Sewing lessons give student confidence to make pillows, tablecloths and dresses

Ever since I had my first baby last year, justifying the expense of decorating doesn't come as easily as it once did.

Sure, I can buy something for the house, but I could also use that money on something for my daughter. The choice is always easy.

But I'll be honest: I miss those days of picking up a new pair of lamps or having curtain panels made without thinking twice about it.

When I recently pined for a pretty designer lumbar pillow for my bedroom but wouldn't allow the splurge, I made a decision. Instead of going without the pillow, I would make it myself.

I decided to learn how to sew.

A quick Google search led me to Bits of Thread in Dupont Circle (which has since moved to Adams Morgan) that offers workshops, group classes and private lessons. I felt my skill level (zero) would benefit most from one-on-one attention, so I chose the private route.

JITTERS AT FIRST

When I showed up for my first lesson with owner Allison Lince-Bentley, 31, I was nervous. I had never touched a sewing machine, and numbers aren't my strong suit, so the thought of measuring and adding fractions made me sweat.

But my anxiety was normal, Lince-Bentley said. "I teach about 50 to 60 people per month, and a lot of them show up for the first time nervous. It's all about getting used to and comfortable with the machine."

She had me pull up a chair to one of the heavy-duty sewing machines (she uses the Janome 11590) and gave me a rundown of all the knobs, dials, controls and functions. She threw out terms such as presser foot, basting stitch, feed dogs and seam allowance, explaining what each one was.

To get me comfortable controlling the foot pedal and guiding fabric through the machine (using the feed dogs, thank you very much), she had me practice with paper.

"Learning to sew is mostly about where to focus your eye," Lince-Bentley advised.

I made straight lines, wavy lines and, eventually, 90-degree turns. My lines were neither perfectly straight nor perfectly curved, but they were good enough to begin my first project.