← Threads Magazine Podcast: "Sewing With Threads"
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- [00:00]
Carol Fraser
Check out our newly available elearning course, Women's the Best of Everything. It's taught by the late Cynthia Guffey. With nearly seven hours of expert instruction, this class offers countless tips and techniques for sewing a professional looking shirt. The downloadable pattern is included so you can get started on your perfect shirt right away. Go to courses.threadsmagazine.com to sign up and to discover other on demand learning opportunities. Welcome to Sewing with Threads, the monthly podcast with the staff of Threads magazine. I'm your host Carol Fraser and I'm joined today by Rylis Bode. Rylis is the director and head instructor at the Sewing and Design School in Tacoma, Washington. She has a degree in teaching and professional training in every aspect of clothing, clothing design and construction. Her career encompasses extensive experience teaching fashion, construction and design at a Washington State technical college, as well as courses for continuing education and career training in all levels of sewing, construction, fashion design, fitting and pattern alterations, pattern making, textiles, history of fashion and quilting. You can find rylis online@sewinganddesignschool.com and on Instagram at rylissewing and Design School. These days, Rylis maintains her love of teaching through her school and I'm excited to talk to her about sewing, teaching sewing and what she's learned from her years of instructing students. Welcome Rylis well, hello.
- [01:34]
Rylis Bode
It's I'm just so happy to be with you today.
- [01:38]
Carol Fraser
I'm just. I'm delighted that you could join me from the other side of the country all the way into coma where I haven't been in quite a long time. So Rylis, I know that you have been teaching sewing for pretty much your whole career, but what I'd love to know is were you a teacher first or were you a sewer first?
- [01:57]
Rylis Bode
Ooh, I think I was a sewer first. And I started sewing when I was in grade school and I joined my local 4H club. When you're in 4H, you have to give these demonstrations demonstrations and you compete with your sewing projects or your I had sewing and baking and you had to get up and give a little talk these demonstrations and it was a great preparation for teaching. So I didn't even realize it until later when I was actually teaching. I was fairly well organized because of 4H.
- [02:34]
Carol Fraser
Oh, that's excellent. I don't think so many people do 4H now, and I don't know that it's as much sewing as it is a lot of more animal husbandry and that kind of thing. But it's still a place where I know a Lot of young people get their sewing education. So how did you. How did you combine the two? Did you always intend to teach sewing?
- [02:53]
Rylis Bode
No, not at all. I knew how to sew. I actually wanted to be an airline stewardess when I was a young girl. And so they said that we had to get out and speak in front of groups and just join different activities. So that was my goal. But I thought I'd go to college and also back myself up with an education degree. So I was aiming for fourth grade education. And about the second year, I changed to art. And I did get a teaching degree in teaching art, kindergarten through high school, all areas of art. And then I couldn't find a teacher teaching job. And so because I couldn't find a teaching job, Vietnam had just ended. And so a lot of those veterans that were coming back that were teachers, they got the first teaching jobs that were available. So I joined the Army. Just the opposite of what my family and my friends thought I should do. But I knew if I joined the service, I could also be teaching arts and crafts within the military, which I happened to do. I was a arts and crafts teacher for the children for most of the three years I was there. And then in the evening, I taught photography to the adult military people and their dependents. And then I went back to grad school on the GI Bill and just happened to take a tailoring class. Because I didn't know how to tailor, but I knew how to sew. And I had, at the ripe old age of 26, I thought I could choose what I wanted to take when I went back to grad school. And so I picked that tailoring class. And it was such an eye opener, I had to talk my way into it. I didn't take any prerequisites. I told the professor, yes, I can sew, but she's heard that before. Because a lot of us that like to wear clothes say we know how to sew and we really don't. And within the first half hour of that tailoring class, I knew I wanted that woman's job. I wanted to teach adults how to sew, not kids. Those adults in that class were there because they wanted to be. And that's the kind of student that I was attracted to my whole life turned around two years. I studied just concentrated pattern drafting, history of fashion, textiles, all kinds of construction methods. It was the time of my life. And I also taught at the Ellensburg High School sewing classes. I was a substitute teacher, and I was an assistant in that home and family life department. And then I landed the job at Bates Technical College and taught there for 32 years, just sewing. But the art degree really helped. It fulfilled me.
