Roll with it.

I've been a bit all over the shop this week which makes for dull blogging. I know you've got better things to do with your time than read mundane tidbits like "I've finished a third of my binding on a quilt..." So I waited until I had something meaty to say ...something like "Whoa! That shirt is sexy."

I must be honest. When I enrolled in Crafty's Sewing with Knits Class that was the last response in the world that I was expecting. When I stopped sewing the shirt halfway through and relegated it to pajama wear - unhemmed, no neckband - I just didn't expect to hear that. Frankly, I didn't even expect him to notice a new shirt. But then he called me sexy?! In long sleeve tshirt? You might want to get in on this action, people.

Let's roll back. Not long long ago, I set up a Craftsy account. They had an introductory offer with a lot of free courses on offer. I signed up for my first class, Design and Sew an A-line Skirt.  I made a draft skirt. It fit well. When I find the right fabrics for it, I planned to make a few more. As an intro class, I deemed it a success. Because I liked the skirt and class, I enrolled in Craftsy's affiliate program* knowing that I'd be blogging about my skirts one day.  Let's face it, in the land of bad skirts, I'm obligated to tell you about the good ones.

**Disclosure: as you know, Badskirt doesn't have currently have ad-box sponsors. In order to continue crafting, I make a wee bit of money via affiliate programs likes Craftsy. This money goes back into my craft and helps pay things like account fees and taxes. Feel free to pop on over to Craftsy to read about and join Craftsy’s Affiliate Program.

One of the benefits of joining the affiliate program at the time I enrolled, was another free class. Despite mixed reviews I joined Meg McElwee's Sewing with Knits class. I am really comfortable with craft fabrics, but I am a novice when it comes to knits. I've never had home ec or attended a sewing course. Until this class, I quite honestly did not know my jersey from my interlock. Meg's class is intended for sewists who are quite new to knits. She teaches the difference between french terry and double knit. The videos demonstrate stretch and drape behavior in a way you couldn't get from a book or flat webpage. For me, this was the real meat of the class. I've wanted something like this for a while, so I was exceptionally pleased.

Meg's instructions take you through sewing knits on a domestic machine. This really is for beginners, the pacing is a bit slow and the garment finishes aren't professional. It fit my needs though. No serger required. I used my patchwork Bernina. The course comes with patterns for five knit garments (a hoodie, two tshirts, a skirt, a dress and yoga pants). So far, I've watched the hoodie section and started constructing my first tshirt - the "sexy" one shown above.

I chose a funky jersey from Remnant Warehouse that looks great but seems to have a tremendous propensity to roll. That's why I stopped sewing halfway through. That's why there is no neckband. I really didn't enjoy unrolling this jersey while I sewed. There was no way it would make a good neckband. I think I need to go buy some ribbing to finish it off. I also need some fusible tricot (stay tape) for the hem. I wasn't even sure I enjoyed sewing with knit. I was content knowing that I'd learned a lot about fabric ,and knit garment sewing may not be for me.

That's when this first knit garment became sleepwear...  I popped it on yesterday afternoon because I was hoping the postman would buzz. He only comes when I'm wearing pajamas. Craig saw it when he came home. He first asked if I'd been out to the shops. "You never buy anything for yourself. And this shirt is great. It fits you so well. Sexy. It's really sexy."

...so on that note, I'm going to shop to get more jersey. I've got more lessons to finish.

I'm know I'm late to the Craftsy party. Have you enrolled in many classes?  How did you find them?