Skill up!! What a fantastic term. 

I came across it in a newspaper article about a business which refused to let automation displace it’s employees; the bosses decided to offer the employees free training to understand and handle the robots, thereby making them technically “skill up” to a much higher plane.

I am far from (presumptuously) claiming that there is nothing left to learn about sewing. Nope.  I have a lot of sewing (and other) skills left to learn.  Here are a couple of classes and online presences that are my favorites du jour, and  have helped me skill up:

I seriously want to revisit pattern making skills. There are books and all that, but my current favorites are a series of YouTube posts, Craftsy classes and my fellow sewing bloggers.  One such YouTube series is by Diane Deziel, called “Toolfully”.  She teaches actual construction processes too, but these days I’m enjoying her pattern making demonstrations. The most recent one is making a corset pattern; not that I have a reason to make a corset, but watching her do it is mesmerizing and educational!  Disclaimer: I have no business affiliation with Diane; she doesn’t even know I’m linking this post to her YouTube account.  Thank you for the fun posts, Diane. Thanks to YouTube algorithms, I now see a lot of pattern making videos in my feed. Go take a look.

I also skilled up my baking! This here is the result of attending a class for making authentic French baguettes. Since then, I have not stopped making baguettes!! (I know, I know, this is a sewing blog.)  After all, the satisfaction of a freshly made bread is incomparable. So if you get a chance to take an in-person class for French baguettes, take it.  Online videos are ok, but my baguettes just did not have that authentic taste and appearance. In the in-person class, a Belgian baking instructor taught us the nuances of the bageutte process.   The kneading is minimal and not what is shown in any video I’ve seen, or recipe I’ve read. The quest for good home-made baguettes is over….

While I’m busy sewing up item three of my SWAP 2018, skill up yourself! The Minoru jacket is taking shape in the canvas type fabric at the top of the pile. Did you read about the rest of the S.W.A.P. garments? See the last two posts.

Have a great summer, and sew up a hurricane,

Samina

Skill Up