Remy Raglan Sewing Class for Two!

Would you and your friend/family member like to make a shirt that you would actually want to wear? This is a great shirt pattern that makes a pullover top that is easy to sew, flattering, versatile, and can usually be made in a couple of hours. It’s called The Remy Raglan by Sew House Seven. When you come to class in my home studio in Kennebunk, Maine, you will be making Version #1 with the 3/4 sleeve. What makes this top a great learning project is that it is easy to execute: there are no buttons or button holes, no zipper, no collar or cuffs, no interfacing or facing (many people who’ve tried sewing in the past are asking themselves, "what the heck is facing/interfacing, anyway?” It won’t matter because this top has neither!), and the sleeves are not set-in. Instead of set-in sleeves which are sewn into the armhole, these are raglan sleeves. Each is a one piece sleeve which is attached to the body of the shirt with a seam from the underarm to the collar bone in the front, and from the underarm to the back shoulder in the back.

I want you to leave my studio with a shirt you love and want to wear, and the confidence to make more Remy Raglans using your own sewing machine at home. This is a one time class, lasting two to three hours, and includes your pattern which you will take home with you. I limit class size to just the two of you. My schedule is very flexible, and we will come up with a time for class to meet that works for all three of us. For the class, I will provide you each with an iron and ironing board to use in my studio. You will bring fabric, thread, pins, fabric shears, and your own sewing machine which you already know (or at least have a pretty good idea) how to thread and use.

With just two people in class, you will have lots of one-on-one, hands-on immediate attention from me to help you while you make your top. I will walk you through each step to help you grow your sewing confidence. In making this top, you will get to know your sewing machine a lot better. I want you to embody the motto 'Sewing is POWER!’

You may want to know what qualifies me, Lisa Eaton, to teach a sewing class. Firstly, I love to sew and have been sewing for well over 50 years. It brings me great satisfaction, and I want others to know that feeling. In addition, do you remember home economics as a class in middle/junior/high school? For more than a dozen years, I was a home economics teacher! The program has been cut from most schools, and the current term for it is family and consumer sciences (FACS). It also went through a period of being called home and career skills (HCS). I’ve taught sewing to junior high and high school students. When I was teaching junior high, I had anywhere from 20 to 26 students in a single class, and there were seven or eight different sewing machine models that students used. What I learned from teaching those classes is that most sewing students need one-on-one attention in order to reach the point of feeling really successful. That’s why I limit the class size in my studio to just two students. Very little, if any, waiting to have your questions answered so you can move ahead quickly with your project. No waiting in line to use the iron.

Once you place your order, I’ll be in touch with you about scheduling your class and also specifics about what fabric to shop for and bring to class.

Great places to get fabric and thread:

Z Fabrics in Portland, Maine

Murray Hill Bolt&Spool in Cleveland, Ohio

Portsmouth Fabric Company in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Fabrics-Store.com—Wide selection of colors in linen. The Remy Raglan is great in the 5.3 oz linen. This site does not carry thread or sewing notions.

Marden's—a Maine store with multiple locations. Marden’s doesn’t have an e-commerce website and does NOT carry fabric in their Biddeford, Gray, or Lincoln stores.

Spoonflower—Spoonflower doesn’t have thread or sewing notions. Spoonflower can be daunting if you are new to sewing, but it’s a great way to shop individual designers whose fabrics are printed to order in the United States using ecologically responsible inks. I’m happy to help you if you find something you love on Spoonflower.

There are lots of independent fabric stores, and it’s worth going to the store in person if there’s a fabric store near you. The tactile-ness of fabric shopping can be as important as the visual experience.