I'm very excited to invite you to join me for a one-day workshop in October. I'll be teaching soft toy design at Gather Here, the wonderful fabric and yarn store in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The class will be on Sunday afternoon, October 20, from 12-4 pm. In this class I'll take you through the pattern drafting…
5 Helpful Tips For Sewing Teachers
Today I’m teaching one of my favorite classes of all time: Sewing Machine 101. Eight adult students will walk in the door in a few hours and each will be carrying a sewing machine. Some of those machines will still be in their boxes despite having been purchased years or even decades ago. Other…
Write Your Own Craft Book: An Event at Brookline Booksmith
Have you ever considered writing a craft book? Wondered about the ins and outs of getting a book deal? Been curious about the process of producing the manuscript and working with an editor? On Monday, May 20, I'll be part of a panel discussion with several other craft book authors, and an editor at a…
5 Difficulties New Sewing Machine Users Commonly Encounter
Last night I taught Sewing Machine 101 here in town. This is one of my favorite classes to teach. People walk in the door with a sewing machine they got as a gift or inherited from an aunt or bought for themselves with the best of intentions. They’re nervous. Maybe they’ve tried to sew with…
How to Teach It: A Craftsy Class by Gwen Bortner
Before I became a designer I was a teacher. I’ve known I was a teacher my whole life. Every job I’ve ever had has involved teaching in some way. I’ve been a tutor and a camp counselor. I’ve run a tutoring program and a summer school program for inner city children in Baltimore. I’ve been…
Grow Your Handmade Business: Teach Sewing in Your Community
Have you ever considered teaching sewing in your community? Teaching is a great way to add a new income stream to your handmade business and it’s fun and interesting, too. No matter where you live there are people who would like to learn to sew on a sewing machine. Because let’s face it, sewing machines…
Diversify Your Income Stream: Teach People to Use Their Sewing Machines
I'm teaching a Get To Know Your Sewing Machine class next Thursday, October 11, from 9:30-noon at Sew Easy in Wellesley, MA (if you live in the Boston area and would like to register you can do so on the Sew Easy website). Sew Easy is a locally owned sewing center for kids, and I…
Make Your Own Humpty Dumpty: A New Online Workshop on Craftsy!
Click right here to enroll! Humpty Dumpty is the classic nusery rhyme character. What's not to love about a dapper, cheerful egg sitting so innocently on brick wall? I first made a Humpty Dumpty doll in 2007 and he has been one of my most popular designs. And today I'm thrilled announce that you can…
Upcoming Workshop: Design Your Own Stuffed Animal
I am teaching a new workshop at Gather Here in May called, "Design Your Own Stuffed Animals." In the class we will start by sketching and then work to transform our drawings into sewing patterns for stuffed animals. You'll learn how and where to add gussets and darts to make your design truly three-dimensional. Don't let…
Softies For Sale Series: Teaching a Class (in-person)
For today's post in my series focusing on turning sewing into a viable career I want to talk about teaching. Before I had children and started sewing softies all the time I was a teacher. I worked in education for six years all together: two as a Teach For America corps member teaching middle school…