- [05:57]
Carol Fraser
I can understand that. That makes sense. I think sewing can be technical, but it is a design skill, too. And having the art background is really good for that.
- [06:07]
Rylis Bode
Yes.
- [06:09]
Carol Fraser
So you were going through all this at a time when it was relatively easy or a little bit more available to get sewing education either as a child or even as an adult. Are you seeing a big change in that these days?
- [06:26]
Rylis Bode
It kind of went away and now it's coming back big time. I see, especially with COVID there's a lot more people out there that want to learn how to make things. And so I'm seeing a great increase in the students that are age 28, 55. And that age bracket also has kids that want to learn how to sew. And so they're attending classes with their parents just to take a beginner sewing class with me. So I'm hearing too, that more school districts are starting to bring it back. And that's great.
- [07:06]
Carol Fraser
That's exciting. And these students in that age range that you were talking about, had they been exposed to sewing at any time?
- [07:13]
Rylis Bode
No.
- [07:14]
Carol Fraser
Were they coming back? They were completely new.
- [07:16]
Rylis Bode
Completely new to sewing. They did not have it in school.
- [07:22]
Carol Fraser
What are they interested in making? Is it clothing primarily?
- [07:26]
Rylis Bode
Definitely clothing. They want to make cute things. They want to know how to do practical things like hemming pants, hemming jeans, changing up a design, but getting things that fit, fit. I have a large majority of my newbies have trouble buying clothes that fit. And so they want. That's why they're here. You know, I've got a 6 foot 2 woman that just cannot hardly find any cute clothes. She wants to wear cute clothes. And so if she can learn how to lengthen the torso of her patterns, then the sky's the limit because you can pick your fabrics.
- [08:08]
Carol Fraser
Yeah.
- [08:08]
Rylis Bode
You know, and I know the big news with Joann's closing limits us a little bit, but there are more fabric stores out there, and sometimes we don't look at quilting stores. Quilting stores have some of the nicest cottons, the nicest flannels, and they're bringing in more like sleepwear type fabrics. But I think we're going to start seeing more apparel fabrics being brought back to brick and mortar, but it's going to take a while.
- [08:41]
Carol Fraser
I'm a little concerned about it, but I do feel like, as you say, brick and mortar. And when you have a little bit more experience shopping Online is feasible. I don't know whether you give your students advice on how to go about doing that. It can be.
- [08:55]
Rylis Bode
It can be hard. You know, they don't understand how to read the description of the fabric. If they understand their fibers, that helps a lot. If they're looking for a particular type of fabric and they need to get out there and touch that fabric, you know?
- [09:13]
Carol Fraser
Yeah.
- [09:14]
Rylis Bode
So I made a big change in my sewing and in my teaching. Two years ago, I started providing fabric for all the classes. So I go to New York now, pick up fabrics, the ones that are going to shrink. I go ahead and I pre wash them so I have them available for the students. I have woven, stretch wovens and knits with a variety of patterns. You know, when you've been teaching as long as I do, you have a big collection. And I also brought in my own stash. And so because I have the fabrics there, then I teach them what to do. If we were in a fabric store, how it comes off the bolt, you know, is this fabric going to shrink? Maybe you need to buy a little bit more. Is it a directional print? That's really important. You don't want to have, you know, your palm trees upside down, things like that. And so again, having that fabric here filled my classes before that time, I couldn't hardly fill the classes because as they would go to the store, they. They think it was too expensive. And yes, it was. But I've been able to get some darn good buys in New York City hand selecting the fabrics. And so I've been doing that about twice a year going to New York, and it's been really fun. It's fun to buy fabric for other people.
