world of sewing in a fun manner.
It takes longer to choose the fabrics and lay them out in a design on the table than it does to learn how to sew the strips together.
Before cutting the strips to size I say to lay the fabrics out according to the chart of the magic square, which I showed him at the begining of the session, then to fold and not to cut the fabric yet until he is happy with their color and design selection. This takes the longest to do, choosing colors and designing.
The magic square is growing, 1,2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 have been stitched, the excess cut off, flipped open and ironed. It doesn't matter if the pieces are not straight, what is important is that he is working independently. Sewing,cutting, ironing and pinning in a rythm.
My best student so far!!
A visitor from Africa and his brown magic square
Wow, check out how straight his stitches are! It's amazing to see how precise he is, especially since it's his first time using a sewing machine. The way he moves his hands with such confidence makes it seem like he's a natural, as if he's been doing this for years, even though he's just starting out.
Every line he sews is not only straight but also shows the kind of detail you'd expect from experienced seamstresses. The fabric moves so smoothly under the presser foot, and he just seems to know how to guide it, making sure every stitch lines up perfectly. It's really cool to watch him handle the machine's different settings, tweaking the tension and stitch length like a pro, showing he's got a knack for picking up new techniques.
After sewing the first one, he sewed a second and used a contrasting color to top stitch it. Again look how straight he sews!!
And of course I had to create as well, seeing all those beautiful browns, and send something with him back to Africa, more details on that in another post.
See here how to teach and learn basic sewing for beginners
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