sewing for Ruby part one

When it comes to choosing things to sew, I tend to stick with projects that don't require me to follow a pattern. In the past, I have made a few items of children's clothing, and got in such a muddle with sewing things inside out, back to front, with elasticated waists and so on, that I have found it far less stressful to stick with sewing simple quilts or cushions. However, I wanted to change all that and learn some new sewing skills.  I am very much a visual learner, and find conceptualising how a pattern needs to be put together incredibly difficult, so I decided that the best way for me to learn would be to have someone teach me.
I asked for workshop recommendations on a favourite local Facebook group of mine, and the outcome of this was that one of the Mum's on the group who is skilled at sewing, offered to run a workshop for anyone who was interested. So, a few Saturday's ago, I spent six wonderful hours with a few friends, learning how to make a dress for my daughter. By the end of the day, I had serious brain ache and my eyes were wrecked from all of the close-up focusing we'd had to do, but I had an almost-finished dress, and I was delighted.
I learnt some new techniques such as how to sew a French seam, how to make pleats, how to sew a buttonhole and how to make a yoke. I found sewing the straight edge of the dress bodice onto the curved edge of the yoke unbelievably hard. and had to unpick the seam at least twice. But with a little help, I got there in the end, and I am sure that next time round it'll be a bit easier. It really is satisfying to see Ruby wearing something that I made myself, and I hope to make a few more items of clothing for her in the near future.

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