- [10:45]
Carol Fraser
It definitely is. And in large amounts, too. I think that's kind of fun. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So you said that they think that the fabric is expensive. Did they come into sewing, think they were thinking they were going to save money on clothes?
- [10:57]
Rylis Bode
Yes, they did. And they thought it was going to be easy. You know, they had no idea that the pattern work was going to take a while to get it to, you know, sized to fit them first. You know, it's just like building a house. You work on the plans for a while before you actually cut. And then sewing machines, because I have sewing machines here and I have all the thread colors here. That saves a lot because they have questions about threading the machine and what type of thread to use and, oh, the selection of needles and so what types of needles to use for this and that. And again, having machines that Work really well, that's one less stress for them. Once they sew in a couple classes, then their feet are on the ground and they kind of know what they're going to look for. When they do purchase a sewing machine.
- [11:50]
Carol Fraser
Do they bring their own in some classes?
- [11:54]
Rylis Bode
Only if they've already taken a few classes. Because if they bring their own in and they've never sewn before, it almost needs to be a one on one class. And I do have private lessons for those because too much attention needs to be given to the sewing machine because they don't even know how to thread it.
- [12:15]
Carol Fraser
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I, I have wondered how you can teach a whole class unless you. Without having all the same machines or machines that you know. Well. Right, yeah. Because as you say, it's like you don't want to spend all your time on the machine if you have a whole class of students who want to be making clothes. And so you say most of them, most of them do want to make clothing. Are they, is this for themselves? Do some of them intend to go into being, you know, costume dressmakers or designers?
- [12:45]
Rylis Bode
The majority want to sew for themselves. There are a few that want to develop their own design line and they think it's easy and they want to be famous. But once they realize exactly what it takes to, to do that, then they're like kind of, oh, you know, they couldn't do it overnight because it takes a lot of training. You need to know your business. You need, you know, there is just such a huge industry that we don't usually take people that don't know much. And if they don't know anything about sewing, they don't even know how big the hole needs to be to pull that garment over your head to get it on. You know, they make a lot of mistakes that way. And generally those that want to make a career of this, they're kind of like taken back by it. More so than somebody that wants to be that's really driven to sew cute clothes for themselves or just clothes that fit and feel comfortable.
- [13:53]
Carol Fraser
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can understand that. Do you, do you ever, you know, start people off teaching them how to sew and then send them off to like a fashion apparel program or something like that?
- [14:04]
Rylis Bode
I direct them into different areas, whether it's going to be fashion merchandising, you know, or if it's going to be more fashion design and open the door so they can see other possibilities. But, but it's really their decision where they're going to direct Themselves. And truly a lot of them don't have the money to go to school.
- [14:32]
Carol Fraser
Yeah, but that's really good advice for anybody, though, I would say. I mean, I came into sewing as somebody I learned from my mom, and I sew for myself and I sewed for my kids, that kind of thing. And I don't actually know a lot about what it takes to get into the fashion industry. And every year I learn a little bit more. You know, we meet fashion students and, you know, faculty in places, and each time I think, oh my gosh, merchandising, what's that? You know, pattern drafting or using, using CAD or draping and all the different things that you don't do if you just use a pattern generally and you discover that you, you know, you, you kind of need to know all those things, and it would be good if you knew them all really well. I, I don't think everybody in the industry knows all of those things very well. I think a lot of them don't know some of them at all, but it's because it's teamwork. But, you know, at least you're exposing people to, you know, sort of the craft involved in making a piece of clothing and then helping them sort of find their way forward if they want to get into the, into fashion somehow. Yeah. So when you're working with your adult students, which is kind of fun and interesting, what's your basic curriculum? How do you start them out?
