My grandmother has this old Singer sewing machine that I never really learned how to use. It was so intimidating. In high school, we only ever “learned” about the parts of a sewing machine, and the closest thing to machine sewing that we got is making a paper pattern for shorts. That’s your grade for the semester, guys!
It is really difficult to find sewing courses in Manila for hobbyists like me. As I remember, TESDA would usually have these courses, but scheduled during the weekdays so I could never attend because of work.
And sew it begins…
Late last year, I found an English language sewing course right here in Budapest. I originally wanted to sign up for the Eco-Friendly sewing workshop, but it was always full, so I enrolled for the next available English course, Fundamentals of Dress Making.
There were 5 of us in class: one Mexican, one Malaysian, one Maltan, one Bulgarian and me (Philippines). The teacher, Zsuzsi Vig, is of course Hungarian. The first day was getting to know the sewing machine – three of us were complete beginners, having zero knowledge of the machine.
The first class was about getting to know the machine, which was like an alien being to me, with all its moving parts. We learned how to wind a bobbin, load and thread it. I didn’t get it the first time, and was getting frustrated at how I cannot get the bobbin thread to come up from out the bottom. It took a few replays of a Made to Sew Youtube video for me to finally get it right! Thank you, Aneka and Made to Sew!
We also learned how to take body measurements in preparation for making the dress or shirt we choose. We pored over Burda magazine patterns, and decided on a simple dress. However, it became apparent soon that 3 of us (lels, me included) will never get to the stage where we could finish a dress in 4 weeks, much less start! Remember, 3 of us are absolute beginners.
Zsuzsi then decided to split the class – the 2 will go on to making their dresses and 3 of us will just do some simple projects, like this little drawstring bag. I could really sew a fully functioning bag! Achievement unlocked!
In December of last year, Lidl had their promo on Singer sewing machines. They sell the Tradition 2282 model for only 36,999 HUF. Zsuzsi vouched for the quality of this model, so of course, I had to get it. On the day the promo began, I woke up at 6am just so I could be at Lidl for the opening — in case people were cueing up for the machines, you know. As these are very cheap, they tend to get sold pretty quickly. I didn’t want to risk that!
Sewing is much harder than it seams.
I knew I have a lot left to learn, plus I really enjoy going to classes and learning how to make new things, so I decided to enrol again — this time, it was the Fun Sewing Projects course. We made cute but useful things like a padded fabric box and pencil case. Our final project was a market bag with wooden handles. So pretty! Not gonna lie, I haven’t used mine for supermarket shopping at all. It is way too pretty to be soiled.
The goal of this course is to get beginners to apply their freshly learned skills into creating useful items. We were not expected to be able to make something like trousers, which I don’t plan on doing anyway 🙂
I became a sewciopath
During the Christmas holidays (and basically the entire winter), I didn’t want to do anything except sew. I spent so many hours on Youtube and Pinterest, looking at more beginner projects to try. Even experimented with using iron-on interfacing. Browsing online fabric shops became a daily habit for me.
Around the start of the year, Zsuzsi opened the Eco-Friendly sewing course, and finally I was able to snag a spot in the course that I originally wanted. Now I can make those ridiculously expensive reusable napkins and sandwich bags that I see at craft fairs — for just a fraction of the price! I think many of my friends will get some eco-friendly things for Christmas…
In this course, we learned how to work with new materials like mesh and polyurethane laminate (PUL, a kind of waterproofing material), and how to use a serger. Really, the serger is like the Megatron of all sewing machines. It’s like a monster!
Then COVID-19 happened, and the studio had to close from March. Terrible, imagine no sewing classes for 3 whole months??
But I kept myself busy. I made lots and lots of masks. It was my friend Mary’s idea, actually. She told me she can pay me if I make masks for her. It was the start of the pandemic, and people were hoarding anything they can hoard. Masks were already in short supply.
Thanks to the abundance of Pinterest tutorials, I managed to make nice masks in 2 different styles. Some of my other friends heard about it, and wanted to order too. I decided to just sell the masks for the extremely low price of 400 HUF, just to cover the costs of materials (fabric, thread and elastic).
The studio reopened in June, and we started the Sewing for the Kitchen course (no pictures yet, as everything is partially finished). We are making a pot holder, oven mitt, apron and a lunch bag/carrier.
There were also a couple of new techniques and tricks that we learned in this course like how to make binding and how to work with batting.
Sew you think I am gifted…
I owe it to Zsuzsi! I never really thought I would ever learn to sew by machine, but I can do so many things now. I know I have a very long way to go, but I really enjoy going to these courses by Stitch Budapest. I have a busy work schedule, but Zsuzsi has classes on weekends. She has classes in Hungarian and English with various “themes”, with the eco-friendly course being one of the most popular. The courses are also not very expensive, and each course builds up on what you already know but also expect to learn something completely new, whether it is a new skill like quilting or working with a new material.
The courses are also kept small and Zsuzsi controls the class pace very well – no one is left behind and all students get personalized attention and instruction. Pre-Corona, the most I’ve seen were 5 students in a class. But post-Corona, Zsuzsi keeps it to only 3 people per class, and all students must wear masks.
Without a doubt, my weekly Stitch Budapest classes injected much color into my creative life! I am very excited at all the possible things I can learn to create from now. ♥
Start your creative journey – join a class at Stitch Budapest!
Address: Somogyi Béla utca 18, 1085
Webpage: https://stitchbudapest.com/
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