Hey friends! As we navigate the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, I know a lot of us are encouraged if not mandated to #staythefuckhome to slow down the spread of the virus and help flatten the curve. Which means lots of time for sewing – yay, silver lining – but not a lot of options for being social or getting help in the form of classes and workshops. I know I personally have had to cancel / reschedule 2 workshops so far and anticipate many more will meet the same fate (peep my workshops page for updates), which in addition to the loss of income is just a total bummer! I’m bummed!
While it is unfortunately not possible at this time for me to offer online workshops (logistically, I just can’t swing it – although I will continue to look into it so that may change in the future!), I do think one-on-one lessons can be managed via video platform. So, starting now – I am happy to announce that I am offering Virtual Private Sewing Lessons! Yay!
All information (including a FAQ because everyone loves a good FAQ) is on the Virtual Private Sewing Lessons page of my blog, but a quick rundown of how this works:
- You will sign up for preferred lesson via the PayPal link ($18 for 30 minutes, $30 for 60 minutes, $45 for 90 minutes).
- After payment has been completed, click the RETURN TO MERCHANT link to be redirected to my Calendly page to select your preferred time and date (availability is from 11a – 6p CST Monday -Saturday, although I can be flexible if your time zone does not work with these. Send me an email!).
- To complete your request, you will be asked to tell me a little bit about what you would like to cover during the lesson – this will allow me time to do any necessary prep work so that we can go straight into the good stuff during your session! You can also email me pictures / confusing instructions, ask questions – whatever gets us best prepared!
- Lessons will be held via Google Hangouts (which is free to use on your phone, tablet, or computer.
Since this is a new technological territory for me (let’s be real, there are gonna be some hiccups!), for a limited time I am offering these lessons at a discount of 40% off my standard hourly teaching rate. I know a lot of us are looking at an uncertain future in terms of the economy + our jobs, so I hope that these lower rates will also allow more people to take advantage of this new platform and strengthen their sewing knowledge!
So what can be covered in a Virtual Private Sewing Lesson? Well – just about anything, I reckon! Here are some ideas to get the juices going:
- Deciphering confusing sewing instructions
- Real-time demos for specific techniques
- Help with fitting (I’m not sure how well this will work since I tend to fit very hands-on, but I am willing to try and see what happens!)
- Basic clothing alterations
- Flat pattern adjustments
- General sewing advice (such as fabric and pattern recommendations, finishing techniques for certain projects, advice for handling tricky fabrics, troubleshooting)
- Or we can just chat because chatting is fun!
Selfishly, I am also hoping this will allow me to be more social while still maintaining my self-isolation – so perhaps that will be the same for you! Shit is stressful enough right now without having to deal with long bouts of loneliness, amirite?
I have some new projects and tutorials that I’d like to share on this blog, so stay tuned for those! In the meantime, please check out my Virtual Private Sewing Lessons page if you are interested in booking at session with me! Share it with your friends! I think we could all use a little creative distraction right now 🙂
Stay safe, stay healthy, wash your hands, and STAY THE FUCK HOME! Love y’all!
LLADYBIRD 
Glad you are finding a way to make this work. You may want to rethink the online workshop or seminar idea. I would really go for that. Do not need lessons but a workshop, I am all in. Your in person classes were always far from where I live, so online could be an opening to more students like me. I have been teaching my college courses online for about three years and love it.
Hi! I have looked into it, but unfortunately there is a lot of time and money involved in setting up an online course – neither of which I have much to spare right now. It is possible that could eventually change in the future but right now it’s not really an option with my current situation.
OMG. I was just in Nashville on my wild trek home (NY) from Florida. 😱. Couldn’t do any of my “normals”. (Visit my MIL at her nursing home, visit Craft South, favorite restaurants, etc.) We did briefly visit my SIL, who’s still cutting hair 😱😱.
I pretty much self isolate up here in the winter, because I HATE it, but enforced isolation sucks. (I’m trying to self-isolate after traveling but it’s tres difficult, especially since I don’t live in the land of deliveries. UPS yes, food no.)
Please let us know how the virtual lessons go – GREAT idea! Best of luck to you Lauren- stay safe ’cause we love ya!
Oh man, self-isolation is the WORST! Generally I love living alone but right now it’s driving me crazy! I do live in the land of food deliveries and 1 hour Amazon shipments, so it could be so much worse. But also it’s been raining nonstop for weeks so I can’t even go outside! I am hoping these virtual lessons will be a good way for me to stay busy and social, as well as make up some lost income 🙂 Stay safe and hang in there!!
This is fantastic news. Gonna hit you up for some jeans help after the 1st…..hang in there, girl. xo, Erin
Yay!! ❤
Virtual Genius! I’ll pin this and try and boost your exposure.
Thank you so much!! ❤
Lauren, are you familiar with Zoom (zoom.us)? It’s used for videoconferencing and Michael uses it to teach group voice lessons (everyone can see and hear you and you can see and hear everybody). There are no startup costs and it might work for sewing workshops. Might be worth exploring.
I have used it before, yes! Interesting idea about using it for sewing workshops. I’ve always thought about doing workshops as a pre-recorded scenario, but offering them via videoconferencing might be a good substitute (and easier for me to actually do with my limited time/funds/camera skills). Thank you for the suggestion! Stay safe! ❤
yes! zoom works great for group sessions…. i’d cheerfully pay to be a zoom workshop guinea pig. i want to tink with the ginger jeans i made at fancy tiger last summer.
I won’t watch anything you post or read your blog again. Really, you’re language is atrocious and offensive
lol ok
I watch everything you post and read everything you blog BECAUSE your language is atrocious and offensive and funny as fuck.
Your*
🙂
🙂 i love a good grammar or diction error in an indignant comment.
There were far too few cuss words in this post. #unsubscribe #notmylladybird
ha!
This is such a great idea! I hope this online stuff will work out well enough for you to keep it going once this is all over. My sewing instructor is an hour and a half away from me and I have no one to walk me through an instruction or two. I ended up getting stuck until I see her again. I’ll be hitting you up for sure!
Also, online workshops would be awesome and you could reach so many people that way but understand it may not be feasible right now. I won’t lie – I hope this lockdown ends up getting instructors to teach online more. It’s surprisingly difficult to find quality instructors locally and I live in a large city.
So far, it’s been going well so I do plan to offer it indefinitely! (schedule-allowing, of course). Workshops are a whole other beast that I haven’t really figured out the logistics of yet – there are a lot of moving parts to consider. I honestly don’t know if doing a live-streaming workshop will work but it is something I am looking into. For now, though, private lessons are working and I am happy about that!
Lauren, there has been a request in our area to make cloth masks for our Hwy 100 Kroger cashiers in Bellevue. Any thought to helping people learn how to make them? Seems like all it would take is a rectangle of fabric with a fold on the sides for expansion and maybe some elastic on the sides for around the ears? I sew but an wondering if there is a good “pattern” and instructions for others to do some home sewing to help out the community. Hopefully, Joanns is still open but if we have leftover fabric at home, recommendations on type and weight would be needed too. Love your blog! Karen U.
Hey! It looks like a bunch of people are offering tutorials and free patterns for the masks – Mimi G has a how-to video, and there is also one on FreeSewing.org. I think Joann’s is closed now, due to the recent Safer At Home order (unless they are still doing curbside pick-up), but I know there are loads of stores around the US who are offering free supplies for masks and may be able to ship. I think they are recommending quilting cotton for the outer and cotton flannel for the lining.