- [15:50]
Rylis Bode
Well, I found that if I started them out with just making something that works that's going to turn out the very first time they sew, because there are some people that just sew all over the place, and there's others that are just so frightened they can't go forward. So I finally developed a lined tote bag that was pretty simple, that was similar to sewing clothes. So as they put a facing on, I would show them what a facing was and how it finishes an edge and how we sewed this 58 inch seams and why we sew 58 inch seams in most commercial patterns. So we practice on this bag and when they're done in three hours, they've got the cutest bag to take out. I even throw out faux fur. And if they're daring, let's make a faux fur bag. And there's usually someone every class that will do that to explain to them how you can still sew something that thick and it will still turn out as nicely as something that's a little thinner fabric. So, you know, I just want to get them excited. And they've got something that's very useful, that they can use it for so many things. And I make sure that there are fabrics that are very subtle to very wild. Because you have all different types of personalities, it's true.
- [17:23]
Carol Fraser
Different personalities, style wise. But you mentioned something about how you have the students who have sort of a different take on how they're going to approach the sewing. Some are all over and some are just afraid. What are you noticing in your students? I mean, what does that range and how do you work with that?
- [17:40]
Rylis Bode
Generally, you have to just. I have the classes size smaller, so they're no more than six. Because when you have a really large class, like I did at the college, you can't be as attentive to the different learning styles because there's a lot of different learning styles too, with different people in different age groups. So. So my students in a beginner class can range from age 12 to 88 or so. And I do have all of them in there. And it's surprising how well the younger students do because they have no fear. They have no memory of doing things wrong. When. When it came to driving a car, you know, how they had to drive straight. Well, it's similar to a sewing machine. And this is something that's moving that you just can't stop immediately until you know where to put that foot or, you know, or take the foot off the pedal. So. And, oh, the men. The men. So. So well. And it was a surprise to me to see overall, the majority of my male students just go right through everything and pick it up faster. But, you know, we raised those little boys to put toys together. We didn't do that so much with little girls. We're now more conscious of the toys we give our children. So it's not so divided. But older men, they just ace it. And some of the older men that join, like, have just retired. They will take a private lesson because they're a little nervous. They don't want anyone in there to know that they can't do it. And once they take the private lesson, then they join the beginners class confidently. And they do. They do really well.
- [19:50]
Carol Fraser
That's. That's really interesting. It's really interesting. I was thinking about how today's children, probably every one of them has played some sort of video game. And I think there's like a hand eye coordination thing with that that maybe we didn't have growing up, and whether that just makes them feel like, I can do this. There's a moving object, and I can control it with my little hands and my little foot. It's not a big deal. Because as you say, they haven't driven yet, so they don't know about that. And they don't. They haven't done some of the kinds of things that adult people have done, but they have done all these other little fine coordination kinds of things. And men, I would say generalizing, tend to not have a fear of machinery. But whenever I talk to a woman who sews and has sewn for years, they're not afraid of their sewing machine, and they never were. For them, it just feels like it's a friend, and it's like a partner in creativity. They're not worried about it at all. I mean, they might get frustrated if it doesn't work, but yeah. And I know that if you're at home by yourself trying to learn how to sew off the Internet and you don't even know how to get the bobbin in, that's kind of the kiss of death, really.
- [20:58]
Rylis Bode
It is. And I have a lot of new students that have experienced that, and so that's why they're coming in, because maybe they were doing something wrong. But then again, it takes time. And I personally could never learn over the Internet how to sew or how to run a piece of machinery. I was fortunate. I'm from an era where when we bought a new machine, we got classes with it, and we really got to see. See all the wonderful things that that sewing machine could do for us. And then they, you know, our sewing machines became our best friends.
- [21:41]
Carol Fraser
Yeah. I mean, now this is why when anybody asks us at Threads, you know, I want to buy a sewing machine, what should I do? We always say, you know, go to a dealership. Because when you go to a dealership, it's pretty frequent that they will give you at least a couple of lessons to go with it to introduce you to the features of your machine. And you will feel so much better when you go home and you're learning how to sew. And you'll know where to go when you have a problem. Right. I mean, I'm also pro buying a used machine if, you know, you know, it's. I am too, so. And in that case, you may have a little bit trouble, but then you look for somebody like Rylus or somebody who is a Rylus adjacent in your area and. And take some lessons to learn what you're doing.
- [22:21]
Rylis Bode
But you can also get your used machine from your dealer.
- [22:25]
Carol Fraser
Oh, yes.
- [22:25]
Rylis Bode
And then you can be assured that it's been gone through and it mechanically it works. And maybe you can talk that dealer into offering classes for the used machine. You know, they just have to hear what you need.
- [22:39]
Carol Fraser
Yeah.
- [22:40]
Rylis Bode
And they will fulfill our needs.
- [22:42]
Carol Fraser
Yeah. I do think they want to make their customers happy and they want to have them loyal and getting people to really use their machines and be happy doing it is how that's going to happen.
- [22:53]
Rylis Bode
So.
- [22:53]
Carol Fraser
So you've worked with many students over the years, and I'm wondering what is the skill or technique that seems to give the most people trouble or what do you have to remind students of all the time? Where do they tend to go wrong?
- [23:09]
Rylis Bode
They tend to go, okay, let's start with the beginning. They tend to go wrong at the very beginning when they buy the wrong size pattern. Too many of them do that, even those, those that are experienced. And then they're kind of like angry with themselves with their body because it doesn't fit. Once they understand how we change that pattern to be altered to fit their personal shapes, then they're okay with that. Then the next thing they do wrong is they will select the wrong fabric for the type of garment. They don't relate to what they might see in a store. You know, if they're looking at a pair of pants, it's not made with see through fabric. You know, it's made with a little fabric with a little more body. You know, there's a lot of us that don't relate the right type of fabric for the garment. And then the next thing that goes wrong, they don't cut it out very well. You know, they'll think, oh, you know, I ate a lot last week, so I'm just going to cut this a little bit bigger. Well, that's fine if it's side seams, but if they're cutting it a little bit bigger and it's a crotch seam, you just made it smaller. It's the same with the armhole. If you cut it over a little bit too much, you've done just the opposite. And then they wonder, oh, it's their body. They always blame their body. You know, maybe they did eat too much. This just doesn't fit. And when they think it doesn't fit, they're always pointing to the wrong area of the body that's making it uncomfortable. They don't know where the fit is. Advanced people, sorry, they don't change their needles enough. And I try to explain that I change my needles generally twice a garment, and that's because it's not Necessarily the pins I hid that I sew over, that I'm not supposed to sew over, that dulls the tip of the pin. It's actually the eye of the needle that wears out. Because when we're using all purposes sewing thread, which is the best for most of your garments, it's made of polyester. So it's going in and out of the eye of the needle. I think it's 31 or 32 times before a stitch is formed. That's like a knife sharpener. And so if you've ever had your sewing machine thread shred, you really needed a new needle.
- [25:53]
Carol Fraser
Wow, that is news to me. When you said they don't change their needles enough, I'm like, oh, I think you're looking at me now. That's very interesting. You know, I, I didn't think about the eye. I always think, does the point seem to be laboring when it's going through the fabric, then you kind of know that you want to change it. I mean, I try to change it before it gets to that, but yeah.
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Rylis Bode
I mean, when it sounds clunk, clunk, clunk when it's going through your fabric, yeah, that's a big sign.
- [26:19]
Carol Fraser
Right, right. But the eye of the needle, that's, that is definitely something that is worth paying attention to and not blaming your thread sometimes, as you say, because there's sometimes if your thread is shredding you, you think, oh, it must be old thread or something. Maybe it's not so.
- [26:33]
Rylis Bode
Exactly. So another my sewing machine mechanic came and taught a class. It was the best class I ever had to my students. And he called it the TNTs, threads, needles and tension. So number one, he says all sewing machines, no matter what brand at the factory, they were set up with a certain thing thickness of thread that they adjusted their tension dials to. And that was all purpose thread. The threads are like fishing lines, they're different thicknesses. That affects everything else. So if you slap an all purpose sewing thread on your sewing machine, you're going to have better results. And then for the needles, change that needle. Now 99% of the time, and in fact right now, 100% of all my sewing machines and my sergers in my classroom have one type of needle in it and that's a universal needle. And that's because it jumps between wovens and knits. It's the best. And if it stitches well, great, that's what I'll use. And then the size of the needle is important. So I have an average size in all of My machines, because most of the time that works too. And that's a size 80 12. So if you don't have a lot of money or in tools or needles, buy 80 universals and then you'll be covered for most of your projects. And then so it's threads, needles and tension. And if you use that all purpose thread that has that certain thickness, you don't do anything to your tension, you put it back to normal because that's what they set it up at the factory for, that thickness of thread.
- [28:21]
Carol Fraser
And then as you move into more complicated things and you change your thread, then you may. And your fabric, you may need to adjust any one of those a little bit here or there.
- [28:29]
Rylis Bode
But yeah, I hardly ever change my thread.
- [28:32]
Carol Fraser
I don't either. I don't either. I think I sewed something once with silk thread. It was something that was very lightweight silk and I wanted to use a very light thread, but I generally don't. I mean it's my, my collection is just loads and loads of, as you say, of all purpose thread and it keeps me pretty happy.
- [28:49]
Rylis Bode
Right. So that silk thread can be really light, but they also make all purposes a little bit lighter. That silk thread was so strong that it, the seam will hold and the fabric will rip.
- [29:01]
Carol Fraser
Yeah. I mean I was sewing, it was like a wedding dress. So I didn't think it was going to get ripped. And it didn't take a gamble on that that the bride would behave herself and not do anything too crazy. I know. So I know that you offer both private and group classes. And what are the private classes good for? You mentioned that it's that some of the men like to start off that way and get kind of a grip on what they're doing first before they. You take a class, a group class and learn to sew a thing. But who else would would you have in a one on one?
- [29:39]
Rylis Bode
So generally the private lessons. So the last few private lessons I've had have been four hour and all day lessons where someone's flown in from out of state and the first thing we do is we take their measurements and then we alter a bunch of patterns so they're comfortable with having that to go home with. And then they'll sew a muslin of one or two of them to check the fit. But it's generally the private pat. Yeah. Private lessons lately have been all pattern alterations.
- [30:16]
Carol Fraser
I think that's fantastic because fitting is hard for people to do on their own if they're not really adept at it and haven't had to do it much. And, you know, many people who have years of separation sewing behind them are discovering that over the years, they are not finding patterns fit the way they used to, even if they have the measurements sort of okay. But, you know, your body changes, and if you haven't had to make those adjustments, it's great to have somebody with experience say, you know, you might want to change your dart position or whatever. Yeah. So that's. That's a good idea for somebody who wants to get started or get back into sewing or whatever, you know, and do it with confidence.
- [30:56]
Rylis Bode
A lot of our fashion schools don't really teach fitting because it's more ready to wear. They're just learning. They're not into custom sewing yet. But like Kenneth likes to say, Kenneth King, he'll always say he thinks that small is the new big. And really, we are looking for more custom fitting, comfortable clothes, clothes. We're more selective, and we want that. And if we have the ability to pull it off, great.
- [31:32]
Carol Fraser
Yeah. Yeah. So if. If one of our listeners thought, I have some friends who I think probably would really enjoy sewing, or they've. Their friends have said, I'd really like to learn how to sew. How do you recommend? Like, what. What would you suggest they do to kind of get their friend into it and to get them give them a few lessons at home?
- [31:53]
Rylis Bode
So I thought it was really difficult to find sewing classes because I was always looking for sewing teachers when I was working full time at the college because I wanted to upgrade my skills. And now, thankfully, with the computer and Google, you can Google sewing classes near me. And part of that problem is there are a lot of sewing classes at your local schools, your universities and colleges that have apparel design merchandising programs. They call it different names, but a lot of those schools offer continuing ed classes. They've already got the equipment set up, and it's there. You want to find someone who knows what they're doing to lead the package. You don't want to teach bad things just because I think this is how we do it. You need to find someone that. And there are a lot of people out there that are fairly skilled in sewing. Almost all quilters are, I kind of think, a funny thing. Quilters used to sew garments when they were younger, but as they got a little older and their bodies changed, they didn't know how to alter their patterns, and they still loved to sew. They love fabric. They started quilting. Once you start quilting, you're addicted to it because you get to work with all those gorgeous prints, and you're only buying a little bit amount, so it doesn't seem like you're spending as much money, but you're still, you know, you're feeding it to yourself. I didn't understand what that quilting drive was until I had to teach a quilting class. Once I started being able to use all those different prints. Prints quickly, I was addicted to that, too. And I've been asked to speak to a lot of quilting groups, and they want to know about the TNT's sewing, but they also say, talk to us about pattern alterations because they still want to make clothes.
- [34:00]
Carol Fraser
Oh, that's really fascinating. I did know that about quilters, that many of them came from garment sewing and just, as you say, just love to sew. And even if you still make clothing, I mean, there's only so many clothes you can really wear. And if you really just want to get into all of those prints, that quilting is a great way to express that artistic side.
- [34:20]
Rylis Bode
And actually, you know, quilters are fabric snobs. Thank you very much. They demand better equipment, better tools, nicer fabrics. So when you walk into a quilting store for those are really nice cottons, and they have the best threads and they have the best tools because they've been sewing for a long time, and that's what they want.
- [34:45]
Carol Fraser
Yeah. Yeah, it's. Yeah. And I have noticed that. I thought it was only because the quilting stores were also dealerships, and so they always had the best machines. But I think it's. I think you're right. I think quilters just really so enjoy the entire process so much, and they just want things to be really great. Well, Ryla, thank you so much for joining me today. It was great to talk to you, to find out about how you got into teaching and sort of what keeps people excited and why they want to teach. And I'm hoping that our listeners will spread this word among their friends, too, and send them your way or to another teacher. Or maybe they'll just bring them over for an afternoon and say, let's make a placemat. Let's patch together a placemat or something. Just something that you can do to feel like you've accomplished something and that you can be proud of it. And then you can have enjoyed the process of handling beautiful fabrics, learning a machine. So many skills that make you feel good about what you can do and about making things.
- [35:49]
Rylis Bode
And you can also get free space to work generally through your public library. You can rent room or you don't pay any rent. You just, it's. You check it out a room and people can gather there and sew.
- [36:06]
Carol Fraser
That is great advice. I have to look into my, my local library. I think they might even have had a sewing machine that you could check out and you could take home. Sewing machines? Yeah.
- [36:18]
Rylis Bode
Some of them have that and some of them now have sewing classes. We have one library in Tacoma that on one night a week, they have sewing classes.
- [36:28]
Carol Fraser
So there are so many ways for people to get out and learn and. And get. Catch the sewing bug.
- [36:33]
Rylis Bode
Yes.
- [36:34]
Carol Fraser
Well, for everyone who's listening who's already caught the sewing bug, thank you so much for tuning in. You can find show notes for this episode@threadsmagazine.com and links to previous podcasts there, too. Meanwhile, keep on Sewing with Threads. Thank you to our guests for joining us and thanks to all of you for listening. Please remember to send your comments, questions and suggestions to thhreadsmagazine.com and please like, comment and subscribe wherever you are listening. Until next time, Keep on Sewing with Threads.